Rejoint: juill. 2021
Messages: 1,052
Mentions "j'aime": 548
Waddell is getting a lot of love for the moves he made on Wednesday, but let’s not forget that he had to replace two of their top 6 forwards (Niederreiter was playing on the third line, but his 24 goals were third-best on the team), their top scoring defenseman, and their third defense pair. Don’t get me wrong – I like the trades – but I’m not sure the team is better on paper now than they were this past season.
Pacioretty should be an upgrade over Niederreiter if he has no lasting effects from last season’s injuries, and Burns should be an upgrade over DeAngelo if he continues to play like he isn’t 37 years old. Coghlan could fill one of the other defense spots, but I don’t see as much depth there as they had last season, and I see a big hole at the 2nd-center position, which will be critical for getting the most out of their talented group of wingers. Necas can supposedly play center, but I don’t remember them ever using him at that position. I think their plan was to slot Kotkaniemi in there, but I’m not sure he can handle it, especially after his lackluster playoff performance. Jack Drury could be a possibility, but that’s a lot to expect from a guy with only two NHL games. With three options I suppose there’s a chance of hitting on one of them, or there may be more moves coming, but I don’t expect any more blockbusters because they’ve used up a lot of cap space on Burns and Pacioretty, and they still have to sign or replace Necas and Bear.