The Exes

Game 7 overtime winner.
Nearly a PPG with Team #3 (both of them)
“Spare parts”, “will cost too much”…contributing more than anyone thought in multiple series.

Sound familiar? They should, since they’re The Exes.

Former players of all teams never cease to enrage or injure fans of the old team. Things were so-so before that player came into the collective consciousness, BUT OH MY SWEET LORD WAS THE TIME TOGETHER AMAZING. Goals, sound bites, smiles…everything was perfect.

Then one day your heart was ripped out, and That Player is now far away. What did you get in the breakup? The return is never what you wanted, might as well be their old recliner. Smells like you…like them…like everyone else. But an ex is an ex for a reason. There’s always something that went wrong or was never right from the outset.

Matt Moulson is a great guy who doesn’t know how to give up. But he was a passenger, always made better by a system and those around him. He was deemed replaceable. He will not return as a UFA in spite of his good personal standing with the roster.

Andrew MacDonald will throw himself in front of a boulder to be a team player. But he was in over his head, better used as trade bait, and deemed replaceable. His Flyers contract is so damn Holmgreny, he’s stuck there forever.

Nino Niederreiter skates well and scores goals, can also set up a few. Given a semi-clear explanation of his future, he primadonna’d his was out of this organization. Apparently, when you’re the 4th person from your country to make the NHL, you go full-Mariah Carey and end up traded. Don’t go full-Mariah, even though you’ll end up eliminating the Avalanche.

PA Parenteau pulled a Tambellini on the Avalanche. He was deemed replaceable, correctly. Rumors connecting him run rampant, no Island/Brooklyn return for him.

Mark Streit is old and wanted a level of compensation beyond what he could provide. He was deemed replaceable, yet wasn’t replaced.

Thomas Vanek is the Prom King everyone wanted. He looked good on everyone’s arm but never could settle down and pick a date. He’s put up reasonable numbers while showing no Try. He wouldn’t commit, or overexert himself, and was jettisoned. He couldn’t commit. Montreal won’t end their Cup drought, so expect him to pull the “It’s not you, it’s me” on his way out of The City of Saints. Oh, and he won’t be brought back as a UFA.

Peter Regin and PM Bouchard? Barely doing anything with Chicago. Regin has played a scant handful of minutes, Bouchard is playing poker with Ozzie Smith at the bottom of the Springfield Mystery Spot. They were never meant to be worth replacing. Regardless of Chicago’s finish they will not return to either the Isles or Blackhawks.

These eight are/were in the playoffs with their new teams, a perceived insult to the fan base. “If they can make the playoffs separately, of course the Isles could be in the playoffs!!” No. Each player put himself into a scenario that led to his eventual dismissal. They became the exes that “could’ve been”.

Above all of this, none of these players are responsible for their replacements. They did not negotiate their exchanges, nor should they have been asked to. They are not responsible for the state of their former team.

No one wants to see their ex as happy as you thought you two could have been. Which is kind of hilarious seeing that the last ex-Isles standing are useless parts on Chicago, who could walk away with rings.

They’re gone and never coming back. Move on.