[GranteedEV]

Strictly speaking as far as guys who've been mentioned as "touchable" so to speak:

Kylington
Bennett
Brodie
Backlund
Gaudreau

Kylington and Bennett... they remind me of Shea Theodore and Brayden Schenn respectively in that those two just couldn't find a fit on their teams but were clearly really talented players who needed to be unleashed. I'd prefer they be unleashed here unlike the two guys I named who needed a change of scenery, at the expense of their former teams. Actually, I'm of the opinion that Kylington was tracking better at age 20 than Theodore was at 22 and that Bennett is a better 200 foot player than Schenn already. But I understand that these kind of comments are a lightning rod so don't bother responding to it.

Brodie... I think of him as a modern defensive defenseman. He's not a big glass-and-out hulk but the way he shuts down the neutral zone brings back memories of the 90s devils. If we had six of him we'd be a VERY difficult team to score against. He's also been our best Dman in all four playoff series we've played in the last decade. He's young enough that I see him as part of the solution.

Backlund... yeah he's not quite a Bergeron and he has thus far struggled in the playoffs, but I just believe in his game. It's so technically sound to me and while he doesn't have that crazy playmaking talent of a guy like Tkachuk, I don't think it's a problem. He makes this team so much better.

And Gaudreau... what can I say. Just watch his game against the Bruins the other day. In a game with Pastrnak... Bergeron... Marchand... he was making a legitimate case for best player on the ice. When he's skating and using his edgework and competing I don't think there are many better players in the league. I dream of how good he would look with a center like Sidney Crosby to play with. There's obviously something broken about that line, and he shouldn't be absolved of his role in their struggles, or on the powerplay, but I still believe he's a player you win with. It's just going to take a different approach from the one we've employed for five years.

Honestly I'd be really sad to see any of these five go. I know they're all flawed players, whether it's Gaudreau's boardwork or Backlund's PP scoring or Kylington's risk/reward or Brodie's lack of a point shot or Bennett's... well we all know how polarizing he is... but I am willing to live with all their flaws compared to those of others on the roster. I can honestly see each and every one of them being key contributors to a legitimate cup run. I can't bring myself to say that about every player on the roster.