Bouma and Backlund are no brainers.
Provided Shore and Jooris are on upward trajectories they are absolutely the type of guys you guild your bottom six around. I like Colborne, but I'm still not sure what he is. He shows flashes of offensive upside, but then goes for streaks. I wouldn't really call him an energy guy either. I would say he is movable. But he could very well be one of those "glue" guys.
Byron is a catalyst. His energy has sparked some of the famous comebacks, but I think the negativity surrounding him is because he is a known quantity. What he is now is what he will always be and I'm not entirely sure there is a permanent role for him on a contending team.
Colborne and Byron are the wild cards for me. If what we have seen from Shore and Jooris is just the tip of the iceberg, then they absolutely are here long term.
|