For better or worse Lewis, Richardson et al were just Sutter versions of Simon, Leivo et al. Zadorov and Gundbradson were just trying to fill the absence of Gio while also not trying to throw a really young defense corps to the wolves.
Its the top salary guys that will always make a difference. I hate to say it because he's been piled on plenty, but Monahan not living up to his salary is really hurting the what this group could actually be. If you think historically what pairs and lines have worked well erase the recent performances that we've seen, and consider this.
Gaudreau-Monahan-Coleman
Dube-Backlund-Tkackuk
Lucic-Lindholm-Mangiapane
Lewis-Richardson-Pitlick
Now, i'm not here to have my lineups torn apart, but that looks like a pretty nice balanced lineup would'nt you say?
But then, you tell me, well Monahan is no longer a top six player, Backlund looks like he's skating in mud right beside Monahan, Dube has been a dissapointment since it looked like he took a big step in the Winnipeg series and the defense is missing reliable puck movers and offense generators.
The value contracts, salary disbursement and young players playing roles are all there for a really good team. But when we step back into this reality that we are currently witnessing, what we thought we had, just flat out isn't there.
Short of tearing it down, I don't know what you do.
If I could make a prediction it would be that they ride out the Sutter contract and throw everything they have at making this team a contender, then completely tear it down into a full rebuild. There will be nothing left for a retool, it will be a full rebuild.
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