Armchair GM: Weighing in on the Comrie / Campoli trade

I like the trade, it's a great deal for the Sens, and Bryan Murray is smarter than people give him credit for.

To make a trade in this market at all is tricky enough. For Murray to land a guy like Campoli who has all the potential in the world to be what Mezsaros should have been, and at 600K comes at a fraction of the price....this is a good move. Let's break it down:

Comrie for McAmmond is a win for the Sens. Both are unrestricted at the end of the year, and Comrie is much more than a 4th line center, and 6 years younger. He's gonna contribute, and play his way in or out of Murray's favour. He left Ottawa with dollar signs in his eyes, realized how much losing SUCKS on the Island, and will relish the chance to play for a team that, while not making the post-season this year, DOES have a chance to be a solid team for years to come.

The 1st rounder for Campoli is the other part of this trade. And here's the part I find interesting. Look at it as a 1 for 1 trade: GM's are gonna look at this deal as essentially the 1st rounder for Campoli. With 26th to 30th pick overall in the first round, are you gonna find someone who's got more potential than Campoli? Maybe, but it'd be a big gamble. This is a safe move that helps the team, and, more importantly:

It drives up the price up puck moving defensemen with less than 2 weeks before the deadline, which, if this is Murray's plan all along...is genius. Now that he's defined what these d-men are going for, he can command a HEAVY price for Kuba, and land somewhere higher than 26th-30th overall. You KNOW teams are gonna be clammoring for Kuba, and since Murray spent a 1st rounder for Campoli, there's no doubt Kuba's gonna come with a hefty price tag.

And for those skeptics who say Campoli was a 7th round pick for the Isles....this is a ridiculous argument, considering how late some of the best NHLers have been drafted, and what monumental flops have emmerged out of the first round of any given NHL draft.

Let's not forget too, some GMs are really stupid, fear for their jobs, and would deal more than just a solid first round pick to tighten up their D for the post season. Remember what the Thrashers paid the Blues for Tkachuk for a run at the post season? (Not a D-man, ok, but you'll see my point) The Blues received: a first in the 2007 draft, a 3rd in the 2007 draft, a 2nd in 2008, and a conditional 1st in 2008 if Tkachuk resigns in Atlanta. Oh, and Metropolit. The Thrashers went on to get swept, and Tkachuk strolled on back to the Blues that summer.

This is nothing but a win-win for the Sens. Comrie gets a 2nd chance and will be more likely to resign now that Murray's shown faith in him (unless he plays like crap, and then Murray can wash his hands of him....I honestly think Comrie will be a good fit, and will take a small discount to resign in July), and, we acquire a solid D-man with potential in Campoli.

AND we drive up the price of puck-moving defensemen in the process.

I like this trade.

M@