Quoting: Daryl
Yeah you don’t know what you’re talking about.
Ask any Avs fan how good Barrie is.
He's good, but he's over valued because he shoots right handed. So many fans are caught up in the we need a right handed guy. The age difference alone makes the trade bad. Players play their best hockey between the ages of 23-29, statistically speaking. Barrie is 27 turning 28, so its likely his best hockey is behind him. He'll still be a good player for a number of years yet but once you hit 30, players get riskier and riskier. Just look at Hainsey so far this year (I am including the preason), he looks like he lost a few steps this summer. That can happen any year after a player hits 30 years old, injuries take longer to recover from, your jump starts leaving you and sometimes its rapid. For every Marleau in the league, there are dozens of Corey Perry's, getting old sucks.
So with all that in mind, we are trading the best player in the proposal (Nylander) who is 22. That means we are trading a guy who scored back to back 61 point seasons, and is still a couple years away from when we can expect him to really hit his stride, for a guy who has already hit his stride and in all likelihood will only get worse over his time in TO.
Age difference should be as important as salary when it comes to trades. But most fans like seeing flash and dash and want it all now and just refuse to see or even look at the bigger picture.
If you want a perennial contender, you have to plan for the next decade, not just now and the next season.
Far smarter moves can be made that will not affect the future and still provide stability to the blue line.