Wings trade Snider...........Why? What's next?

By- Kevin M. Neibauer


The Philadelphia Wings have traded their most marketable and arguably their most popular player to the Calgary Roughnecks for the Number 8 pick in the Orlando Titans dispersal draft.

Hoping that Philly would offer a package to move up and land Casey Powell, I am now questioning the reasoning of the organization.

The fan base is already fragile. Attendance has been steadily declining and certainly events of last season were not going to help things.

The insanity began when the organization decided to stop selling second tier seats and sold only first level seats. Not a big deal right? But, if you have a family of four who attend on a regular basis, it is an increase of $20 per game. In these economic times, that is a big hit to absorb to see a far less than .500 team.

Not one single giveaway night last season. Unless of course if you count some of the games that the Wings handed to the opposition.

Granted, the team was without Athan Iannucci and Merrick Thomson. Dan Teat got injured as well as Shawn Nadelen. However, the team was rarely competitive and with the exception of very few players seemed to not care.

Geoff Snider was their catalyst, He did everything that was asked of him and did it well. He was a leader on the field and in the locker room. Snider wore his heart on his sleeve and hating the losing.

So, are the Wings better without him? Not by a long shot. Thomson probably won't return and who knows the quality of Iannucci when he returns?

As a result of the deal, the Wings will look to the brother of Geoff, Bob Snider and or Pat Heim to become their face-off specialist or loose ball leader.

The season ticket base will surely take a beating for this move. The Wings will be lucky to put 5,000 in the building next season.

The only saving grace is that there is still a lot of off season left and things could change. You know like trading AI and Westervelt for the rights to Mikko Red Arrow.

NOTE: The Wings acquired Ryan Boyle from the Titans dispersal draft with the pick acquired in the Snider deal. Also picked by the Wings in the draft were Brendan Mundorf, Stephen Peyser (likely to be the faceoff replacement), Jeff Bigas and Dan Cocoziello. (Tom Hoffman)