History says otherwise, bit I still look at the group of forwards and say there is much to like there.
Tkachuk has way more to give, Gaudreau I think has matured a lot. I think Lindholm will thrive under Sutter, and add a Coleman and rocket trajectory Mangiapane. There is a lot to like in the forward ranks. The bottom six may struggle to score but they will make life miserable for the other team.
Monahan is the wildcard. Can he thrive in a new carved out role? Can he stay healthy? If things go well, Monahan is a huge asset to this team. I will be disappointed if Monahan and Gaudreau are not kept apart for more than 10 games.
I have no idea where to peg the D core. Losing Gio hurts, and the overall mobility of the defense has taken a hit, but perhaps under a Sutter system team defense will protect an underwhelming D core. Not to mention Markstrom.
I'm disappointed the lineup hasn't changed as much as I wanted but here we are. It is the season of foolish optimism despite historical evidence to the contrary I see some decent potential in this groups under Sutter.
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