More Reflections on Adam Foote

I just finished listening to Scott Howson on 1460 the Sham.

He shared a little more detail on the Foote situation that clearly makes me think he did the right thing by dealing him.

He said they tried to resign Foote to a two-year extension, but when it was determined that an agreement couldn't be reached by the deadline Howson expressed that he would like to keep him through the end of the season.

At that point Foote said he wanted to move on, as he did not want to play out the season here if he wasn't resigned by the deadline.

What?

Just like that...take it or leave it?

Obviously Howson left it and that was the right move.

There's your captain folks.

Does anyone question where his head has been the last three years?

Better yet, his heart?

Sounds like Colorado to me.

Now, putting the pieces together, it has been reported that the two sides were negotiating between three to four million on a two year deal.

That's quite a hefty sum for a 36 year old defensemen past him prime.

My guess is that Howson wanted Foote for three million, while the Foote camp wanted four.

The last update I heard is that they were $500k apart and the Jackets latest offer was 3.5 mil over two years.

So the Jackets met halfway—why didn't our team captain, who says he desperately wanted to stay in Columbus and help this team make the playoffs, meet halfway as well?

Hmmm, just a bit one sided I think.

Sorry folks, but that's not a negotiation, and once Foote gave the ultimatum that he wanted dealt and Colorado showed interest, he bolted.

Is that the kind of captain we want around here?

Look, I was excited as hell when we acquired Foote and he played really well for us, especially this season, but if this is indeed how things went down today, then Howson had no choice but to deal him.

I know it's a business on both sides, but there just isn't any way Howson could hold on to him when the relations freeze like that.

Who's to say Foote wouldn't have just gone through the motions if we hung on to him.

Would that have helped our playoff push?

Not a chance.

I wish Adam Foote good luck in the future. There is no ill will here, but I'm certainly not going to lose any sleep over the way Scott Howson handled this situation.

Quite frankly, I think it's amazing he was able to get what he did—a 1st-round pick and possibly a 4th if he resigns there—pretty damn good under the circumstances.

Now it's time to move on.

Howson collects his conditional first rounder in a very deep draft (said to be deep in '08 and '09) that could really come in handy as he tries to fill roster holes this offseason.

The team now must look to itself for leadership and to make a playoff push.

Hitch, while certainly not happy that his team captain was dealt with no players being added, must reach even deeper into his bag of tricks to keep this team together and motivated.

Slowly but surely, Doug MacLean's mistakes are being cleansed.

Nobody said it would be easy, but this was a necessary step.

I'll have more reflection on today's developments later tonight.