Quote:
Originally Posted by Pierre "Monster" McGuire
Can we just sit Wideman already? He adds nothing. I mean, Gulutzan has to see that right?
Throw Kulak with Brodie and you've got a very solid top-4 on defense.
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There is no doubt that Wideman is on his last legs in the NHL, and that Kulak is trending towards being a regular NHLer, but this is just wishful thinking at this point. Kulak has yet to prove he can be a regular on the 3rd pairing, never mind playing alongside Brodie in all situations. Wideman is steady most nights, but obviously his lack of speed is a serious issue that drags Brodie down. However, until very recently, Wideman was the better of the two on that pair and he was cleaning up regularly after Brodie's turnovers.
I don't love Wideman or anything, but I can recognize that he's still the best option we have in the organization for that 2nd pair...maybe bump Engelland up in his spot for a while if you need to, but that's about it.
I'm excited to see Kulak play again soon, but he's still got a ways to go to be a top 4 defenseman.