I completely agree with Modano’s comments about checking with others who have played with Avery.  To me, that is an example of GM 101, a hockey management class that Brett Hull seems to have skipped.  When you think about it, Hull knows Brendan Shanahan pretty well, and I’m sure he could have called him for his two cents about Avery, before offering that fat contract to Sean. Shanahans’ opinion may have been enough to either completely dissuade Hull from offering the contract, or at least reducing the amount of money & length of contract, to something more in line with the “shift instigator” category of NHL players. Now, Avery’s contract is radioactive, with no half life; there’s no way he can be traded to another NHL team nor anyone’s AHL team. He either has to sit or play. I wouldn’t be surprised if he sits the rest of this season, and then the Stars try and reintroduce him to the team during the fall training camp, to see if time heals old wounds with his teammates.

Posted by habscout on 01/14/09 at 04:59 PM ET

Hull was Avery’s teammate, so that could have been why he didn’t ask around for opinions.  I believe there was a quote from him recently about how Avery is not the same guy who spent a year living in his (Hull’s) house.  As for Shanahan, when Glen Sather asked him for his opinion of Avery before the Rangers traded for him, apparently Shanny endorsed Avery.  So the Stars would probably have been in the same boat.

Posted by K24 from NYC on 01/14/09 at 08:42 PM ET

To K24 I say, really?  I’ll bet you are not aware of the story about Avery & Garth Snow, including Brendan Shanahan, during a 2007 preseason game ?

It was reported here, by the former head of the NY Islanders Public Relations section, Chris Botta:

http://www.islanderspointblank.com/2008/12/when-avery-attacks-confrontation-with-snow-racial-taunts-at-nolan-showed-the-dark-side

It was also reported by Stan Fischler, who referenced Botta’s story:

http://www.hockeyjournal.com/Article.php?ArtID=694634

I am sure that if Hull had called Shanahan during the summer of 2008 to ask about Avery, since they were teammates for two different teams, this story would have certainly come up.  That may have given Hull some information to reconsider an offer to Avery.

Posted by habscout on 01/15/09 at 11:08 AM ET

Actually I did hear that story, and since the two guys were apparently still close and hanging out together off the ice well after that incident, I don’t see how that story would change my statements.

Posted by K24 from NYC on 01/15/09 at 10:28 PM ET