One big F-east up
Here’s the thing. I’m simply an AWFUL human. Just ask Jay Feaster. Now, Jay Feaster doesn’t know who some no name blogger who’s site is known by nobody except you. Yes you, you’re the only one, I’m glad you’re my friend/family member/small time blog enthusiased. BUT…if Jay Feaster did know who I was, I don’t think he would be a fan. You see if this is the first time you’re reading my stuff you might want to go back and read what I’ve had to say about this guy in the past. Jay’s chins think its unflattering (see, terrible human).
But he makes it oh so easy!!! Tim Erixon, refusing to rebuild, Mark Jankowski, Roman Cervenka, Dennis Wideman, and now Ryan O’Reilly. Flames fans, I’m not here to hate on you. Yes I’m an Oiler fan and yes I want to beat the Flames more than any other team in the league. But not like this. This is like when Bret Hart used to fight some jobber with a name like Ted Smith who just rocked generic tights, was already in the ring, the Fink would introduce him as the Hitman was walking to the ring. An automic drop here, a neck breaker there, elbow from the 2nd turnbuckle, sharpshooter, and 3 minutes after walking out Bret was walking back to the locker and he didn’t even have to shower. Trust me, this isn’t showing up this bad on the ice YET…but it will pretty soon.
Now, at 4 PM Thursday I admit I honestly thought he had made a great move. I said it on Twitter, the Flames had been playing some good hockey and are more desperate for an actual center than any other team in the league. There are AHL teams that are better down the middle than the Flames are right now….and I wish that was a joke! So Ryan O’Reilly would be a HUGE boost to the Flames. If you’ve read my stuff (yes I’m talking to YOU again) than you know that I believe strength at center is perhaps the most vital ingredient to win in this league, especially in the West. So a just turned 22 year old, 6’0, 210 pound, 55 point, 54% in the dot, 200 foot center would improve the Flames not just a little but a lot! But I didn’t know that he would need to clear waivers. Nobody did, but Feaster should have.
How not just Feaster but the entire organization wasn’t on top of that is well beyond me. And then, to come out and claim that they KNEW about the rule but had a different interpretation on the rule is just digging yourself an even deeper hole and makes you look like a complete moron if nobody had that figured out already! Would you not think to maybe call the league before hand and inquire about the rule if you knew about it?!
Can you imagine had the Avs not matched? So O’Reilly goes through waivers, and every team in the league would put in a claim. I’m guessing some of those teams may flat out get told to tank. I don’t believe this goes on in the league, but for 1 week to get a 22 year old kid who is an elite 2nd line center it might be a rare occassion that it would happen. Then, the Flames have this enormous f*** up hanging over them for the rest of the season and ridiculous pressure now to get away from the bottom of the league to avoid what would already have been the biggest mistake in NHL history. No way a team that might be already playing over their heads (26th in the league) wouldn’t crumble with all that hanging over them. Boom, you LITERALLY just gave away Seth Jones or Nathan MacKinnon.
And as for Pat Morris, save it. Morris came out and claimed he thought the same way Feaster did about the rule, sure you did Pat. This snake is the same agent who decided to go to the media with his client Chris Pronger’s trade request in the summer of 06 rather than keeping it behind closed doors. He’s dirty, and I wouldn’t put it past him for one second to have gone to just about every GM looking to get an offer sheet knowing that his client would have to go through waivers. What’s it to him? O’Reilly gets back to playing (and for him hopefully out of Colorado which is what he wanted) and Morris gets a big pay day for him and his client.
But at the end of the day it is all on Jay Feaster. The great Feast is at it again, and he is truely burning this organization down (get it? Flames, burning, histerical…ok quit laughing now). He should be fired for this. Doesn’t have to be now, but if he’s not gone by May 1st barring a miracle run I will be shocked. And the thing is that they don’t have to go scorched earth like the Oilers did (rumor is ownership refuses to do that), but this is ridiculous. You can rebuild by simply making smart trades, getting great bang for your buck UFA’s, and drafting shrewdly. The Oilers had to do what they did because no UFA’s want to sign there unless the team is great, and they didn’t have one valuable asset to help the process along.
Feaster has no plan. This clown has been terrible at the draft, threw ridiculous money at Wideman and Hudler last summer, and usually makes terrible trades too. He is the worst GM in the league. Greg Sherman is close, but you can’t win the title via count out or DQ and Feaster got himself DQ’d in the latest title fight against Sherman, he’s still the champ. Oh and have you noticed he has a weight problem?!? Look at me, just a terrible…simply horrible person. It’s anti-bullying week and look at me piling on Jay when everyone is pointing and laughing. I’m sorry Jay, buds?
Follow me on twitter @TJ_Soups