Lou Lamoriello kept his word even though it made his team worse
The National Hockey League's Trade Deadline day is as chaotic as you'll find in the four major sports leagues. There are many moving parts to dealing with and acquiring players as the countdown to the 3 pm deadline draws closer and closer.
NHL General Managers have to tailor their deals (or non-deals) around player needs. In other words, on this day, an NHL GM is only as good as his word.
According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet on the 32 Thoughts podcast,
It appears as though both veterans had a deal with Lamoriello before the season began that they would play the entirety of the 2021-22 NHL season as a member of the Islanders.
Chara 45, and Greene 39, are nearing the end of their respective NHL careers, especially the former. So, it's understandable that neither man wanted to be moved in what most likely could be their final NHL season. To a man like Lamoriello, it meant more to keep his word than it did to acquire assets to help his team.
Opinion: If you know me, you know I call for the destruction of the "old boys club" that seems to still have a stronghold in hockey today, but, in this case, Lou Lamoriello acted with grace and class towards his veteran leaders by doing exactly as he said. In hockey, your team's need usually comes before the individual, not in this case, and that was refreshing to see.
| POLL | ||
Do you think Lamoriello's gesture to Chara and Greene was the right thing to do? | ||
| Yes | 126 | 57.8 % |
| No | 43 | 19.7 % |
| It's a business, the team missed a chance | 49 | 22.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
