Replenishing, Not Rebuilding

Something needs to be addressed about this Sutherby trade, because this has been bugging me. A lot of people have been questioning the terms of the deal, saying that if the rebuild is over we should have gotten more than just a draft pick that we won't even use until 2009.

First of all, what makes people think that a player whose numbers went down last year and whose minutes have been limited this year would warrant anything more than a second round pick? If anything that's more than I think we could have expected.

Second, and this is important - the rebuild is over. We may not be seeing the results just yet, but it is, and just because we pick up a draft pick does not mean that ceases to be true. The next step is and has to be creating a sustainable farm system that will continuously provide quality players for years to come. A hockey franchise is not stagnant - you have to keep stockpiling picks and adding fresh talent to the mix. That's how you create depth and longterm success, and you only have to look at the successful franchises over the last 5-10 years to see that it works.

This deal works out well for both sides; Anaheim gets a gritty, hard-working player in Sutherby who can fill gaps when needed and the Caps get a chance to add even more young talent to the organization in the coming years. Hard to argue with that.