Do you really think Mrazek is an improvement? Hes so bad that I used to literally always bet against the Red Wings when he started.
What on this team has improved? Granted, skinner might be addition through subtraction.
So much for turning a corner after all the front office changes...
You're not wrong that there have been some facepalm moments this summer. But the Hanifin/Lindholm-for-Hamilton/Ferland/Fox trade looks like it will pay off. It didn't just make the defensive group better, but also changed the dynamics of how they operate together. We have a true #1D for the first time in... ever... and that's a big change to the lineup. There's a possibility, slim but enough to dream about, that the defense gives us enough offense to overcome what we lack in forwards. And the addition of Hamilton and CDH should do big things for our PK, which will help mitigate the goalie situation somewhat.
We're still a pretty soft group, but the addition of Ferland, Zykov, Martinook, even Svechnikov makes us tougher to play against. Having RBA as coach will also push us in that direction. Not because we're going to win fights or push people around, but there will be battles in front of the net and opponents aren't going to take their time passing the puck.
Svechnikov is the real thing. Necas looks like he might be ready too. Those are HUGE additions if they come through, potentially two top-6 talents through drafting. Even if Necas needs time to get adjusted, I am convinced that Svechnikov will be a Calder contender. He's a better hockey player than Skinner was when he won it.
I still think we'll struggle to make the playoffs, but we're close enough that it really does hinge almost entirely on the goaltending. If Darling and Mrazek go out there and embarrass themselves again, it's going to be a tough year to watch. If they can even just hang in there and not actively lose games, we've got an outside shot that this group comes together and makes a run of it.
