"Sportsliga skäl bidrog till att Ryan Smyth tradades"
Så säger Edmontons Kevin Lowe idag till Edmonton Journal. Mer kommentarer kring traden redovisas här.
Edmonton supportrar och spelare verkar vara i ett smått chocktillstånd. Efter att Messier hedrats inför nattens match mot Phoenix Coyotes spelade Edmonton utan klubbikonen Ryan Smyth. Spelet var stelt och förvirrat vilket också ledde till att Edmonton förlorade med 0-3 mot Wayne Gretskys lag. Publiken visade sitt missnöje med missnöjebanderoller och nidramsor TSN.
Under natten publicerade Edmonton Oilers ett officiellt nyhetsbrev till sina fans. Där Kevin Lowe underströk det hockeymässiga i denna deal. Han motiverar det på fölande sätt.
"The CBA we operate with in the NHL today means you need to have a sound hockey strategy and stick to it. Today we turned a page for sure – but this is not as much about the Oilers today, but what we continue to do as part of an overall plan.
Our decision is about the direction we want to take and the opportunities we have today and tomorrow with the brilliant young players we have acquired and those we have in the organization. I want everyone to know that our decision was much more to do with a plan than a reaction. Ryan is taking a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Our opportunity is to have a sound strategy for the future. "
Edmontonred återkommer med reaktioner på detta.
