Kennedy trade was a necessary evil
, Guelph Mercury – Jason Brooks was damned if he traded Matt Kennedy and damned if he didn’t.
The Guelph Storm’s coach and general manager will be criticized for trading the team’s captain and most dangerous forward—when healthy. And Brooks will be pilloried for not getting a young player in return.
Kennedy, a 20-year-old overage player, was dealt Thursday to the Barrie Colts in exchange for overage defenceman Ryan Gottschalk and three draft picks. Those picks are Sudbury’s third-round pick in 2010 and the Colts’ second-round picks in 2011 and 2012.
If he hadn’t traded Kennedy, Brooks risked holding on to his most marketable asset past the trade deadline and ending up with the same situation the club was in back in 2007 with Ryan Parent.
Parent, I believe, refused to be traded, preferring to finish his junior career in the comfortable confines of Guelph. The Storm exited the playoffs in four straight games that year and missed out on the chance to get two young players and two draft picks for Parent.
Then-general manager Dave Barr claimed it was his decision not to trade Parent, but I’ve always maintained otherwise.
Hang on to Kennedy and the same thing could happen: an early exit from the playoffs and nothing to show for it next year.
The team also risked the possibility of having Kennedy’s groin injury resurface, in which case you get nothing for him again.
Kennedy made Brooks’ decision easier when he asked for a trade a month ago. He is not the first player to ask for one this year and perhaps he won’t be the last.
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