Of course, this is not 2018. This deadline does not represent a similar oceanic change of philosophy. However, just like exactly seven years ago, the hierarchy (same CEO) is not involved in running in 8th place at the expense of acquiring future assets.
GM Chris Drury did the right thing by the franchise. By the way, what's right for both Ryan Lindgren and Jimmy Wiesey is sending an imminent free agent to Colorado for a conditional second round, and in June this year he conditioned defensive man Calvin De Hahn and 24-year-old forward Juso Perssinen.
You should expect any deals between the deadline now and the deadline of March 7th coming to comply with that template. Immediate free agent winger Riley Smith will need to acquire tangible value from the Cup candidate. Large deals will prioritize the coming years this season.
But the deal doesn't kneel on the team. There won't be any big holes left in the lineup, but one of the fallouts coming is that these acquisitions could limit ice time for some of the younger players. Of course, Perssinen, who is said to be given all the shots, is once again 24 years old.
