I have done a complete 180 on Engelland. Last year I thought he was a full blown liability and that combo with Smid was not good at all.
This year I have hardly noticed him, except for brief flashes of being badass awesome. He isn't a liability. He's an average to below average Dman, but has settled into his role quite well. Of all the veteran's who we debate about their value to the team, I put him pretty high on a list of guys that should be kept.
On paper Bouma is expendable. But I do think he brings intangibles that are hard to replace. I don't think he is just a wrecking ball like Hathaway has shown. I think when healthy and not getting benched, he brings leadership, the ability to raise his game when it matters and a guy that can shift around the lineup and add a scoring touch. Even without the 16 goals last year, Bouma was still a big part of the team. If this year is the exception and not the norm, he needs to be kept.
Ferland has been one big fat dissappointment. I didn't expect the second coming of Lindros, but I wanted to see flashes. The flashes of promise were way too few and far between. I have no idea what managements plans for him are, but in my mind he has gone from a guy who could have used this season as a spring board, to a guy whose last chance to be a big part of this team is the 2016\2017 season. I do like Ferland, and maybe he has a Bollig type future. But I was dissappointed in his progression. I guess he became a full time NHLer, so that's not nothing.
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