It's not hard to understand, how many chances every decade do you get where you think you can really go deep? Regardless of the flaws on the roster, you have to dance with the girl you brought. This is the roster we have and this roster is the closest the team has been to a cup in a decade. So you go for it.
Giordano is on his last legs as an elite D (and I never said anything to the effect that he wasnt fit to lead this team deep), Monahan is right at the apex of his prime as a goal scorer. This could be Gaudreau's career year (in this era 24 years old is typically the most productive year of elite players). The 3M line is dominant, will it continue to be next season and especially with questions about Backlunds future? Mike Smith is having his career year at 35 years old. Sure maybe Tkachuk and Bennett emerge next season to truly take the next step but we're talking bird in the hand here.
And needless to say, the future is already mortgaged on this season. We have no high picks this year, and no second in two years. So is trading Brodie the answer? No, not really, the answer is getting more scoring depth and critically getting a guy with a one time option for the PP. I just have a hard time seeing Ferland, Brouwer and Frolik being able to get it done on a deep run. That's more of a liability for the season AND in the coming seasons than having a D without Brodie or Harmonic or Stone. People are suggesting that addressing the lack of depth on RW is short sighted. Umm... Have you looked at the organizational depth at that position? There is literally nothing in the pipeline to address RW for at least the next three seasons. Meanwhile we have what look to be four young D with top four potential on the farm. Something's gotta give.
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