You really can't project how the young guys will develop - all you can do is keep playing the numbers game and focus on development.
And until you have solid goaltending, you're never going to have a solid defense. It's pretty much that simple. However, there are some possibilities in net and we'll just have to let that play out as well.
At this point - year 1 in a rebuild - I am pretty happy with the prospect pool on defense. It is a long way from where it needs to be, but so is the rebuild.
For me the answer is pretty clear: keep acquiring assets - at every position - and keep developing them. When the core of a good team is starting to emerge - whether that's 3 years or 5 years from now - then you can look to free agency and/or trading some of your assets to get that key top-pairing Dman to round out the roster.
Until that point (when a solid core is emerging) I am not concerned. We're a rebuilding team.
To the people who suggest trading Giordano - I'm talking to you, Lambert - that would be the stupidest thing they could do. Offense is about creativity and talent. Defense is largely learned. You need intelligent vets to teach the kids how to play defense in the NHL, and to keep the team from completely sucking. When you throw a bunch of kids to the wolves you risk them completely losing their confidence.
It is going to take a while to build a solid D core again. I hope fans have the patience for it.
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