Quote:
Originally Posted by Caged Great
That is a problem, none of the forwards outside of maybe Agostino and Shore are looking ready in case of injury. Everyone else has been shades of okay to bad.
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There's no carrot being dangled in front of them like there was last year. There's no Setoguchi/McGrattan to waive and Jones/Colborne/Backlund/Raymond to simultaneously get injured. Even when they play well they lose due to piss goaltending. I don't support them mailing it in but it's an almost inevitable conclusion. If Ortio strings together a few shutouts maybe they would string together better play.
Seeing how we're a lot closer to last place than a legitimate, non pacific playoff spot, our offseason needs are being made pretty obvious:
1) Need an explosive
natural RWer who can carry the puck and play a cycle game with Monahan on that line. The draft could solve that in Puljujarvi or Laine of course.
2) Need a cheap #4 Defenseman who can play a TIGHT gap and stay on the positive side of sheltered starts which is what our middle pair gets. Brett Kulak could be that but they'll never trust him or Hickey or Culkin or Wotherspoon for another couple years. Brian Campbell comes to mind as a guy who can be that in the short term.
3) Engelland-Wideman is
not cutting it as a bottom pairing. Ship one and get the other a smooth-skating partner who plays a tight gap. Ideally a guy right in our system. Maybe ship
both and give poor Jakub Nakladal a shot as #6 RD....