Is our core five good enough to win?

[J-23]

36 minutes ago, jyu said:

I agree with your assessment here.

 

The question is, is Horvat good enough as the 2nd line center in your list?

 

If the management's answer to that question is yes, then they better find a way to re-sign Horvat and trade Miller.

 

If the answer is no, then trade Horvat and find a new center. That 2nd center will be a key factor in deciding how to construct the rest of the roster. For example, if it's Bedard or Fantilli, we would have the luxury of Pettersson as a "2nd line" center and having a slightly weaker supporting group might be OK.

 

The lower the quality of who that 2nd center is, the stronger supporting cast needed to win the cup.

 

 

 

 

Bo is good enough to be in that 2nd line spot, but I wouldn't pay him the price he wants of 8 mill plus. Therefore, I left him off. 

 

If we don't sell high on our only guys we can sell high on, this team won't get better. Won't get much or anything out of Boeser, Garland, Pearson, etc. However, with Bo we can sell high on. It would take us a few steps back, but it's not like we aren't already in a shit situation.

 

The most ideal thing and quickest turnaround could've been moving out Miller for that Rags deal, Bo this year and getting a top 3 pick. We acquire a top C through the draft and then it's really just finding that #1 RHD and reconstructing our entire defensive core. Ownership and management just like to do things the difficult and "competitive" way. 

Edited December 26, 2022 by J-23

[iceman64]

6 hours ago, EddieVedder said:

Tanev was under 30 years old when we let him go.  How was that aged out? He was still in his prime. 

Aged out at 30.. why? Do you know how many injuries he had with us?! Same with Edler.. one or both went down then we'd lose games, we had no depth so it couldn't end up any other way. Both of them, lots of bad luck involved but a ton just playing regularly.  

 I for one, was happy to see them go, just for injuries and games lost though, loved both of them but Tanev was 30 going on 45.. the guy is simply beat up and same with Edler and we need/ed the same skillset in younger players, thankfully we got Hughes but we could use 2 more and of course we're going to trade for more younger D and develop the ones we get in drafting so we can have depth for a change. 

 Or at least we can hope anyway, this is vancouver after all...  Hard to rely on anything going right, no matter how hard we try. 

 Getting rid of the f'n mindset of one cup and sell the farm for it has to be top of the list. 

Edited December 26, 2022 by iceman64

[combover]

On 12/25/2022 at 1:44 PM, Alflives said:

I say yes! 

We just need a much better supporting cast.  

But these five guys can get ‘er done. 

I see a Cup parade down Georgia in 2024. 

I’d say yes and I really like the additions of 

mik kuz lazar joshua stud aman they are all upgrades.

Boeser garland pearson Myers Poolman are the guys that need to go.
Slot  in podz hogz a lot cheaper. 
the d is a mess, it sucks and it won’t be easy to fix.

And Demko needs to come back when he’s  100% 

 

However  I think if any of Demko, Petey, Hughes, Miller, Bo are traded the hole they’ll leave will be bigger than the return will fill atleast in the near future. 

 

 

if our D was a pair  of pants it would be these 

 

There pants but they look terrible just like our D 

 

 

Edited December 26, 2022 by combover

[Miss Korea Bob.Loblaw]

4 hours ago, Alflives said:

Makar was a suckeroo defensively until he got a great partner.  Hughes was developing perfectly until our GM thought replacing Tanev was a smart move.  Since Tanev left ?Hughes has to be the defensive guy in his pair too.  Although Bear is an improvement over the craperolla Hughes has been stuck with.  Love Schenn, but he is way too slow. 

This is completely incorrect statement.  Makar was always a reliable defender from day one and I think this was the primary reason he got the Calder over Hughes.  One of the most important things as a defender is when they actually have possession and have to move the puck out of the zone.  Even without Toews, Makar was one of the best at it.  His main weakness has always been winning loose puck battles.  That's it.  He is decent when directly attacked on the rush, and will probably force you to take a bad shot or completely dispossess you.  On the other hand, Hughes has had way more holes in his game.  He is surprisingly turnover prone in his own zone.  He is very poor at battling for the puck in the corners.  And he will get exploited on the rush.  How many times have we seen opposing skaters blow right past him? 

 

Don't get me wrong here - I think Hughes is one of the best offensive D-men in the league.  He plays a lot like Scott Niedermayer, and has the potential to win a Norris trophy.  But he is never going to be a defensive stalwart, and will need a reliable bruiser to cover for his weaknesses.  Makar has shown since his rookie year that he CAN be trusted in his own zone, with or without the puck.  Hughes has shown there are defensive deficiencies that have been exploited.  Different players.

 

Surrounding players definitely make a difference, especially whoever is pairing with the D-man.  But there are specific metrics that show what a player's strengths and weaknesses are, and we can see that Makar was good defensively before Toews came along.

[Alflives]

17 minutes ago, Bob.Loblaw said:

This is completely incorrect statement.  Makar was always a reliable defender from day one and I think this was the primary reason he got the Calder over Hughes.  One of the most important things as a defender is when they actually have possession and have to move the puck out of the zone.  Even without Toews, Makar was one of the best at it.  His main weakness has always been winning loose puck battles.  That's it.  He is decent when directly attacked on the rush, and will probably force you to take a bad shot or completely dispossess you.  On the other hand, Hughes has had way more holes in his game.  He is surprisingly turnover prone in his own zone.  He is very poor at battling for the puck in the corners.  And he will get exploited on the rush.  How many times have we seen opposing skaters blow right past him? 

 

Don't get me wrong here - I think Hughes is one of the best offensive D-men in the league.  He plays a lot like Scott Niedermayer, and has the potential to win a Norris trophy.  But he is never going to be a defensive stalwart, and will need a reliable bruiser to cover for his weaknesses.  Makar has shown since his rookie year that he CAN be trusted in his own zone, with or without the puck.  Hughes has shown there are defensive deficiencies that have been exploited.  Different players.

 

Surrounding players definitely make a difference, especially whoever is pairing with the D-man.  But there are specific metrics that show what a player's strengths and weaknesses are, and we can see that Makar was good defensively before Toews came along.

Nope.  

#hateallothers

[DownUndaCanuck]

When you look at the top cores of the last decade or so, you think of Kucherov/Hedman/Stamkos/Vasy, Kane/Toews/Seabrook/Keith, Crosby/Malkin/Letang/Fleury, Marchand/Bergeron/Krejci/Chara, Kopitar/Doughty/Brown/Quick. All of those forwards are solid defensively, you could argue most are Selke-worthy. Then on defence they're all solid shutdown guys who play 25+ minutes in a playoff game and chip in 40+ points a season (if not PPG).

 

Is Petey that guy who can play like Kucherov or say Toews and score a bunch of points but more importantly, defend well? Of course his defensive awareness is fantastic but is he strong and physical enough to out-battle big guys? I'd like to think he gives a good shot in that department.

 

Is Hughes the top all-around defenceman who can shutdown opponents? Absolutely not even close. Great puck mover, great skater, great defensive awareness, but he's not winning big battles along the boards or in front of the net against big forwards.

 

We've got a lot of moulding to do.

[Viper007]

9 hours ago, Gawdzukes said:

Lol, did you just say Colorado can't win with one of their core out, and say one of their core is out, but they're winning because of one of their core? 

 

  

This what always has me shaking my head on CDC. No body ever wants to trade anyone good they just want to trade these cap anchors. I've been waiting 4 years just to trade Pearson let alone 5 of these in one single period. That's why we gotta stop signings like Miller. We simply don't have the cap.

No I said they can't score without MacKinnon.  They're winning low scoring games at the moment.

[Viper007]

8 hours ago, Bob.Loblaw said:

Is this a joke?  This is one of the weirdest takes I've seen.  Colorado has been one of the most injured teams this season.  They've lost MacKinnon, Byram, Landeskog, and Nichuskin to man-games throughout the season.  Compare that to our team losses: Pearson and Demko.

 

Colorado is nothing like us.  They are still a competitive team without their best players.  They have a playoff-bound record.  They have let in 50 less goals.  Meanwhile we are getting blown out when we lost one single player.

I was saying they're not scoring with MacKinnon out.  They're winning alot of low scoring games, but the quote was we couldn't score without Pettersson.  I then said, Colorado isn't really scoring without MacKinnon either other than Rantanen.

[van_ws]

No, you have to be completely delusional to think this core has what it takes to win. They aren't good enough to make the playoffs, let alone be anywhere near a contender. Build around Petey but the only way they can take the next step is to improve the D and you probably can't do that until you trade Bo or Miller. I would say some of this core may be okay to keep around but certainly not everyone.

[J-23]

7 hours ago, Crabcakes said:

I think that the Marino trade was more of a cap dump by Pitt.  You would certainly think that Allvin and JR would have the inside track on a deal with Pittsburgh.

 

Look at the return on Marino, a young D with potential who is now playing in the AHL, Ty Smith.  Vancouver didn't have anything like that to offer which is why New Jersey got the deal.

It was heavily speculated that they wanted Rathbone and a 2nd but JR was very high on Rathbone at the time. Maybe still is, every time he talks about him, he sounds very high on him.

[DownUndaCanuck]

6 minutes ago, J-23 said:

It was heavily speculated that they wanted Rathbone and a 2nd but JR was very high on Rathbone at the time. Maybe still is, every time he talks about him, he sounds very high on him.

Shame because he's 23 now, not sure when he's going to get his chance in the NHL when Bruce still doesn't trust him.

 

Marino's 25, it's not like we'd be trading away our youth for him, 2 years difference for worlds of difference in quality - basically an 8th defenceman with some great puck moving top-4 potential for a current top-4 (if not top-2) all round/shutdown defenceman.

 

Could have had our guy to play with Hughes for the next 7 years right there.

 

Then go and flip Boeser or Garland for another top-4 defenceman and we're a contender IMO.

[J-23]

2 minutes ago, DownUndaCanuck said:

Shame because he's 23 now, not sure when he's going to get his chance in the NHL when Bruce still doesn't trust him.

 

Marino's 25, it's not like we'd be trading away our youth for him, 2 years difference for worlds of difference in quality - basically an 8th defenceman with some great puck moving top-4 potential for a current top-4 (if not top-2) all round/shutdown defenceman.

 

Could have had our guy to play with Hughes for the next 7 years right there.

 

Then go and flip Boeser or Garland for another top-4 defenceman and we're a contender IMO.

Ya he was the perfect partner for Hughes.

 

Contender no, but a Playoff team yes. Have to make the Playoffs consistently before we call ourselves contenders.

[Ruthervin]

On 12/25/2022 at 1:44 PM, Alflives said:

I say yes! 

We just need a much better supporting cast.  

But these five guys can get ‘er done. 

I see a Cup parade down Georgia in 2024. 

I’m not sure if our Core is good enough.

 

1) Given Demko’s injury history, will he able to return to his form from the past two seasons or is what we saw earlier this season (ie Ellen Degeneres) basically the new Demko?

 

2) Is Hughes truly a top pairing defenseman or is he a guy that can make a top pairing great provided that he is playing alongside a true #1 dman?  I’m inclined to say the latter.

 

3) I love Horvat and want him to stay, but management seems to disagree, as do many of the radical left media and fans in this city.  Sad!

 

4) Boeser, whom you understandably didn’t mention, is also Ellen Degeneres at this stage of his career. 
 

5) I hope that Kuzmenko can become a core player for us but I don’t think we’ll be able to afford him.

 

6) Miller likely will never return to his form from last season but I do believe that he’ll have 3-4 more seasons of how he played his first few seasons here before dropping to his knees and going into decline.

 

So long story short, I’m not sure if this core has what it takes since we have too many bad contracts. By the time Myers, Pearson, and Boeser come off the books, guys like Demko and Hughes will be close to contract expiration…..and we’ll still have OEL who is also Ellen Degeneres at this stage of his career.

[Ruthervin]

2 hours ago, van_ws said:

Build around Petey but the only way they can take the next step is to improve the D and you probably can't do that until you trade Bo or Miller

Neither Miller nor Bo will get you a top pairing two way right shot defenseman that can elevate Hughes to form a premier top pairing.  This is what we really need.  

[jyu]

3 hours ago, DownUndaCanuck said:

When you look at the top cores of the last decade or so, you think of Kucherov/Hedman/Stamkos/Vasy, Kane/Toews/Seabrook/Keith, Crosby/Malkin/Letang/Fleury, Marchand/Bergeron/Krejci/Chara, Kopitar/Doughty/Brown/Quick. All of those forwards are solid defensively, you could argue most are Selke-worthy. Then on defence they're all solid shutdown guys who play 25+ minutes in a playoff game and chip in 40+ points a season (if not PPG).

 

Is Petey that guy who can play like Kucherov or say Toews and score a bunch of points but more importantly, defend well? Of course his defensive awareness is fantastic but is he strong and physical enough to out-battle big guys? I'd like to think he gives a good shot in that department.

 

Is Hughes the top all-around defenceman who can shutdown opponents? Absolutely not even close. Great puck mover, great skater, great defensive awareness, but he's not winning big battles along the boards or in front of the net against big forwards.

 

We've got a lot of moulding to do.

I'd add Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Lidstrom, Hasek and Selanne, Niedermayer, Pronger, Gigure into the list of cores that have won it. And I'd take Marchand, Bergeron, Krejici, Chara out since they won before Marchand was considered a core and with Marchand as part of the core, they never won (lost in 2013 and 2019). Their win 2011 didn't really have a core 4 established and sort of won the cup playing a good team game backed up by goaltending and having good depth in all positions and of course, winning the SCF with help from the NHL. That final is considered the worst refereed Stanley cup final in the recent history.

 

I agree that we do have a lot of moulding to do but we do have the most important pieces in place. 

 

Petey is not going to out muscle guys but he will outsmart them like Pavel Datsyuk. Petey's ceiling is Datsyuk+, with more goals and points.

 

Hughes probably isn't going to be an all around defenceman that can shutdown opponents. But he can develop into an absolute puck possession machine that doesn't give the opponent much chance to touch the puck. He could be like Duncan Keith if he improves on his defensive play. He will need a better defensive partner that can skate and handle the puck well, it'd be great if that player is at Seabrook level but someone like Tanev but younger would suffice in my opinion.

 

Whether Demko takes one of the 4 spots remains to be seen. He has shown that he is capable but he needs to prove that he can stay healthy and have the type of longevity that you expect from core goalies like Vasy, Quick, Fleury, Hasek, Gigure, etc.

 

And just for comparison sake, consider the 2011 core 4 of Daniel, Henrik, Kesler, Luongo. That core 4 is missing a defender. At least with Petey-Hughes-Demko, we have the key positions covered. Who we grab to fill out the remaining position is going to be interesting to follow.

 

I'm hoping that we grab Byram in a Horvat trade. If Byram stays healthy and reaches his potential, Pettersson-Hughes-Byram-Demko reminds me of Selanne-Niedermayer-Pronger-Gigure in that we get 2 LDs that will be on the ice owning the puck for 50+ minutes in the playoffs. Obviously, Pronger is a unique player that we probably won't be able to find ever, but I kind of like the idea of Hughes-Byram tandem.

 

We could also get lucky and grab Bedard or Fantilli in this draft. That has the flavour of Crosby-Malkin-Letang-Fleury. Bedard-Pettersson being the puck possession high-skill centers.

 

Edited December 27, 2022 by jyu

[jyu]

43 minutes ago, Ruthervin said:

I’m not sure if our Core is good enough.

 

1) Given Demko’s injury history, will he able to return to his form from the past two seasons or is what we saw earlier this season (ie Ellen Degeneres) basically the new Demko?

 

2) Is Hughes truly a top pairing defenseman or is he a guy that can make a top pairing great provided that he is playing alongside a true #1 dman?  I’m inclined to say the latter.

 

3) I love Horvat and want him to stay, but management seems to disagree, as do many of the radical left media and fans in this city.  Sad!

 

4) Boeser, whom you understandably didn’t mention, is also Ellen Degeneres at this stage of his career. 
 

5) I hope that Kuzmenko can become a core player for us but I don’t think we’ll be able to afford him.

 

6) Miller likely will never return to his form from last season but I do believe that he’ll have 3-4 more seasons of how he played his first few seasons here before dropping to his knees and going into decline.

 

So long story short, I’m not sure if this core has what it takes since we have too many bad contracts. By the time Myers, Pearson, and Boeser come off the books, guys like Demko and Hughes will be close to contract expiration…..and we’ll still have OEL who is also Ellen Degeneres at this stage of his career.

What or who is Ellen Degeneres? Isn't she like a show host?

 

Anyways, I agree with the concerns regarding Demko and Hughes. Especially Demko. How serious is his injury and can he return to top form and if so, can he maintain it long term? Because one of the hallmarks of a core goalie is the longevity. There are a lot of one and dones that do well, maybe even win a cup, be good for a couple of years and then disappear. Like Matt Murray.

 

But for Hughes, I think we can be optimistic. I think the aspect of the game that Hughes needs to improve upon is very much coachable. Defence is coachable, skating, passing, and vision are not.

 

I don't know what you are referring to regarding left media and fans but Horvat has also chosen to be in this situation. He is trying to secure the future for his family and the Canucks rumoured offer of around 7 mil wasn't enough. So, the most logical thing to do is to trade him unless he changes tune or the management ups the offer. I think Horvat can be a good 2C behind Pettersson. He has shown to be able to put up points or score key goals... but only when there is a #1 center playing ahead of him. That's puts his value at around 7 mil in my opinion. Anything higher, we might as well do a rebuild and find another center through the draft. As long as the management doesn't f*ck up the rebuild, we could find a replacement in a couple of years and that player could contribute in less than 3-4 years.

 

I see Kuz as a contributor but not part of the core. He could absolutely improve on his game and prove me wrong, but when I see him without Petey or when Petey isn't going, I don't notice him driving plays against the top competition. 

 

But Kuz is a better player than Boeser. So, we should absolutely try to re-sign him.

 

I also see Miller as a contributor rather than being part of the core. In that regard, he doesn't need to return to his form from previous year. He just needs to improve on his defensive play and break even at the minimum at even strength.

 

We absolutely need another play driver, whether it's from the back end as RD partner to Hughes, another LD at Hughes caliber, or a centerman to replace Bo. Winger could work as well if he's a Patrick Kane, a Kucherov, or Marian Hossa.

 

 

[Ruthervin]

59 minutes ago, jyu said:

What or who is Ellen Degeneres? Isn't she like a show host?

 

Anyways, I agree with the concerns regarding Demko and Hughes. Especially Demko. How serious is his injury and can he return to top form and if so, can he maintain it long term? Because one of the hallmarks of a core goalie is the longevity. There are a lot of one and dones that do well, maybe even win a cup, be good for a couple of years and then disappear. Like Matt Murray.

 

But for Hughes, I think we can be optimistic. I think the aspect of the game that Hughes needs to improve upon is very much coachable. Defence is coachable, skating, passing, and vision are not.

 

I don't know what you are referring to regarding left media and fans but Horvat has also chosen to be in this situation. He is trying to secure the future for his family and the Canucks rumoured offer of around 7 mil wasn't enough. So, the most logical thing to do is to trade him unless he changes tune or the management ups the offer. I think Horvat can be a good 2C behind Pettersson. He has shown to be able to put up points or score key goals... but only when there is a #1 center playing ahead of him. That's puts his value at around 7 mil in my opinion. Anything higher, we might as well do a rebuild and find another center through the draft. As long as the management doesn't f*ck up the rebuild, we could find a replacement in a couple of years and that player could contribute in less than 3-4 years.

 

I see Kuz as a contributor but not part of the core. He could absolutely improve on his game and prove me wrong, but when I see him without Petey or when Petey isn't going, I don't notice him driving plays against the top competition. 

 

But Kuz is a better player than Boeser. So, we should absolutely try to re-sign him.

 

I also see Miller as a contributor rather than being part of the core. In that regard, he doesn't need to return to his form from previous year. He just needs to improve on his defensive play and break even at the minimum at even strength.

 

We absolutely need another play driver, whether it's from the back end as RD partner to Hughes, another LD at Hughes caliber, or a centerman to replace Bo. Winger could work as well if he's a Patrick Kane, a Kucherov, or Marian Hossa.

 

 

Horvat should get the same contract as Miller at the very least imo.  Management is at fault for not offering him this.  What they should have done is walk away from Boeser this past Summer is money for Horvat was going to be an issue.  

Edited December 27, 2022 by Ruthervin

[ToTellTheTruth]

On 12/25/2022 at 1:44 PM, Alflives said:

I say yes! 

We just need a much better supporting cast.  

But these five guys can get ‘er done. 

I see a Cup parade down Georgia in 2024. 

You do know that next year is the 2023/2024 season right?

 

That the team doesn't have enough cap room to keep all those players.

 

That those five have been around for 4 years already and not sniffed a playoff.

 

In order to keep those five the team would have to trade away several 1rst round and other picks, is that okay? To sell more of the future for proven failures that is only getting older and more discouraged? 

 

Why not just say five different players? Not much of a difference no matter which five are selected.

 

No thanks Elmer Alflives

On 12/25/2022 at 7:56 PM, Angry Goose said:

Cup? No-you would need an elite supporting cast to do that.  

 

Can they re jig the roster to make it a (decent) playoff team? Possible

 

I don't think most fans here know what a playoff team looks like, but they should know what a playoff team does not look like, they have seen it built for 8 years.

 

When did making the playoffs become everything?

[Sativika]

12 hours ago, Ruthervin said:

I’m not sure if our Core is good enough.

 

1) Given Demko’s injury history, will he able to return to his form from the past two seasons or is what we saw earlier this season (ie Ellen Degeneres) basically the new Demko?

 

2) Is Hughes truly a top pairing defenseman or is he a guy that can make a top pairing great provided that he is playing alongside a true #1 dman?  I’m inclined to say the latter.

 

3) I love Horvat and want him to stay, but management seems to disagree, as do many of the radical left media and fans in this city.  Sad!

 

4) Boeser, whom you understandably didn’t mention, is also Ellen Degeneres at this stage of his career. 
 

5) I hope that Kuzmenko can become a core player for us but I don’t think we’ll be able to afford him.

 

6) Miller likely will never return to his form from last season but I do believe that he’ll have 3-4 more seasons of how he played his first few seasons here before dropping to his knees and going into decline.

 

So long story short, I’m not sure if this core has what it takes since we have too many bad contracts. By the time Myers, Pearson, and Boeser come off the books, guys like Demko and Hughes will be close to contract expiration…..and we’ll still have OEL who is also Ellen Degeneres at this stage of his career.

Can someone explain to me the " Ellen Degeneres " metaphor?  Anywho......... 

 

#1) Demko. I'd love to see him be the guy. The one; An original Canuck drafted goalie bringing the glory of a championship? Yea. I'd like that. Maybe we stick with Demmer through thick and thin. Break from usual Canuck history of trading for a goalie as contendership arises.

 

#2) Huggy. Dude's amazing. Can he do it all for us? Sadly no. But will he become a Norris contender. Yep! However I agree. He needs a partner of significance to achieve such.

 

#3) BoHo. I think it'd be a mistake to move him. Our definitive face-off guy, a true centre, leadership.......and let's not forget how he steps up his already top level abilities in playoffs. A 2nd in a killer 1-2 punch centre duo? Sometimes, but he's no Draisaitl, Malkin, or Forsberg.

 

#4) Flow. Sadly, he's been the "Lemony Snicket" in  a series of unfortunate events in his career with us thus far. Not the same since that agonizing back injury from slamming into that open bench door incident; Other various unrelated injuries, personal family sickness, loved one passing because of such, still grieving............well? Kids got a lot going' on. I've been there and don't blame him in the least. If the latter of those reasons for his seemingly lackadaisical efforts of late be the reason in part, then perhaps he needs a change. I love this kid. But if we have to let him go........

 

#5) Kuzy. Yes. Let's try to keep him. He's a perfectly great replacement for the absolute possibility of the loss of Flow. Kuzy will make us forget Flow's absence.

 

#6) Milsy. I like him. Mind you, shoulda' traded him, but we didn't. I realize there's still a window of opportunity to do such. But as it is, if we're to have him around, so be it. I believe he was originally acquired in 2019 as a SC ring bearing vet leadership role type guy, (26yr. old Vet?!?!?!??), to our young 19yr. old EP40 types. I presume at 19, a 26 yr' old is a vet of sorts.

He'll play a role of significance in playoffs for sure. No denying that. 

 

None of these guys can do it alone. As a core with a significant supporting cast upgrade? Absolutely!. Need I say more?

 

So.....uhhhh....erm......what's the deal with " Ellen Degeneres " again?!??!?!???

Go Canucks Go! 

Edited December 27, 2022 by Sativika

[GB5]

Good question Alf....., 

 

I say no albeit it does seem that when this group and this team wants to they can beat anyone in the league.

 

However, of the core group mentioned of Petey, Hughes, Demko, Horvat and Miller I would suggest some subtractions and additions.

 

Firstly, remove Miller from the core, I said it last year and am repeating it that he is not a 99 point player, there were some delusions in management that he is but his day to day consistency and work ethic is not there. I believe he should be moved out, Kuzmenko can slot into the core in his role.

 

The core also needs a minute munching shut down defensive defenseman, build this team from the net out. He doesn't need to be a top scorer, just someone who can play with Hughes and play a lot. Kudos to the work Schenn has done but he is a bit slow to be the guy for this role.

 

To summarize, my core good enough to win consists of 6 players;

 

Petey, Kuzmenko, Hughes, Demko, Horvat, Shut Down Defenseman yet to be obtained

 

Of course this core needs to be supported by secondary scorers as well as dog on a bone types who don't give up on plays.

Edited December 27, 2022 by GB5