If you can claim to have rather had the original trade rumor that put Mason Raymond in the draft day package to Florida for Oreskovich and Ballard then you should be running an NHL team... the Canucks preferably. I liked the salary dump of Bernier, but it was a salary swap as Ballard's hefty cap hit has caused issues for the Canucks. We got a very strong and fast skating minor leaguer too, and it cost us a late first rounder in a fairly deep first round and the leagues fastest skater who is showing that last year's hattrick with the Canucks was no fluke...he's got three this season on Long Island. Mike Grabner would lead the Panthers in goals by 9 and they waived him. Several teams, including the goal-starved Maple Leafs passed up on his waiver rights after FLA cut him.
Malhotra at 2.5 and Raymond and 2.5 have not had the seasons that Brendan Morison and Mike Grabner have had at 1/3 the cost.
I am a big fan of Gillis, really, but what gives? I never agreed with the Grabner salary dump and I thought B-Mo earned our fourth line centre position. We're still not tough enough so why would it matter if the deminutive Morison was a depth forward and played up and downt he roster?
scratching my head...what could have been.
