So.
Outside of two additional potential signings, how much better are we versus last year?
Much better.
Forward core: better
-Glen Gulutzan is gone, so Sam Bennett will be an all-star
-Power play is going to be absolutely deadly with guys like Lindholm, Czarnik, and maybe even Brouwer being used in PP situations that they're comfortable in (Brouwer had a specific role he used to score goals at that Gully NEVER tried). Gaudreau going to have a breakout year on the power play playing for a coach who just got Taylor Hall a Hart Trophy.
-Eleven forwards who deserve to play top nine
Gaudreau / Bennett / Lindholm
Monahan / Jankowski / Czarnik
Tkachuk / Backlund /Ryan
Frolik / Mangiapane
-Fourth line has another handful of players who will push each other and under Peters won't just fall flat on their face
*Shore (hope he's back as 4C)
Foo
Quine
Dube
Lazar
PK should be greatly improved with Lindholm able to take some right side draws. Backlund-Lindholm anyone? Then Bennett-Frolik and Jankowski-Shore. That six guy group has got potential to be the best penalty kill in franchise history.
Blue line: better
- Brodie gonna drop ~55pts next year back on the side he is comfortable
- Giordano gonna drop ~55 playing with a partner who he actually likes playing with
- Hamonic gonna bounce back to 20+ playing with a partner who actually
likes to play the left side.
- Hanifin going to add another 40+ as a #4 with elite possession numbers and won't lazily put us on the PK every game
- Kulak going to progress
- Kylington / Andersson Pushing hard
- Valimaki a dark horse
Goaltending: better
- Smith more comfortable in Canadian market
- Rittich more comfortable in the NHL
- Gillies there too
Who here is confident this is a clear playoff team now?
Me. Probably gonna contend for the division with all the right moves made. Love our roster, best skater roster we've had since 2015-16 before we waived Paul Byron. If we had managed to keep Ferly out of the Hamilton trade I would even be taking President's Trophy as that's now the only roster weakness left (Fast, Huge, Snipey Sniper)