harmfuljays wrote:
I still don't see how this team has addressed any of its underlying issues. Hopefully those D kids can plug holes. Guess we will find out in 12-13 weeks.
Well, they at least have addressed the problem of a D-corps that was solid on the right side and absolutely abhorrent on the left. There are still some freakin' boat anchors on the blueline, but at least it's not a contender for worst D in the league anymore.
As far as other issues, they definitely took a hit overall in losing O'Reilly, but appear to be using the trade and cap space to fill out a more balanced roster. The test will be if Soderberg can handle tough minutes playing alongside Landeskog. I'm told Grigorenko has some good two-way ability as well, but obviously he hasn't proven he can play in the NHL at all yet.
Bottom line though this is a team that still doesn't quite have a strong farm system. I think they're doing a pretty solid job of fixing that but it ain't gonna happen overnight. The key this year will be to eradicate the garbage off the roster as best they can (Cliche, Guenin, Holden, Stuart) and incorporate what little talent is waiting on the farm.
But possibly the biggest question will be if Roy has matured as a coach. He finally had to admit his M2M system wasn't cutting it in the NHL, certainly not with the garbage defense he had. He tweaked it and it worked for a little bit, but overall he should be incorporating more aggressive tactics. He went from being a fearless gambler his first season to Claude Noel-level conservative, though I am going to assume that he absolutely deplored that style and will switch to a more attacking style this upcoming season.