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1.10.2011

Wells Traded



Just announced. Charles Wells and Seattle's 1st round Bantam selection in the 2011 draft to Prince Albert for defenseman Ryan Button.

Button is a great addition... but I have to seriously question whether trading Wells AND a 1st round pick was worth it.

Button is a 19 year old and is not a sure bet to return to Seattle next season. As best as I can tell he has not been signed by Boston so maybe Russ has been given some assurance that even if Boston were to sign him they would likely send him back to Seattle.

Wow... seems like a high price but at least we got a very good player in return.



Whoops... I'm an idiot as usual. Seattle trades Wells and their 1st round IMPORT selection to Prince Albert for Button.

That deal makes a lot more sense and Seattle was not going to draft any Imports next season. Thanks to Kodi for pointing out my mistake.

45 comments :

Kodi said...

It's the import draft pick not the regular bantam draft pick

Kodi said...

I should Also mention that I think This is a GREAT move (though I'm not a 16 year old girl that thinks Chucky is dreamy). This will help in the quest to reduce shots on goal and we have Troock who is currently getting in to game shape to replace Wells.

My biggest problem with Wells was he didn't know how to pass the darn puck. I also believed as a 19 year old he should have been producing more.

Anonymous said...

Kodi, are you kidding me with not passing the puck. Passed it too much. Check out his goals/assist ratio especially last year when he played with prab and first line pp. Take away all the pp goals for the leaders on the team and the only one ahead of wells is jacobs. Will definitely miss his pk. Best on the team. You can't teach speed!!! Only sh goals on the team.

Kodi said...

I'm talking about this year and not last year. There have been numerous times this year when he would hold the puck instead of passing it off to the person coming accross the other side choosing to skate it behind the net instead.

Charles was also not on pace to even match his number last year and as a 19 year old with an additional year under his belt you would expect more.

Just my opinion though

Anonymous said...

Wells certainly had the speed which will be missed, but as a 19 year old he wasn't producing, not to mention he asked to be traded. So getting a good player in return is a plus. Lets hope Button can give us a boost in our own end so our forwards aren't constantly pinned down in our own end.... The two players we all figured would be traded have been, I wonder if this is it.

Anonymous said...

If he was on the first pp numbers would have been better. Hoping he has a break out like Parker and Accolatse did and makes Farwell look even worse than he already does.

Anonymous said...

Wells wanted out, getting Button in return is a pretty good deal considering your player is forcing your hand. Heard Bobbee got hurt last night, any word on how serious?

Anonymous said...

Ya, the Sena trade sure made Farwell look bad. That Gallimore guy we got only has 45 points in 41 games. Oh, and that Gallimore guy we got didn't wait until his last year in the WHL to step up, unlike Sena. Parker not producing was the reason he go got moved, but we certainly lost out on that deal.

Anonymous said...

Parker not producing wasn't the only reason he got moved.

Anonymous said...

This organization from the top down can't develope talent. I'm not saying they don't draft talented players in the bantam draft but now you have nobody left from the '91 year that you drafted. Those are 19 year olds this year that should be the strongest part of your team. Along with the 18 year olds where your #1 pick your trying to make a forward. Russ has made some decent trades bringing some players that help a team But you never contend for anything in any league without drafting or better yet keeping the right players you do draft.

Anonymous said...

Hard to argue that point

stbird said...

I thought you don't get an import pick if you already have 2 imports? How can you trade a pick you don't have? I must be wrong, just seems kinda weird.

Anonymous said...

You still receive the picks, but you must remove an import player or two to use the pick. T-Birds released Radek Meidl a few years ago the day of the draft to select Riku Helenius.

On another note, great trade! I believe the drop in Wells' production is in direct relation to the loss of Prab Rai last year.

Zach Hamill had a drop in production after Peter Mueller left in Everett. It's just the way it goes.

Anonymous said...

You still receive the picks, but you must remove an import player or two to use the pick. T-Birds released Radek Meidl a few years ago the day of the draft to select Riku Helenius.

On another note, great trade! I believe the drop in Wells' production is in direct relation to the loss of Prab Rai last year.

Zach Hamill had a drop in production after Peter Mueller left in Everett. It's just the way it goes.

Anonymous said...

To the guy who said Wells should pass and the guy who said his production was down. You are both correct. Prab was the only one who could skate with Wells. Who is he supposed to pass to when there is no one beside him. Left them all in the dust. Also not on the pp. Look at the stats people. All the top scorers have mainly pp goals.

Anonymous said...

Wells was on the PP, just not the first unit. He was on the 2nd unit. If you're not gonna pass the puck, you're not gonna be a top PP guy. PP success is usually predicated on moving the puck, not stickhandling hit.

Anonymous said...

Where's the guy who said pickard was getting traded? I guess his friend of a friend who's cousins mothers dads uncle was wrong. There was no where to trade him other than Portland and that wasn't happening. Sorry dude.

Anonymous said...

I think we all expected just more from Wells to step up and lead more. I heard people say Holloway would suffer without Gagnon... Then Scott would suffer without Holloway.... Then Rai would suffer without Scott. They all stepped up to become the guy after the others left. We just never saw Wells take over without Rai. It may be the system he was in, or maybe chemistry. But he just never got it to that level

Anonymous said...

Hey Tyler, Why do you think they keep Picks in on these lopsided games? It can't possibly be good for him, the team or Salmon. I thought he gave up during the last lopsided tri game and although he didn't give up last night, the team had no hope of a comeback. Both Picks and Dillon play so many minutes it must cause problems during these stretches with many games in few nights.

Anonymous said...

I'd like to know that as well. What is Rob thinking? I'm thinking the comment I read in another post that said "we broke Pickard" isn't far from the truth. At the very least pull him in games like last night. Give Salmon a chance to get some ice time and Pickard some time to rest. But this is a team who chose to play 4 d men and sit 1 on the bench for a whole game. So who knows what they are thinking. They don't seem to be very concerned about wearing the kids out. Very disappointed in our coaching staff this year.

Anonymous said...

yes I agree that they appear to be worn out and exhausted. Looks as if it is the same guys on all pp's and pk's and then taking every other line shift as well. No time to breathe. Having a hard time understanding why we have four lines when they are hardly used.

Anonymous said...

I always remind myself that while I view the guys as a team, they view themselves as individuals. They have chosen hockey as a profession and are doing all they can to make it. Ice time is obviously how they showcase their talent and get noticed. Having said that, Russ (through the mynorthwest.com blog) said that Ramsay was traded because he felt he deserved more ice time, while the team disagreed. Who else is asking/demanding more ice time? Could it be that they are worried that Pickard will want to leave unless he plays almost every single game? I don’t know the answer but I see that as a possibility.

As far as the same players getting all of the minutes, it might placate them and their parents/agents, but it really hurts the development of the other players. I agree with the poster who stated that this organization is inept at developing talent. The best players should get the most minutes, but there is a big difference between fewer minutes and no minutes at all. It is either fear of having your best players defect or a coaching issue. Either way it isn’t good for the team’s success.

Robby said...

Wells wasn't the only player that would want out of this bland losing organization. Last night was a horrible response to the post trade deadline game. The team plays like their coached period. They started the year fresh with self motivation and a couple new 20year olds because we had no 20's of value.Stick a fork in this group. They played like a bunch that were sorry they weren't traded.

Anonymous said...

I checked on previous posters facts about bantam draft. No 91's left(19)and Pickard,Fleming,Lockhart,and Lund(18). Obviuosly Pickard and Lockhart are solid contributers. The other two not so much. Other teams are not trading us their top players although a few trades have worked it's apparent where this organization is lacking. And no goalie should be playing more than 80% of the games in a developemental league.It scares me that he too has topped out.

Anonymous said...

No T-bird drafted 90s or 91s on this team (Dillon was not drafted, he was listed) Last season they only had one of their drafted 89s on the roster, Nielsen (Schappert and Rai came via trade). So three straight seasons and only one of their drafted players made it through his entire WHL career with the team.

Anonymous said...

Now go check every other team out there and come back with that info and I might be impressed.

Anonymous said...

Maybe Picard played bad because he was upset he was not traded. I know 100% he wanted traded. Russ just couldn't find a sweet enough deal. I also believe the post that it is a developmental league and all players deserve some ice time.

Anonymous said...

2007 Bantam draft could have been sweet. Seattle selected Picks in the 2nd rd and Lund in the 4th. In the 6th round the T-birds had two selections. They picked Luke Lockhart with the first pick then 3 picks later they select Justin LaChance. Two picks after LaChance was selected, Portland picks some guy named Ryan Johanson. Lots of teams missed on that kid. Just shows you how tough it is to judge 14-15 yr olds.

Anonymous said...

Lots of things to comment on, first why would we trade Pickard? He will be back next year as a 19 year old unless he plays in the NHL which is very doubtful. Second regarding who plays, the team is trying to be competitive with what it has to work with, that includes 6 top six forwards, 3 who will be top 6 next year & 4 who are role players or hurt. 4 top dmen & 3 who need to get there. It is a fact that your better players play more, it's not minor hockey!! Coach can only coach what he's got not what he wishes he had!! This team is competitve with 7 out of 10 teams in the conference and the playoffs will be made or lost against those teams. TC, Spokane & Portland are at thier own level so any points against them are bonus. Lastly the comment that the players look tired, hockey is a short shift game & at the end of most shifts players are tired. Their recovery level is high so even if they only have a few minutes to recover they usually ready. Lets stop the negativity & get behind the team, 7 of thier next 9 games are agianst teams they need to beat to get in the playoffs, let's not panic jsut yet.

Anonymous said...

Yes, wait 7 to 9 games, then panick!!

Anonymous said...

I don't think anyone is not "behind the team." In fact it's concern for the team that I'm reading. The coach played every player early in the season. And we seemed to do pretty good. I know there will be some players that get more ice time. But for a player to sit on the bench for a whole game and not take the ice one time, I have issues with that. Especially when you can watch our "top" d man get outworked because he can't lift his legs anymore. And now we have a d man injured. Sure would be nice to have a player be able to step in that had seen some ice time. Same for the goalie situation. It is a team sport after all.

Season Ticket Holder said...

As a longtime season ticket holder, the poor management of the team is unfortunately beginning to wear on me. While I found the letter to season ticket holders after last season insulting, it did lead me to believe the team was really going to work on its performance this year. However, it has not so far. This season feels like deja vu.

For the extreme prices we are being charged in contract to the rest of the WHL, the product we are receiving is a very poor value. First and foremost, the team must get better and soon. Second, the ticket prices for both season ticket holders and single game buyers must come down next season.

If the team believes it can justify $22 seats for an arena that is often 2/3 to 1/2 empty, they are fooling themselves. They definitely aren't fooling the ticket buyers because they simply aren't showing up this year.

I'm not interested in the manager and GM firing debate. All I care about is that the team finds a way to get better and soon, along with a reality check for the ticket prices.

Anonymous said...

Actually, hasn't Seattle seen the largest increase in attendance of any team in the WHL this season? Thought I saw a post to that affect on another blog recently. And that was the first half of the season when they have fewer games and fewer promotions.

Anonymous said...

I am really getting tired of hearing about the ticket prices. I checked Everett and Portland, the other two cities that would be similar economically, and their prices go from $29 - $17.50. Everett is the highest with $29, $24, and $22 for comparable seats at Showare. Portland starts at $28and $23.75 for similar seats. We have $16 family seats as well as the majority of our seating at $22. Showare was built for hockey and all the seats are great. It's not about the prices.

Anonymous said...

Why is it that people only read and then pick apart half the comment. That person was stating that poor management and a poor product has led to the stands being only 1/2 to 2/3 full and that this is not worth the ticket price. Instead of criticizing loyal fans that just want something better these people get on the club and demand changes, but they probably don't have the balls to do that. Just like me its easy to leave Anonymous messages and pretend we know it all.

Season Ticket Holder said...

The person who attacked the ticket prices in my original post is NOT telling the truth. Want to compare Seattle ticket prices to Everett? Fine, here you go.

Seattle Club: $40
Everett Club: $30 and $23

Seattle Glass: $30
Everett Glass: $25

Seattle Reg: $22
Everett Reg: $20 and $17

Seattle Cheap: $16
Everett Cheap: $15 and $11


Those are the FACTS. Now that they are out in the open, feel free to apologize for not telling the truth.

Simply put, Seattle ticket prices are much more expensive than other clubs. Also, as the other poster rightfully pointed out, obviously there is a problem when the Showare is only 1/3 to 1/2 attended for almost every game.

I've put my money where my mouth is and have paid to see this club for years. If you are an anonymous employee of the team posting, that is truly lame. If you are someone else, get your facts straight.

Thunnex said...

I always admit that I could be wrong and that is the case here as well....

I'm pretty sure that Tbirds "Staff" are not posting here anonymously. Just FYI.

Season Ticket Holder said...

I was just informed Seattle ticket prices are the second most expensive in the entire WHL, behind Portland. It should be noted Portland is a major city, while Kent is a small blue collar city.

Additionally, as I showed, Everett is much cheaper than Seattle. If you check our other local teams, Tri City and Spokane, you will find they are WAY CHEAPER than Seattle.

So whatever the case, Seattle is far above 95% of the other WHL team prices. It's also one thing to charge these prices to a team that sells out, however Seattle can barely sell half their game seats to any given night.

Anonymous said...

I apologize I got my figures wrong. I looked in two different places and got two different pricings but I didn't double check my figures. I still think Seattle prices are not out of line and I am NOT a staff member.

Anonymous said...

I agree with you, they are just out of line for the product that they are putting on the ice.

Anonymous said...

When the Mariners suck, or the Seahawks suck, they don't change the price of their tickets. You purchase a ticket to an event; there is no promise of how the event will turn out or how the team will play. I went to a Seahawks home game and they lost and paid poorly; my friend went to a Seahawk home game where they won and played great. We paid the same price. Should I get a refund? Should he have to pay extra?? The only promise the ticket gives you is entry to the arena and a seat to sit and watch. The gun to your head forcing you to but the ticket must be extra 'cause I didn't get one with my purchase to the last T-birds game I attended. Don't know if it's true every where but a friend of mine in the sports management business says most teams get a cut of the parking fee. The lack of such a fee at ShoWare probably means the T-birds have factored that into the ticket price.

Anonymous said...

I sure hope you realize that Seattle seats over 2000 fewer than Everett. So of course the cost will be higher. Take away the upper section in Everett and we'll see if their prices don't go up. Why is it that the club seats are the first to sell out in the Sho? Hmmm, guess it's not too much for everyone! How much does it cost to park in Everett? It's free in Kent. I mean, this horse is so dead, and yet... beat away!!!

Anonymous said...

At least there they give the fans some hope every now and then.

Season Ticket Holder said...

Comparing the Thunderbirds to the Mariners or Seahawks is apples and oranges. First of all, those are major league teams in Seattle. The Thunderbirds are a minor league team in Kent.

The Seahawks sell their games out. The Mariners do as well when they have winning seasons. The Thunderbirds are lucky to sell half their seats to any given team. In a winning season, which has been a while, they still don't sell out on a regular basis.

Back to ticket prices, is Seattle not the second most expensive in the WHL by a long shot? I rest my case.

Want to compare the Thunderbirds to the Silvertips? Fine, prepare to lose again on that comparison. About 4,000 fans attended the Friday night game of Seattle vs Everett in Kent. However, over 8,000 fans attended Seattle vs Everett in Everett the next night!! This even being the case with Everett having a poorer season than Seattle! Again, must be nice to have cheaper, more affordable tickets up there in Everett.

Club seats are the first to sell out in the Showare? Wrong again, this is becoming a habit for you. They often do NOT sell out. Also, check the club seats the hour before a game, you will find the team releases many club tickets right before the game. They are trying to artificially inflate these seats.

Only parking is free in Kent? Wrong. I have never paid for parking when attending a game in Everett. There is free parking to be had.

Keep putting up the poor rationalizations, and I'll keep knocking them down.

Anonymous said...

Never said "only parking is free in Kent" In fact I said, "don't know if it's true everywhere". Everett doesn't have a parking lot next to there building like the ShoWare does (and like most arenas do) and in those cases, you pay to park in that lot. There is a City of Everett parking garage near the arena and you do pay to park there, I just doubt the team gets any of that revenue. Have you checked the price of parking in Portland? And if the Blazers are in the Rose Garden and the Winterhawks in the MC on the same night, the price to park is jacked up. Not in Kent because they have a city ordinance that prohibits it. You can bet if they could, the T-birds would charge for parking, since they can't my guess is the lost revenue is made up for in higher ticket prices.

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