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Originally Posted by Psytic
Your saying you want to find a way to keep the exact same wild card level team with out any upgrades on RW or Top 4 D
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Tkachuk is 19. Monahan is 22. Bennett is 20. Gaudreau is 23. Hamilton is 23. Ferland is 24. Kulak is 22. These kids are only going to get more polished, more responsible, quicker, stronger and better at hanging on to the puck. This team's long term success rides on these guys while Frolik, Giordano, Backlund, Brodie will continue to hold the fort in their own respect.
You are correct, we do need a fourth top 4D. And if we could ""lose"" Brouwer to expansion, it's even viable we could add someone to our top 4D. It's a probably most plausible to promote from within a guy like Kulak or Andersson however. We have a lot of money tied up in our top 3 D for a reason, because at least one of them is capable of anchoring a 2nd pair with a less-than-spectacular #4.
One thing's for sure,
filling holes by opening new ones or trading young players is not the solution.
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unless one of our guys on the farm suddenly steps up miraculously in their first seasons?
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Our farm is probably the best it has ever been, at least since the late 80s. There is nothing miraculous about kids like Klimchuk having great first seasons. It's the
norm in the modern NHL to fill out your non-core pieces internally. Look at the Blue Jackets, the Leafs, the Penguins, Blackhawks.
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What is fair market value for Backlund?
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Frans Nielson seems an apt comprable.