Wingate Trade Revisited
In the middle of Season 46, the Calgary Wranglers and Riga Reign made a shocking trade that resulted in the entire league (and trade thread) saying "wat." Teams almost never trade their franchise goalies mid-season, and both goalies had strong roots to their teams. However, rumors started to leak soon after the trade that Wingate was not going to re-sign with the Wranglers in free agency unless they had a strong cup contender ready to go. In order to avoid another Stockholm situation where they lose their goaltender for nothing, Calgary decided to trade Wingate while they could still get a good return for him. In return for Wingate, Calgary received his replacement in Bernie Gow, Riga's S48 1st, and depth forward Griffon Simmons.
Ordinarily, trades can't be judged until seasons down the line as it takes a while for draft picks to develop into an actual player you can look at. However, because Calgary traded that exact same pick in the offseason for Francis York Morgan and Quebec's S49 2nd, it is easier to see how the trade has turned out as it mostly involves players who have already hit their prime. In total, Calgary's haul for Wingate includes Bernie Gow, Francis York Morgan, Griffon Simons, and Quebec's S49 2nd. Bernie Gow is at the very least a starting-calibre goalie, and he has potential to become better as he continues to earn tpe. Calgary must be excited to see Bernie's playoff performance last season though, as he actually performed much better in the playoffs than the regular season, and really helped Calgary get past New York in just 5 games. Additionaly, Bernie is my brother so I have no doubts about Bernie leaving, which is important because goalie is a position you don't want to mess with. Francis York Morgan gives us one of the top defensemen in the league, and he is also still young and has quite a few seasons left. Lastly, Simons was just a depth player for a year, and the S49 2nd may turn into something good depending on if Quebec still tanks next season and if the S49 draft is any good.
Looking at the trade from Riga's perspective, they did manage to acquire a potential hall of fame goalie who has made a habit of dominating, especially come playoff time. Unfortunately for Riga, the trade didn't quite work out as hoped as Wingate was actually out-dueled by Sinclair in the Davos-Riga series. It's not as if Wingate played badly in the series, he actually only gave up like two goals a game, it's just that Sinclair played out of his mind and only gave up something like a goal a game. Riga will once again have Wingate's services this season, and hope he can help carry them to a cup victory.
Who Won?
In my opinion, I think this trade will either result in a Calgary win or a draw. Looking at Riga's roster, they are composed of almost all S40 or S41 players, and you would think they have to enter a rebuild after this season. Wingate has already made himself clear that he won't do a sign and trade, meaning Riga likely won't get a return for Wingate should they rebuild. If Riga fails to win the cup this season, I think the trade is in Calgary's favor as they get a goalie and a top defensemen that will last them many seasons to come, while Riga would have paid for only two seasons of Wingate that resulted in zero cups. Should Wingate help carry Riga to a cup with his hall of fame play he is known for, then I think the trade will be an even one as Calgary gets stability for the present and the future while Riga gets the ultimate prize in the cup.
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