blinkman360
Loyal Players Only
Say what you want about the Vanek asset management and the duration of this rebuild, but I just don't know how anyone can look at this roster - NHL and below - and not be ecstatic about the shape it's in.
During that time when we could not attract UFAs/spend money, Snow stuck to his guns and didn't part with his high-end prospects to bring in established talent. It hurt us in the short term, but the long-term payoff has the potential to completely blow away what short-lived success we could have had with a couple of big trades over the last 2 or 3 years.
Breaking down the roster as a whole:
Our forwards are strong. We have three lines that can score(one of which is a legitimate 1st line, another is already having success and just might have 1st line upside, and the other has proven to be a very capable defensive unit) and one of the most physical 4th lines in hockey.
The beauty of the forward core is that pretty much every member of "the core" is on the right side of 30. Hell, most of them are on the right side of 25. Tavares, Bailey, Strome, Nelson, Lee, Cizikas, and Martin all fit that criteria. Guys like Okposo, Grabner, Clutterbuck, and Kulemin are just outside. Nielsen and Grabovski are the only two who have entered their 30's, but both are only 30 on the dot.
The only holes I can potentially see popping up in the near future are 1LW and possibly 4C. One should be relatively easy to fill, but the other could be a bit more difficult. However, Snow has at least stockpiled some solid candidates. Guys like Bailey and Grabovski as possible immediate answers, with prospects Dal Colle and Ho-Sang giving us options sometime down the line(maybe as early as next season for Dal Colle, depending on how he develops this year and how he performs at camp).
Defensively, talk about a 180. A year ago today, our defense was probably half as effective as what we are icing now - that is probably putting it nicely. Boychuk was a huge addition. As was Leddy. de Haan has developed incredibly well. Hamonic has established himself as a top-pairing guy. Hickey has been a pleasant surprise. Like the forward group, the core is young. Hamonic, de Haan, Leddy and Hickey are all 25 and under. Boychuk, like Nielsen and Grabo, is the "old man" of the blue-line core at 30 years of age.
While Visnovsky will most likely be gone next season, Garth has stockpiled an impressive group of high-end D prospects, that includes our two top guys who will both have a year of pro experience by the time TC rolls around next season. The fact that a prospect like Griffin Reinhart could have a tough time cracking our lineup should show just how far this defense has come.
In net, while we still don't have that "goaltender of the future", we do have a capable duo of the present. Halak has been solid, and is easily the best goalie we've had in years. Johnson might be the best backup we've had in God knows how long. You can already tell how big of a difference quality goaltending can make with a team. The guys just play much more confident hockey, and are much more aggressive knowing that if a mistake is made, chances are it won't be a back-breaker like it was last season and seasons prior.
Halak is the perfect goaltender for this team right now, and props to Snow for targeting him aggressively.
The NHLers, the prospects, and the effectiveness he's displayed with locking these guys up at reasonable salaries should start earning this guy some respect. Obviously the team will need to win when it matters before most people change their opinion(understandably so), but I can't help but be pleased about the present and excited about the future when looking up and down at this organization.
During that time when we could not attract UFAs/spend money, Snow stuck to his guns and didn't part with his high-end prospects to bring in established talent. It hurt us in the short term, but the long-term payoff has the potential to completely blow away what short-lived success we could have had with a couple of big trades over the last 2 or 3 years.
Breaking down the roster as a whole:
Our forwards are strong. We have three lines that can score(one of which is a legitimate 1st line, another is already having success and just might have 1st line upside, and the other has proven to be a very capable defensive unit) and one of the most physical 4th lines in hockey.
The beauty of the forward core is that pretty much every member of "the core" is on the right side of 30. Hell, most of them are on the right side of 25. Tavares, Bailey, Strome, Nelson, Lee, Cizikas, and Martin all fit that criteria. Guys like Okposo, Grabner, Clutterbuck, and Kulemin are just outside. Nielsen and Grabovski are the only two who have entered their 30's, but both are only 30 on the dot.
The only holes I can potentially see popping up in the near future are 1LW and possibly 4C. One should be relatively easy to fill, but the other could be a bit more difficult. However, Snow has at least stockpiled some solid candidates. Guys like Bailey and Grabovski as possible immediate answers, with prospects Dal Colle and Ho-Sang giving us options sometime down the line(maybe as early as next season for Dal Colle, depending on how he develops this year and how he performs at camp).
Defensively, talk about a 180. A year ago today, our defense was probably half as effective as what we are icing now - that is probably putting it nicely. Boychuk was a huge addition. As was Leddy. de Haan has developed incredibly well. Hamonic has established himself as a top-pairing guy. Hickey has been a pleasant surprise. Like the forward group, the core is young. Hamonic, de Haan, Leddy and Hickey are all 25 and under. Boychuk, like Nielsen and Grabo, is the "old man" of the blue-line core at 30 years of age.
While Visnovsky will most likely be gone next season, Garth has stockpiled an impressive group of high-end D prospects, that includes our two top guys who will both have a year of pro experience by the time TC rolls around next season. The fact that a prospect like Griffin Reinhart could have a tough time cracking our lineup should show just how far this defense has come.
In net, while we still don't have that "goaltender of the future", we do have a capable duo of the present. Halak has been solid, and is easily the best goalie we've had in years. Johnson might be the best backup we've had in God knows how long. You can already tell how big of a difference quality goaltending can make with a team. The guys just play much more confident hockey, and are much more aggressive knowing that if a mistake is made, chances are it won't be a back-breaker like it was last season and seasons prior.
Halak is the perfect goaltender for this team right now, and props to Snow for targeting him aggressively.
The NHLers, the prospects, and the effectiveness he's displayed with locking these guys up at reasonable salaries should start earning this guy some respect. Obviously the team will need to win when it matters before most people change their opinion(understandably so), but I can't help but be pleased about the present and excited about the future when looking up and down at this organization.
