But... Why not try something ? As you said, they're not better or worse. They're all expandables, DLR, Chaput, name it. Why blame the GM for trying different players and perhaps find a late bloomer ? I don't think Chaput is better than DLR, but I don't think DLR is better than Chaput either. Both are pretty MEH. I think Peca and Kotkaniemi are both better than DLR though, and ultimately, you want those guys with MTL and that made DLR expandable. Sure Peca has been benched a lot, and they play Chaput a bit too much for my taste but Chaput has the work ethic, effort and faceoff dot going for him and it makes the fourth line a reliable one. Thank God, long gone are the days of Dwight Kings and Smith-Pellys sulking on our 4th line without impunity. Sure DSP has improved with WSH, but with us he sucked. I hated it when vets were stapled on our fourth line, riding their past reputation. With young, finge NHL players, you put pressure on them and see if the cream comes out on top.
I hear you but he truly is an idiot, even if he thought like you do. No one trying out young players would keep Plekanec AFTER he played his thousandth game. In fact, neither did he!
Michael Chaput is three years older than DeLaRose, and he was safely in the minors having already cleared waivers, able to come and help if needed due to many injuries. If you are in a retooling year, you should give DLR a chance to show what he can do at only 23.
More importantly, if you DON'T think he has what it takes, you don't give the guy a 2-year contract in the summer and publicly praise how well he played after the deadline, and then not give him a single regular season game to show what he could do.
And you don't make a blunder and double the contract you intended to give Peca and pretend it was intentional. NO GM in the league has EVER given a two-year contract to a Group VI free agent at PRECISELY double the league minimum, and no amount of lying about it will convince me this was legit.
Mistakes happen, like confusing Jeff Finger with Jon-Michael Liles and signing the wrong player, or not realizing that Jaro Spacek was over 35 when he was signed to a 3 year deal. Better to be a man and admit them than lie about it.
Furthermore, Peca is weak and easily knocked off the puck, and not very strong in his own zone. This is why Tampa who tried to trade him for over a year found not one taker.
You want to take a chance on someone new for your fourth line maybe blooming? You could have had 23 year old Anthony Duclair for league minimum, and at least had a guy for the next three years before reaching UFA age who, while not as consistent as most top-6ers, can score some goals, and could play on a middle six line for a few shifts when necessary. Anthony has just one goal less than
all five of our 4th liners
combined.
Bergevin is still an idiot even if some of his moves worked out, after dodging bullets that should have killed him, and the team (eg Lucic, Paul Stastny).