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Blobby17

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Forum: NHL TradesOct. 31, 2021 at 1:35 p.m.
Thread: (SJS / OTT) - Karlsson, Perron for Tierney, DeMelo, Norris, Balcers & picks
Looking back at this trade, this is how I believe most people were thinking when instantly reacting to this blockbuster back in September of 2018:



1. The conditions on the draft picks are too long and too wordy.

I didn't read them because there's no point.

Details don't matter.



2. If San Jose fleeced Ottawa with the Hoffman-Boedker trade, then San Jose fleeces Ottawa in any Erik Karlsson trade.

Details don't matter.



3. San Jose gets the Swedish version of Bobby Orr while Ottawa gets a pile of junk.

Details don't matter.



4. The Sharks will re-sign EK65 to a team-friendly contract, win multiple Stanley Cups and live happily ever after.

While the Senators will remain dead last in the league under the thumb of Eugene Melnyk in one big apocalyptic dumpster fire forever and ever.

Details don't matter.



5. The "Mike Hoffman clause" in the trade is nothing more than an embarrassment for Ottawa.

Details don't matter.



6. Doug Wilson is a world-class genius that never loses any trades.

Pierre Dorion looks like Kevin Malone from The Office while Eugene Melnyk looks like Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars.

Details don't matter.



This is the reality:



1. EK65 was a pending UFA and San Jose was only guaranteed to have him for 1 season.

He could have easily re-signed with a different team.

San Jose would look really awkward if they gave up all these pieces, only to have EK65 walk as a pending UFA.



2. The key piece for Ottawa was not the 3rd overall pick in 2020 that turned into Tim Stutzle.

Because we all believed in 2018 that San Jose would go to the final 4 and make it the 30th overall pick in 2020.

The key piece was Josh Norris.

A former 1st round pick, Norris was a blue-chip prospect and was excelling at the University of Michigan in 2018.

He had a bright future in 2018 and still does today.



3. With regards to the draft picks, Ottawa would still have done well in this trade in the worst-case scenario.

Even if the San Jose Sharks won the Stanley Cup in 2020 and gave Ottawa the 31st overall pick instead of the 3rd overall pick.

I genuinely believe that.



4. At a minimum, Ottawa was guaranteed in this trade to receive 2 roster players + 2 first round picks/prospects + 1 second round pick.

That's sort of what Colorado got for Matt Duchene.

The instant reaction was that Colorado fleeced Ottawa in November 2017.

But then, the instant reaction was that San Jose fleeced Ottawa in September 2018.

Even though Ottawa got about the same thing on Erik Karlsson that Colorado got on Matt Duchene.

It is not fair and it doesn't make any sense.



5. You know what the bigger loser is in this trade?

Much more than either San Jose or Ottawa?

Conventional Wisdom.

Groupthink.



6. Ottawa wins.

Details matter.