His trade of fan favorite Simon Gagne, formerly the longest tenured player on the roster, was roundly criticized by fans and analysts alike for the pathetic "value" Holmgren received in return.
So how did Holmgren find himself in this situation? How could a GM fresh off building an Eastern Conference Championship roster make such an egregious error?
It must stated that Paul Holmgren, despite the hyperbole circulating on blogs and message boards over the past week, is not an idiot. His overall track record seems to indicate an intelligent, competent GM with the ability to pull off the occasional heist.
His 2007 trade deadline deal of Peter Forsberg eventually netted the Flyers Kimmo Timonen, Scott Hartnell, Scottie Upshall, and Ryan Parent, all of whom have played roles in the Flyers' late '00s resurgence.
His acquisitions of Braydon Coburn (for Alexei Zhitnik) and Ville Leino (for Ole-Kristian Tollefsen and a fifth round pick) proved to be outright steals. ...
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Article written by Charlie O'Connor