A little late on the last 10-game window, but f*** it, the season is basically at the halfway point now:
A - Soderberg, Keller, Goligoski, Chychrun, Kuemper
B - Kessel, Schmaltz, Dvorak, Hinostroza, Garland, OEL, Raanta, Demers
C - Crouse, Richardson, Fischer
D - Stepan, Grabner, Lybushkin
F - Oesterle, Ness
I'm not going to evaluate Hall or Hjalmarsson, but some quick notes on the others:
- Soderberg has way exceeded expectations and has stolen Stepan's job. Keller is playing better than his rookie year. Goose and Chick is a dynamic combo. Kuemper is still our MVP.
- Kessel is coming along and has potential for great chemistry with Hall, two players on the same wave length. Schmaltz had a sneaky 3 points in last night's shitshow. Dvo has a great opportunity with his new linemates. Hino has had a nice recovery after a slow first 20 games, still not sure he has a role longterm. Garland needs to play more. OEL has risen. Raanta wants more minutes and now he'll get it. Demers has dropped off a slight bit but still solid.
- Crouse needs to improve consistency. Richie is solid defensively but the legs are gone, hope we walk away in the summer. Fischer is just kinda whatever, not great, not terrible.
- Don't know what happened to Stepan's offensive game, he's still our best option at C currently but needs to be better. Not sure if Grabner has been playing injured but he's looked terrible the last few weeks, I'd scratch him if we didn't need him on PK. Bush may be serviceable if tied to OEL.
- Oesterle is a terrific disappointment, looks like KConn 2.0 after the payday. Ness should not be in the NHL.
