Man what a year. This stinker of a game will likely be the end of any hope. 9-2 is likely what's needed to make it and there has been no indication that this team can win when it matters.
This season is such a anomaly in the way that we have seen this team dominate periods with puck procession and play a high pressure Sutter style. And yet we don't see the results. Why is that? Why are we not as good as the media said we were when we made that trade? Why are we not top of the NHL like the Vegas odds said we would be?
The Sutter system keeps the games close and relies on the best players on your team to win the games. So what went wrong? Well we got some of the worst goaltending this year that we have seen in a long time. We lost two superstar players and replaced them with one (Huberdeau) and two strong supporting players (Kadri, Weegar). We no longer have the best 5 on 5 line in the league. We still desperately needed a scoring top 6 winger, no slight against Toffoli who has impressed me the most this season by far. But we needed someone who can bury the puck more often at 5 on 5.
15 OT / shootout losses is the biggest reason we are sitting outside. Slightly better goaltending and a little bit more from our best players and we would be comfortably in a playoff spot.
I literally cannot point my finger at Sutter and say this is all his fault. Sure he has made some strange line decisions, but you also have to work with players performing far below expectations. I am not one that is ready to go back to the revolving coach door that has plagued this team forever, unless we are ready to rebuild.
There is a terrifying realization creeping into many fans and it's that this off season likely was the worst turning point for this franchise. Losing two of your best draft picks you have ever made, then signing long term, high paid contracts for the replacement pieces. Tre pulled off a wizard move with the trade, but followed it with what could be the biggest mistake for the next 7-8 years. But can we fully blame Tre? We only had two choices... sign the guys long term to try to keep the cup/competitive window open, or to hold onto them as UFA's until the trade deadline and start a rebuild going into one of the strongest drafts.
We now are stuck going down the cup/competitive window and if our best players can't find their game or play to at least what's expected of them with their contracts we are in for a LONG 7-8 years of classic flames mediocrity, regardless of what we do with our front office or bench management.
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