Joined: Jul. 2018
Posts: 349
Likes: 246
This extension is a whole lot of yuck. I mean I guess it's ok to have a back up plan if Pietrangelo leaves, but that is a pretty big downgrade, and if he leaves, wouldn't have younger cheaper talent be better than replacing him with a player that is probably going to start an immediate and steep decline.
Carolina looks amazing here. Gardiner has been a better D than Faulk in recent years, and would actually fit Carolina or St. Louis better. For Carolina to get Gardiner signed for a value deal without a lot of term, then turn Faulk into an asset, they actually come out of it with a better built blueline with more certainty and an extra prospect. Wadell has been killing it this summer.