Andrew Ladd stood in front of a Winnipeg Jets backdrop, a semi-circle of reporters and cameras directly in front of him.
He didn’t duck any questions, but was hardly enlightening, either. And watching that whole scene unfold earlier this week — prompted by reports talks with the Jets on a new contract had "broken off," a term his agent later contested — left yours truly wondering just one thing:
How did it come to this?
How did this turn so dramatically for the team’s captain and leading scorer from last season?
Remember, he was reportedly close to putting pen to paper on a new deal as far back as last July, but now may have his future with the franchise counted in days leading up to the National Hockey League trade deadline Feb.