There is a lot of doom and gloom, but we have two very big, swift skating. highly skilled players to build around in Byfield and Kempe. Both these guys play abrasive and both have great defensive instincts.
It starts with giving these guys the team lead and having some of the veterans take a seat more often
We have super skilled players like Fiala and Moore.
Kopitar is a legacy player and will not be traded and I would argue at $7 million a year. There’s not a team in this league that wouldn’t be honored to have him. management has to realize that he can be the quiet leader in the room, but the “C” has to be on someone more vocal with a little bit more energy.
PowerPlay one should be a right and not a given. Just because you’re the other statesman in the room doesn’t give you the right to play 75% of power-play one. Super talent guys like Byfield, Fiala, Kempe, Clarke and Arty. Every one of these guys résumé talks about how much offensive talent they have yet they’re taught to check, play defense, and not put in rules to succeeded in the offensive zone. These guys should not need a coach to tell them what to do. They all use creativity and offensive talent when they’re not neutered by this coaching staff.
I’m honestly starting to believe that Yanni is the smartest person in the room. It’s the development stuff and the coaching stuff that ruined the prospects he brings in.
It’s Blake building a defensive core to try and protect inept goaltending instead of worrying about trying to get the puck up the ice where our forwards can succeed. The forwards are always caught back trying to help the defense move the puck we’re giving up areas of the ice that should’ve been ours and that should’ve pushed the opposition defense back.
If things stay the same, we might as well not even bring Clarke up as he’ll be the next Kaliyev neuter pre-draft talents to try and fit our system
There is still great pieces to retool around. We just need the right guy to pull the strings and somehow get us out of this PLD disaster. If somehow a new GM could get out from that $8.5 million burden and move Byfield back to center in his place. I think a lot of the fans would have a much cheerier outlook on next season.
Fiala - Byfield - Kempe
Turcotte - Kopitar - Kaliyev (Fagemo)
Moore- Danault- Laf
Thomas - ? Big dude- ?face puncher
Doughty- Chychrun
Clarke - Anderson
Spence - ? Big dude.
Ullmark