Here's the part you're missing...you acquire "players" not "scoring". Players score and sometimes they don't...at the moment, ours aren't. But they're expected to and this isn't something management has done/hasn't done...top scorers have not been producing on this team. Now, you may say that it's the management's responsibility to address that, and they try. But there is no store down on the corner that sells guaranteed goals and, with that, we have to count on the players in place to score. Or make sure we get good value if releasing those who were/are expected to score (for they may just find their game again after they're gone). I fully expect some of these guys TO bust out again, Burr being one of them.
Even if you trade for other "players", there's no guarantee they'll produce. People want to plug in [scorer] and all problems are solved but we don't get a money back guarantee if we pick up players who don't contribute as much as Kes or others who were in the mix. Those are big skates to fill.
Manny wasn't "embarrassed" here, he was actually saluted, honoured and, to some degree, protected.