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From the not shocking part of life:
VAN puts David Booth on unconditional waivers for purpose of buyout.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) June 17, 2014
This goes against the grain of many fans who wanted to keep Booth - including many of you! - as a low risk option for what's surely going to be a slow rebuild year ahead. Alas, you ain't Mr. Benning and Sir Linden are you? So let's pretend we are and pick any one of the following:
1. It's a money thing. Vancouver now has $15,958,889 in cap space and that could balloon up to over $20,000,000 if Ryan Kesler is moved in the next few weeks, money that can be reinvested in Benning's first stab at free agency in exactly two weeks from today.
What We Were Saying About Booth In May
What We Were Saying About Booth In May
2. It's a retool / rebuild thing. Again if you assume Kesler is gone and now Booth, the second line is non-existent excluding the very lonely Chris Higgins. Toss some kids in there? Maybe. But since the argument has been made time and time again that Booth's most noticeable value was best viewed alongside Kesler, then the writing was on the wall for Booth anyway. Will he finally prove his worth with a less skilled center? And if not do you want $4.5 million winger in your bottom six? That last question has just been answered.
3. It's a talent vs. perception thing. Analytics aside, it's tough to ignore the on-ice results, largely marred by injuries and the lofty expectations that come with mentioning the words "power forward" and "Vancouver" in the same sentence. Can Booth rebound somewhere a la Mason Raymond and rebound his career? Of course. Does that mean keeping either player here would have produced a similar turn around? Of course not.
It is somewhat comical to recognize Aquilini is still on the hook financially for - in no certain order - Mike Gillis, John Tortorella, Booth, Ballard and, oh why not, Roberto Luongo. Ballard and Booth may be brothers in misery when viewed by the perspective of their time in the Pacific Northwest, but it shouldn't be viewed as a huge indictment against them either. Ballard rebounded fine. So did Raymond. Surely someone will find a use for Booth which means, of course, you'll see him lifting a Cup next June.
Good luck Mr. Booth. Thanks for the memories.