So now we just accept mediocrity?
You must be a very easy person to please, when you don't even expect someone to do their job and you are still happy.
No he's actually realistic. With a healthy Pavel and Hank, there is no way this team doesn't make the playoffs. Whether Holland did his job this offseason or not, the team will be better next year just by the virtue of our two elite players being healthy.
I know everyone hates when he says x is like a FA acquisition, but honestly getting back Zetterberg full time will make way more of an impact than signing any of those RH D men we missed would have. Getting Ericsson back and calling up one D prospect could push Kindl-Lashoff off the ice. If Weiss turns out to be the 2C we thought we were signing last year, that could be huge.
I'm disappointed as hell with the offseason, but there is plenty of room for improvement from the players on this roster. So as to not drive myself crazy beating a dead horse for Holland striking out in FA and trades, I'm going to pin my hopes on the fact that we had a ridiculous rash of injuries that all hit top players all at once and took them out for a long time. Plus, you had guys like Z and Pavs gritting through injuries over the Olympic break to play for their countries that delayed their return and reduced their effectiveness.
Yes, this offseason went very poorly, but the team is still good and we still have that stockpile of prospects that we are really excited about. It's not all peaches and cream, but let's not act like it's all a crap sundae either.