Quote:
Originally Posted by dbaz
in all seriousness theres really only 2 ways to look at it.
1. the team doesnt have the depth, there's a new coach/system, and injuries to key players = team not able to get into sync or have personnel to do it
2. their older players are incapable of producing at their previous level, and need to have their expectations changed and others brought in to replace the place they played before.
last 2 years i thought the team wasnt deep enough, and that the lockout last year really hurt their chemistry. this year i cant really decide between the 2, but still lean towards the first. i expect next year to be the season that actually determines which one it is. yet trading the core is not really needed as sedins and burrows can be shifted down to places they played earlier in their career. the talent can be there in 2 years, especially if horvat, and kassian keep developing like they currently are.
kassian - kesler - shinkaruk ... or... kassian - horvat - kesler etc(yea i doubt kassian is a 1st line winger in 2 years but should be a top 6 producer)
higgins - horvat - gaunce .........sedin - sedin - burrows
sedin - sedin - burrows.........higgins - ? - hansen
hansen - ? - higgins .........archibald - lain - gaunce
or they could trade future away this year and royally fuck up when they get bounced.
|
A few matters of contention with your "proposed" lineup:
- Sedins on the third line..? Thats alot of money for third liners!
- You're assumption about Kassian being a top 6 producer is unjustified regardless of the little progress we've seen this year. I for one am still not sold on Kassian.
Overall, I don't wanna tag along for another "experiment" year in the 2014-2015 season. This is 3 consecutive years where management has failed to make some significant upgrades to the team. Albeit, Gillis has been restrained by a lower cap, I still don't see how acquiring david booth or jason garrison has made this team better.
On a related note, why is Gillis so afraid of trading away an expensive piece. You see Pittsburgh do it all the time for example. Trade away from a strong part of a team i.e our defence to reinforce a weaker part--in this case our offence.