Quote:
Originally Posted by The Cobra
It would certainly be nice, but how does one obtain one of these coveted guys?
Much like obtaining Lindholm, you need to get them before they break out, and you need to give up lots to get one.
Any suggestions of a centre likely to break out that his team has lost faith in?
And what will Calgary be dangling to obtain one? Trading Hanafin, for example, to obtain such a centre is not likely to bring immediate dividends, and leaves a giant hole at d.
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I’ve suggested something around Mangiapane, Kylington, our next 1st, and our next 2nd and a prospect for Barzal/Scheifele. I don’t know how much more or less we’d need to pay. Plus or minus a piece, it’s a price I’m comfortable paying, given where this team is, and who’s coaching it.
Bank on Hanifin/Andersson developing into the next Gio/Brodie.
It seems to me that if you’re going up against MacKinnon, McDavid, or the Lightning, you’ll probably need one of Lindholm and Backlund on the ice against them at all times, and they’ll need to be focused almost exclusively on playing defense. And since all of these teams have more than one superstar, it seems likely that you won’t have the luxury of trying to shut down just one guy.
McDavid/Draisaitl, MacKinnon/Rantanen, Kucherov/Point/Stamkos/Hedman/#### the Lightning. Regardless of who’s out there, you won’t beat them unless you play defense first.
I don’t even think you want to take Gaudreau out of the mix either - he’s one of the few players who’s as good a skater as McDavid, and I honestly wonder if having Johnny spy Connor or Nate isn’t worth trying.
So anyway, if two lines are going to overcommit to defending the superstars, they aren’t going to have the energy to dominate in the offensive zone 5v5. They need someone who can do that without their help.
They also need to make sure that Tyler Toffoli isn’t the sixth attacker with the season on the line.
Gaudreau, Tkachuk, Lindholm, Scheifele/Barzal, Hanifin, Andersson.
That’ll tie a lot of games.