Yea that was a huge problem this off season. People fell for the whole we got younger and faster, and ignored the quality and skills of these guys. Speed and youth are great but not if the player(s) suck.
It doesn't matter who they signed this off season, you still would have pissed and moaned about it.
Honestly, I think Matheson is less of a problem right now than the bottom 6.
Given the 1-9 of the defense right now, I agree. When fully healthy, I think our defense can still be quite good.
Dumo-Letang
POJ-Marino
Pettersson-Rudwedel
or something like that. It sits Matheson, Ceci, and unfortunately Riikola but as of now, based on merit, that 6 above have been out best players.
That said, Matheson is still a damn good skater, and watching him willing to skate the puck and shoot while at the point, is actually refreshing at times.
Bottom 6 though...yikes. This is where I do think we can make some swaps with other teams and their similar players based on who is available. Like McCann for Bennett is something I would be exploring. I'm not entirely sure how we make it all happen but he's an example of a player that could pay off spades in the playoffs if he can develop some good chemistry.
I really, REALLY wish would have left Poulin and/or Legare on the roster as an extra.
Jake-Sid-Rust
XXX-Malkin-Kappy
Zucker-Bennett-Tanev
ZAR-Bleuger-DOC
Something like that...