Why Gary Roberts should have ended up in Toronto.

Bruce Garrioch from the Ottawa Sun, is reporting that John Muckler was upset at the Panthers in his attempts to acquire Gary Roberts, who was later dealt to Pittsburgh, "because nobody is sure if Florida coach and GM Jacques Martin and assistant GM Randy Sexton were bargaining in good faith."
John Ferguson Jr., also, was not happy for being left out in the cold for the Roberts sweepstakes by the Panthers management.
And to add controversy to this, Garrioch claims "there's a strong feeling" that Jacques Martin did not want to help out his former club, or his former rival club for that matter.

You know what, I agree.

It seems very odd that Gary Roberts, who raved about going to an Ontario-based team, ends up going to the Penguins because they offered "the best deal"!
Are you really kidding me Jacques Martin? Noah Welch was the best you can get for a highly-sought player?

On Monday, Darren Dreger told Gord Miller that the Leafs had offered up a 2nd and 4th round pick along with a prospect (which could have been Brendan Bell, and as the Leafs lost out on Roberts, he was later traded to the 'Yotes for Yanic Perreault.)
This seems more than fair for a declining 40-year old player with just 29 points this year.

Noah Welch, don't get me wrong, is a nice young defenceman; but offering up Brendan Bell along with two very decent picks seems a lot more fair. Admit it Jacques, you didn't want him going to Toronto.

And with the ridiculous asking price given to Ottawa (Antoine Vermette or Patrick Eaves and a 1st round pick), admit you didn't want him going to your old Senators either.
John Muckler had complained on Monday that the prices going out there we're "outrageous"and that he would not overpay to bring in a rental player.

Well, it sounds pretty outrageous to include the words : Vermette, and, 1st, for, Roberts, in the same sentence.
Muckler might have been talking about this outrageous asking price and referring to Gary Roberts as the rental player.

Furthermore, there is nothing to cover up, Jacques Martin is cheap for deliberately not cooperating with John Ferguson Jr. and John Muckler; the first by rejecting a perfectly expensive offer which sees the Leafs giving up some part of the future for a quick-fix, and the other by reportedly telling John Muckler something even more unbelievable: that he wanted Antoine Vermette or Patrick Eaves along with the Sens 1st rounder for Roberts.

And all Martin got was Noah Welch...

The facts are there under our noses; read 'em and believe 'em.

Bleu, Blanc et Rouge.