i've always liked kulak. he's consistent and makes good plays with the puck in transition, and rarely gets caught out of position or beat outright. however, i don't think he's irreplaceable, especially with guys like kylington and välimäki pushing for spots.
with that said, i wish the same principle of cap management and hard bargaining had applied to guys like stone and brouwer, who are eating 8 mil of dead cap while being among the worst regulars on the roster, whose contracts appear to be making extending hanifin to a longer term deal difficult, and, in the case of stone's contract, has driven the team to waive a young, capable nhler who's already at worst equivalent in actual on-ice impact.
|