Quote:
Originally Posted by Enoch Root
Currently, our core of young players looks as follows:
LW..... 2Cs
.....2D
IMO, we need (in order of need and importance)
1) RW
2) G
3) another D
4) size in key positions (any and all positions)
5) another F (any position)
Drouin fills the 5th need, which is great, but it's important that we don't spend too many key assets acquiring someone like him because we need those assets to acquire the 1st 4, far more important, pieces.
|
Disagree that Drouin is that far down our list of needs. We need more elite level talents up front, period. Given the fact that we have 3 D on our roster that could slot in as a #1 right now (which is more than most teams could say), and prospect depth of the likes of Kylington, Andersson and Hickey coming up, I think high-end forwards comes above more D right now.
We simply don't have enough legitimate top 6 forwards right now that we have to activate our D in games constantly to provide the needed offense.
Bennett needs a productive linemate for the next 5+ years to play with, left or right winger. Preferrably a gifted playmaker. Drouin will fit that exact mould.
Besides, if you look at the league right now, there isn't a hell of a lot of productive RWs out there. Legitimate top line RWs are hard to come by in the current NHL for whatever reason. We definitely need someone to play on Gaudreau and Monahan's right side but you're not gonna find a lot of gems. I'd say Hayes is a prime target given his size and abilities but with the added bonus of proven chemistry with Gaudreau.
But I'd definitely say without a doubt that adding Drouin addresses one of our two biggest needs right now - elite forward talent and goaltending. You're not going to find an available player with even close to as much potential that can slot down the right side right now. So taking a run at this kid is a no-brainer.