Micklebot
Moderator
- Apr 27, 2010
- 53,113
- 30,330
Going into the season, my optimism was based on guys like Chabot and White being in a position to be significant contributors at this point, on MacArthur being available, on goaltending being a strength and Karlsson to be Karlsson. Non of those things have happened. Some of that can be blamed on Boucher (he won't play Chabot), but other aspects that I figured to be key to our success just haven't happened and I'm hesitant to blame on Boucher.
The team was never expected to be a dominant force, but this year it seems everything that can go wrong has.
To that end, I think staying the course and snagging a high end pick in the process could be the best course of action. Moving Ryan and/or Phaneuf would be ideal, and then go from there. Even moving them at 50% retained would allow us to fill the voids internally (some combination of Harpur/Chabot and White/Brown/Formenton). Maybe move secondary pieces like Smith and Burrows if a deal is there. Oh, and Oduya too.
The team isn't as bad as it's played, and a youth movement could be what the doctor ordered. Add a piece like Dahlin to our back end, and some of our prospects, and we could see a pretty quick turnaround, particularly if/when Karlsson returns to form.
The team was never expected to be a dominant force, but this year it seems everything that can go wrong has.
To that end, I think staying the course and snagging a high end pick in the process could be the best course of action. Moving Ryan and/or Phaneuf would be ideal, and then go from there. Even moving them at 50% retained would allow us to fill the voids internally (some combination of Harpur/Chabot and White/Brown/Formenton). Maybe move secondary pieces like Smith and Burrows if a deal is there. Oh, and Oduya too.
The team isn't as bad as it's played, and a youth movement could be what the doctor ordered. Add a piece like Dahlin to our back end, and some of our prospects, and we could see a pretty quick turnaround, particularly if/when Karlsson returns to form.