Chapin, while I agree with some of what you said, even if the Isles want to follow the Nashville model and build around Barzal and the defense, it is going to take a substantial influx of talent on the blue line. They would need to add at least two top-4 defenders to the current cast. I like some of the prospects the Isles have already, but I don't necessarily see a clear top-4 player ready to break out. Maybe some nice 4/5's who could get there with more time and seasoning.
At the moment, we have NO Dmen on the team or in the system who will be able to replace Leddy and perhaps Boychuk in the years to come, and in order to contend, we probably need another two who are as good if not better than Leddy and Boychuk.
I believe de Haan IS better than Boychuk. I also believe that Snow will not re-up him and I think that has to do with what the club knows about his shoulder injury history combined with the 4+ million per he can prolly get on the open market. Besides, all signs are that Toews is a de Haan in the making. Maybe they're correct - he even has the same shoulder woes.
What I know about this draft is that taking 2+ Dmen in the top 50 can potentially give us the replacements for Leddy and Boychuk we'll need in 3-years' time, maybe sooner.
Again, for all those in favor, I think there's no sense in moving our picks to upgrade the blueline for a year or two if we don't even have the coaching in place to get this team to the playoffs.
ANOTHER POINT
We can't forget how terribly terribly difficult it will be for Snow to upgrade just about anything if JT is resigned to the 10+ million we're all expecting him to get.
If JT stays, then the draft, a lucky UFA signing or two and lateral trades will be the only way to improve the team. And many upcoming UFAs will be difficult to hold onto. Not to mention the type of deal we'll likely need to be giving Barzal already as an RFA.
To me, the worst thing this team could do is go halfway. You are either signing JT and fixing the issues on defense, in goal and on the third line - or you sell off some vet parts and really build for Belmont.
What vets? Eberle and Lee?
No-one is taking i.e. Ladd and he's probably among the worst price/performance ration players in the league. Dunno if Clutterbuck and Cizikas will garner interest unless they're being given away.
You still build around Barzal and some of the young players like Beauvillier, Bellows, etc., but you try to make sure you also add another wave of talent ready to hit when you open your new arena. They don't have to sell off every vet, just the ones unlikely to still be playing at a high level in 2-3 seasons.
If Snow were to want to take this route, the best time to have done so was at this trade deadline. I hate the Rag$ as much as anyone, but I'd be very optimistic about things right now if I were a Rag$ fan. VERY optimistic.
This said, I certainly don't see why Snow should have any right to participate in a rebuild. If Tavares can't be retained (I think he'll stay), then you have to dismantle management and coaching anyways. Then the franchise can start turning around.
But if JT stays, chances are we'll see more of the same around here. Snow is all about mediocrity and shooting for the eighth seed. That's all he's ever achieved.
All fans with any knowledge can see that Weight is in over his head and a defense-first coach with a proven track record needs to be put at the helm of this team. And we'd have to think that that would be a direct threat to Snow. So he's not the guy who is going to do that.
But either way, getting back to the 2018 draft thread, I am hoping the Isles can move up in the draft to get at least one premium talent, either by winning the lottery or trading up. It would be nice to add at least a cornerstone player regardless.
Winning the lottery would be great.
We can all root for that wholeheartedly. We have two horses in the running.
From what I've seen of this draft class, and knowing that it's not AS good as initially advertised, just as last year's class clearly wasn't AS bland as advertised, I think any team picking twice in the top 15 should be coming out with two NHLers.
With all the young guys in the line-up right now, our system could use some replenishing. We have nothing up the middle. As you mentioned, there's no top 3 Dman in the pipeline. The only properties I see outside of the NHL with an NHL likelihood are Bellows, Sorokin, Toews, and when he gets his act together, Ho-Sang. I think Soderstrom, Quenneville, and Salo have a good shot as well down the line. Aho will be useful if we can bare having a player his size in the line-up as more than a fill-in.
This summer is a prime opportunity to shore up and if we get one of those high picks, who knows, it could be a kid who is ready to go off the bat or in the 19-20 season.
