Benn or Kadri

[One87]

I voted for Benn but wouldn't be worried about the other GMs evaluation skills based off of these negotiations.

He seems to be trying the old "sell high buy low" strategy which others here have mentioned. The best of us do it, I'd be more concerned if he's undervaluing his players and selling them off after any little slump in production. On the other hand I would also be annoyed if it seemed to be the only tactic the GM ever seemed to use, but as long as he's not harming his team, he's remaining competitive, and not making enemies in the pool I would say his tactics are fine if not slightly delusional.

Who knows, maybe Kadri becomes the envy of poolies everywhere in the next few years and Benn pulls a "Gomez". Stranger things have happened.

Well thought out. Thanks for that.

[CT-Chill]

I voted for Benn but wouldn't be worried about the other GMs evaluation skills based off of these negotiations.

He seems to be trying the old "sell high buy low" strategy which others here have mentioned. The best of us do it, I'd be more concerned if he's undervaluing his players and selling them off after any little slump in production. On the other hand I would also be annoyed if it seemed to be the only tactic the GM ever seemed to use, but as long as he's not harming his team, he's remaining competitive, and not making enemies in the pool I would say his tactics are fine if not slightly delusional.

Who knows, maybe Kadri becomes the envy of poolies everywhere in the next few years and Benn pulls a "Gomez". Stranger things have happened.

I'm with this guy, it's always good to test the waters with trades on sell low/buy high candidates. For instance, during D. Sedin's uncharacteristically low beginning/mid season stats, I chose to chase Benn immediately after he returned to action after ending his contract hold-out. Benn lit it up the first week or so posting a ppg pace in his first 10 games back. I was rejected and the owner of Benn was actually borderline insulted that I offered a slumping and aging Sedin twin for Benn straight up, in a 10 team keep 4 league. Sure enough, I ended up flipping Sedin for Pietrangelo, Sharp, and a 3rd rounder from a more level headed GM. Test the waters, find out who you can have a good trading relationship with, works just like the big league.
If anyone even remotely resembles Jay Feaster in your league, start dealing with him and it will pay off immediately.

[Big Ev]

Definitely Benn. Character wins out at the end of the day, and Kadri has none of it. Expect a huge regression next year.

[Kofax]

Definitely Benn. Character wins out at the end of the day, and Kadri has none of it. Expect a huge regression next year.

That doesn't sound like a biased Sens fan at all! Ha ha ha.

But yes, Benn is the smart pick based on the body of work. Kadri has to prove more before he can be in that conversation.

That said, I don't think it's fair to judge the GM's ability to evaluate based on this one back and forth at all. After reading through the posts, I feel like you may be looking for a reason to give him the boot and are hoping to gain justification through this thread. At the same time, you didn't jump to conclusions and did set up this thread to give you outside opinions which you should take to heart. I also think you are where you should be with this, in that you need to keep an eye on him, but give him more time to prove himself.

[theIceWookie]

Definitely Benn. Character wins out at the end of the day, and Kadri has none of it. Expect a huge regression next year.

Yeah that's not true. Kadri ahs far more character than a great deal of people like to admit. Sure he's very confident and can be cocky, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have character. Look at how he handled the way the Leafs dealt with his development, constantly yo-yoing him up and down between the AHL and the NHL, and how the media and many fans ripped him literally everyday and proclaimed him a bust basically his draft plus 2 season. He didn't once go the media and bitch about it, didn't complain about, didn't bad talk a coach who was ripping him to the media (Wilson) but just took it and said he'd do his absolute best to continue learning and developing.

I'm not sure what your defenition of character is but that is pretty much the essence of what most people would define as character. Is he Toews in his character level? No, but he certainly isn't a player who could be described as having "no character".

And huge regression? Doubtful. Will he struggle like any young player does as a developing top 6 center? Of course, but he's easily a top 6 center in this league and he's definitely shown that this year. He'll learn how to play against top defenders and continue to develop. He's only 22, and he just put up a very impressive season, shortened or not (he did also play in the AHL).

He wasn't getting lucky bounces on every single shift. He played a large chunk of the season with low end 2nd liners and 3rd liners and put them in a position to succeed, not the other way around. Sure giving him more time means harder defenders, but it also means he gets more offensive talent to work with. Look at what he did with Lupul in a few short games and you can see the kind of potential he has going forward. Thinking he's the hier apparent to the top line center spot isn't crazy.

Now would I take him over Benn? Probably not. THe rationalist in me would take Benn's two season's as a number 1 center over Kadri's impressive season. Benn's already proven he is a number 1, whereas Kadri is only starting to show that potential. But Kadri has literally succeeded in every level of the sport, and been a star at every level. Given where he was drafted, what he's done in every league he's played in, and what he just did, it would be hard to not take him either. His upside is immense.

That said I'd still take Benn. He's the safer play. But one should not discount Kadri as easily as you did.