OvermanKingGainer
#BennettFreed #CurseofTheSpulll #FreeOliver
Thats one of the softest defenses right there, no push back, no mean streak, no nothing. If you let Engelland go (and I think you have to), you need to bring someone with physical presence back.
No one half-decent last year had a Deryk Engelland except us, for a reason, and our 3rd pair was half the reason we lost the first round. Your defense has to be able to play hockey, at a high enough level that a pairing can't be exposed and attacked.
A defense with Hamilton, Giordano, Stone, and Brodie is by no means soft in the elements that actually matter (winning stick battles, clearing the front of the net, taking hits to make plays, preventing zone entries with body positioning).
Toughness / Mean Streak / Physical Presence?
Unless you've got a plan for acquiring Radko Gudas or Josh Manson, you're no more soft than ANY other playoff team. In fact Manson is the only such competent guy left in this year's top 4 and he's a unicorn.
The best defense left in the playoffs is by far the Predators and they don't waste their time with Engelland types.
Sometimes people let their imaginations rule their perception.