Thinking about Johnny’s skillset and just how much better he makes the players around him - I think I’m shifting away from being okay with Ferland being the RW on that line. For line balance, I see the value - but as far as player utilization goes, what could we really see out of Johnny and his linemates if he had another high end player.
Think of all the scoring chances he’s generated that haven’t gone in this year due to Ferly. I love Ferly, but he’s not a true sniper. He’s bumbled more than his fair share of finishing touches.
If we can in fact land Hoffman, or someone of that skill level, and another good 3rd line player...I mean...isn’t that how we get to being an elite team and away from being a bubble team?
Gaudreau - Monahan - Sniper
Tkachuk - Backlund - Frolik
Bennett - Jankowski - Good 3rd line player
Ferland - Shore/Lazar - Brouwer/someone better than Brouwer/Lazar
This is going to be an interesting off-season.
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