In what has to be one of, if not the biggest trades ever. The Philadelphia Wings send Dangerous Dan Dawson and his brother Paul Dawson along with a 2016 first round pick to the Rochester Knighthawks. In exchange the Wings get Paul Rabil, Jordan Hall, Rob Campbell, and Joel White along with a 2014 second round pick.
For those out of the loop, Rabil was traded last season to the Edmonton Rush in exchange for Athan Iannucci and declined to play. During the off-season the Rochester Knighthawks obtained his playing rights, and when camp started, there was no Rabil. Its no secret that Rabil wanted to come and play in Philadelphia. When the trade was announced this morning, the social networks were exploding. Facebook, Twitter, everyone discussing the trade. On facebook, some Wings fans are noted as saying , “sure , do trade now that you have my season ticket money, this is my last season”.
Is the trade worth it? Lets see… By losing Dawson you have 25 goals/78 assists from last season gone, now who do you get to play the right side? Maybe newly acquired Wings Kevin Ross? Dan is a 6’ 5” right-hander whose goals are mind boggling. But his game has changed in recent seasons to where he’s more of a set-up man. He’s had 70 or more assists in 2 of the last 4 seasons, and has also scored 100 or more points, including 103 last year for the Wings. Paul as Wings fans know is not afraid to drop the gloves and is a very tough defender.
On the other side, the Wings get a stud of a transition man in Paul Rabil. With his size and athleticism, Paul can just about play any position on the floor. Question is, can he dominate the indoor game as he has done in the outdoor game?
With Jordan Hall the Wings get a fantastic playmaker. Hall is still rehabbing from knee surgery that had him miss the last half of the 2012 season, but says things are going well and cant wait to get back into action.
Joel White…Serious SPEED here! He will definitely excel in the transition game. The Wings in the past have always brought the ball over the center line to wait for the offense, with White and Rabil they can now carry it completely into the zone and go right to the offense because these guys can also score . This will hopefully give the Wings a lot of balance scoring in the transition game as well instead of always relying on the offensive players to collect the goals
The Wings now have 7 transition players and if this trade brings Kyle Hartzell ( still unsigned) on board, then that is 8 transition players. Yes, Hartzell and Rabil can play defense as well. Dawson is entering his 12th season, so maybe it was for youth? I still see another trade in the works, not sure for who, or for what, but there are a lot of transition and we need a stud on the right.
With this trade, will it now propel Max Seibald into a forward role? With his size he can definitely work his way to the front, similar to a Jake Bergey. Time will tell.
Next question is… How does this help or damage the rebuilding of the franchise to its glory days. We know that GM/Head Coach Johnny Mouradian has built champions, we know his background. Could this trade be the missing pieces in the puzzle? Or will this be a disaster trade that many Wings fans would want to forget.
Personally as a season ticket holder for the Wings, I will say I wasn’t on board with the trade, and I’m still not at ease with it. I didn’t want to see Dan go. Why give Rochester a top set up man in Dawson to go with Powell, Kehough, Jamison, Powless, etc.. Maybe that’s what I am more upset with, the fact of losing a Dan Dawson. We will have to wait and see. Do I still have faith in GM/Coach Mouradian and Asst GM Jimmy Butler? Yes. I am a die-hard, Loyal, Loud and Proud fan for 27 yrs. I have seen the Good, Bad and the Ugly. Hopefully when we see the play of the newest Wings on the floor it will put all doubt to the curb. To get something you have to give something, just wonder if we gave too much.
Now more the ever…. The time is now! Welcome to the WINGS family Paul Rabil, Jordan Hall, Joel White and Rob Campbell. Dan and Paul you will be missed here in Philly! Best of Luck guys!!
Wings play there pre-season games next weekend, so hopefully the new guys will be in the lineup, and that may put the fans a bit a ease. But remember this is Philadelphia, we are a tough crowd to win over.
Comments are closed.