i'm gonna die on this "add zegras" hill lol. he has his flaws but at 22 he's not a finished product, has top line talent, and has been productive
at center. he's more likely to turn into a legit star player than he is to be a(n elite) complimentary player – but even then, as the second fiddle to fantilli, he'd be awesome.
zegras and KJ share a build, playstyle and handedness, but guys like that can coexist (i.e. kane + panarin) as long as they have a steady, direct player on that line (i.e. texier, jenner or marchenko). you'd have so much scoring in the top six that you can build true 'identity' lines in the bottom six on a club that, right now, lacks an identity.
to me, that means a more straightforward opportunity for guys like malatesta, voronkov and brindley to shine. the long-term vision would be something along these lines (assuming the bones of the deal would be Sillinger + the 2024 1st):
| Player Grouping | Breakdown/Impact |
Long-term L1:
Gaudreau - Fantilli - Laine | Fast, physical, big-bodied 1C (Fantilli) flanked by two guys who can score in bunches + open up the ice for him. Elite (and extremely fun!) top line. |
Long-term L2:
Johnson - Zegras - Marchenko | Two high-skill, high-IQ guys who can light up the offensive zone, paired with a big/fast/direct winger who scores near the net. Deployed heavily in the o-zone, but due to their strengths just as much as their relative weaknesses. |
Short-term L3:
Texier - Jenner - Voronkov
Long-term L3:
Texier - Voronkov - Brindley | Short-term: High-compete checking line with a skilled puck transporting LW
Long-term: Two energetic two-way wings with offensive upside flanking a huge, physical center who plays a direct game (could swap Voronkov with Jenner or DBB) |
Short-term L4:
ERob - Kuraly - Danforth
Long-term L4:
Malatesta - Jenner - Olivier | Short-term: Speedy, reliable line with mixed effectiveness as a checking line, but can provide energy
Long-term: Perhaps the biggest pain-in-the-ass line to play against in the sport (especially if Jenner keeps the L3 spot longer than expected, putting Voronkov at 4C) |
Trade chips:
Chinakhov, Dumais, DBB, Whitelaw | Skilled young players who would be appealing as trade chips; used to bring in a goalie, shed an unwanted contract, shore up the defense or bring in physical veteran forward for bottom six. |
goaltending is still a problem, but that problem suddenly becomes a lot easier to solve if you can dangle a chinakhov or dumais or del bel belluz in a trade – either to acquire a goalie or to shed an unwanted contract (or both). also gives guys like foudy, mckown and meyer a chance to stick around as depth pieces long-term.
