RF said when he came on it was a 5 year plan that was going to consist of building through the draft, and this is year 4. Still, this is the first season that the team, from RF on down gave the impression that they had the team to make the playoffs so it's understandingly frustrating (I'm just as frustrated) that it won't be the case again. His outlook was based on:
- Expected improvement from young guys (which we are getting from TT and Aho).
- Bring in Williams to help score more goals (which we aren't getting)
- Improved Goaltending with Darling (which we aren't getting)
- Shoring up the 3rd pairing (which we are getting, but offset by the fall-off of the 2nd pairing / Faulk)
- Improved 4th line with Kruger (which we aren't getting).
The basic problems that plagued this team still exist. Weak down the middle (no 1C) and poor goaltending. As most teams have found out in the past, those (particularly a 1C) are two the most difficult things to solve, particularly when you are a low budget team who isn't getting a #1 or #2 OA draft choice.
I'm still not convinced Bill Peters is the right coach, but I am convinced that this team still is lacking in talent and until either they open the checkbook or some of the guys drafted (Necas?) start to contribute, it will be the case.