Most hockey fans love to talk about trade rumors. Even those who don’t spend time analyzing and breaking down every plausible or implausible scenario seem to agree that trade rumors are fine for what they are – rumors. However, not everyone is a fan of trade rumors and that includes Philadelphia Flyers GM Ron Hextall.
When asked about a recent trade rumor involving Luke Schenn or Nick Grossmann, Hextall went off on trade rumors, as reported by the Philadelphia Daily News.
Hextall wasn’t happy. He was rankled about “players’ names being specifically mentioned,” because there are families and homes and lives attached to those names.
“It’s one of my least favorite parts of the business, the stuff that gets out, particularly the stuff that has zero credibility,” Hextall said, still fired up.
He has a point, but as he goes on to state, it is a part of the business. Trade rumors and sports go hand in hand. It’s not exactly a new concept and it’s not going to go away anytime soon.
As for the Flyers, these rumors aren’t going to evaporate. With young defensemen impressing in camp, there’s suddenly a few names who could be shipped to a new club. Hextall may just be upset because all of the media speculation could potentially impact the value his players hold. Now, you’d hope other GMs wouldn’t assign value to players based on what the media says, but it’s not far-fetched.
Though we aren’t mainstream media here at PDL, we can comment on the aspect of rumors. As a blogger, there is a fine line you have to tread with trade rumors. Some sites report everything they “see” or read online. Others make sure there’s at least a credible source behind the rumor and then do their homework to make sure it’s clear that said rumor is just that – a rumor.
We try to fall into the latter category. We won’t report random nonsense with the hope you click on the link. We’ll discuss some rumors and make sure you know that they are just rumors. With that in mind, the Flyers are in a position which suggests a trade is coming. Will they make one? We’ll have to wait and see, but the odds are good.
