Yeah I still think there's to much over reaction to a couple of negative splash plays from Juulsen.
Took the delay of game penalty, but there was some bad luck involved. He was off balance and trying to clear the puck from a dangerous part of the ice. Sure maybe a better player has more composure and a defter touch. But it wasn't sloppy or lazy play, just bad luck really.
Other play was when he got caught flat footed at the offensive blueline. Bad read on his part, no question.
But he's a 7th/8th dman. Thing people tend to ignore when talking about 7/8 guys is they are going to play games. And of course they have some flaws. If they didn't, they would be 7/8 dman, they'd be top 6.
Would I like to upgrade Juulsen? Of course. Is Bear an upgrade? Bear is a better all around player, but offers zero physicality and not as good on the PK. If Bear signs, I see these two rotating depending on match up.
Friedman does nothing better than Juulsen. When Freidman was acquired, he was a shot in the arm and helped stabilize the back end. But he's not better than Juulsen. Likely doesn't play in front of a healthy Brisbois or Wolanin either. Gives some organizational depth and I like his feisty nature, but he's not a better option than Juulsen.
Don't want to come across as a Juulsen fan Boi. Definitely has flaws in his game upgrading his roster spot should be a goal of Alvin's. But the easy to notice plays overshadow the blocked shots, holits, and generally solid (safe) plays he makes with the puck.
As for the game, solid road win against a division rival. The wins against Seattle and Calgary have me feeling comfortable about our playoff chances. Keep winning those 4 pointers vs teams behind us, and we are in comfortably.
