105 mph slapper & nothing else
The Flames put Ales Kotalik on waivers for the second time this season and it got me thinking, "praise the Sather".As much as this generation of Rangers fans will never forget nor forgive Oli Jokinen Crapinen for escorting the Rangers to the golf course last season, he did serve a purpose. He was the means to the adopted true blue Brandon Prust and he also allowed the Rangers to ship out Ales Kotalik.
At the time of the signing, the years (3) and cap hit ($3 million) concerned me but I figured that Kotalik could kill two birds with one stone; a nearly unmatched cannon from the point on the power play and scoring ability on the wing. What I didn't factor into the equation was how unbelievably useless Kotalik was at even strength. After an initially smooth transition into the lineup, Kotalik all of sudden looked curiously uncomfortable on the power play making him a $3 million waste of space. Sather found an eject button and shipped him out to Calgary where Darryl Sutter was drunk at the wheel.
Sather appears to have learned from his numerous past mistakes on the free agent market. The lesson from Kotalik: the longer you wait in free agency, the lower the prices become. Ruslan Fedotanko is the perfect example. He was a training camp invite who for the reasonable cost of a one year $1 million contract has been exponentially more valuable than Kotalik who had a price tag of three times as much.
Praise is due where praise is due.
Atta boy Glen.
Agree? Disagree? Feel free to email me canyonofblueshirts (at) gmail.com.
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