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Originally Posted by djsFlames
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.
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I agree with both of you. Elite offensive talent is needed in our top 6. That said it would preferably be in the form of a big player or even better a big, physical player. So Drouin doesn't check all the boxes there but obviously could fill a big need. He would come at a fairly high cost so its unclear if the price would be worth it.
But as Enoch Root has said, I think long term that goaltending and RW are bigger needs and size and physicality in key positions are more important than adding another soft skilled guy. I think on defense we're pretty good except that we really lack that mean, physical, bruising defenseman with size who can play top 4 minutes and we don't have that in the system barring a miracle.
I can really see both sides of the argument. If you can acquire Drouin at some reasonable price then I think it could easily be worth a shot. But he's certainly not the type of guy I'd overpay for.