Form and Void: Schrödinger's Arthur Quinton Wright

Along the shore the cloud waves break,

The twin suns sink behind the lake,

The shadows lengthen

In Carcosa.

There lies a theory that the universe in which we inhabit is merely one of an infinite number of realities. A coalescence of space, time, matter, information and energy all mixed into one endless possibility. If the physical laws of universe remain constant, then we could experience existence through different plains of time without knowing when we exit or enter a new part of the multiverse.

How does quantum theory apply to the FOHL, you might be asking? Two words. The Hamilton Bulldogs. Okay three words.

On Friday, they finalized a blockbuster deal to acquire power forward Quinton Byfield. He's a strong candidate to be the 1st or 2nd overall pick in the NHL draft a season and a half from now. It's Hamilton's second true blockbuster trade, and where we might have experienced a rip in the space time continuum.

If there was a Family Feud style consensus who the best players in the FOHL between 2018 and 2020, three name should gravitate towards the top. One being perhaps the best winger the FOHL has seen in ages, one being a slam dunk 1st/2nd overall NHL pick and one being the second coming of McJesus. 

Hamilton had one, lost one, acquired one, and likely lost one in the span of a few months. 

If time is a flat circle, we constantly seek what we cannot have. There's a universe out there where Hamilton kept Kaliyev, absolutely crushed it this season, brought him back next year as the league's best forward. There's a universe out there where they sold Kaliyev, tanked, used those pieces to acquire Quinton Byfield, and brought him back next year as the league's best forward. There's a universe out there where they sold Kaliyev, sat on those pieces, tanked and drafted Shane Wright. There's even a universe out there they sold Kaliyev, they acquired Byfield and they drafted Wright. What timeline are we in now? Welcome to the multiverse.

What we know now is that next season the two best forwards are likely to be Arthur Kaliyev of the Ottawa 67's, and Quinton Byfield of the Hamilton Bulldogs. The most valuable player on paper will probably be 3-4 year forward Shane Wright, first overall pick to __________. Depending on what possibility you wake up into, all three of those players will wear a Bulldogs uniform at some point in their career.

GM Tyler Hetherington has taken his fair share of flak this season for his team's performance, but what can't be denied behind all the losses is that Hamilton has touched greatness perhaps more than any other team. If the Plight for Wright fails now because big Quinton Byfield carries them out of last place, it doesn't just change the destiny of the Bulldogs 2018-2019 campaign, it reverberates across the multiverse. 

Let's take a look at Universe A, where Hamilton never traded Kaliyev. He's currently sitting 2nd in the league with 24 goals in 32 games, he's powering the Bulldogs attack. Their powerplay is a full 10% better. Their secondary scoring comes alive as he draws top defensive unit assignments against him, as the likes of Pavel Gogolev and Isaac Nurse are putting up career numbers. The Bulldogs sit 5th in the East, a fair margin ahead of 6th but not quite knocking on home ice. They upset the Ottawa 67's in the first round of the post-season before being swept by the Oshawa Generals on way to their Memorial Cup win.

Universe B might feel a little more familiar, where Kaliyev is traded for future assets and those assets are flipped a few months later for Quinton Byfield. Hamilton, firmly dead last with little to no ambition of changing that fate now suddenly is injected with the biggest game breaker in the game. Byfield continues one of the most dominant rookie seasons in recent memory, and the Bulldogs start to pile up the W's, they finish the season in 6th in the East, giving way to the Sudbury Wolves to scoop up last place and Shane Wright. Oshawa Generals win the Memorial Cup in six games over the Erie Otters who continue to fail upwards.

Then there's Universe C, a spicy possibility where Hamilton tanked like no tank commander had ever dreamed of. They traded Arthur Kaliyev to Erie, who then traded him to Ottawa, who eventually traded him to Guelph when it was revealed the Bowser brothers were just the same person running 2 teams. Hamilton finishes the season with 8 wins after they hire Don Cherry as their head coach, and they draft that good Canadian kid Shane Wright. Flint wins the Memorial Cup with Quinton Byfield scoring every goal in a 4 game sweep over the Oshawa Generals. 

Was it fated that Kaliyev and Byfield were to be traded by and to Tyler? Was the exceptional kid destined for Hamilton? There are some questions you need to ask yourself while you trip your way through the multiverse. So tell your wife you're taking out the garbage, light up a joint in the garage, put on some CCR, crack a beer and ponder one of life's greatest mysteries.