Duke74
Registered User
- Jan 13, 2018
- 2,445
- 2,884
Draisaitl seems to have hit a new low lately. The same horrible, lethargic habits that we all love to hate, but now magnified even worse. Blind backhand passes to nowhere. More turnovers than a bakesale. Not even bothering to play defense. It's now December Drai all-year round.
And now his recent stretch of play. Not that I put any stock into the all-star game, but, quite frankly, that was beyond embarrassing. Couldn't hit the broad side of a barn in target shooting. And what was with throwing the puck backwards on a breakaway?
Now, I was willing to cut him some slack until I realized that the all-star game was merely a reflection of his entire season. And now, his offence, the one thing that makes all of his foibles somewhat bearable, has disappeared. Pointless in the last two games. Even worse, not at single shot on goal.
Now a healthy, effective Draisaitl can provide that second-line centre that cup-winning teams need. That centre can drive a line on his own, outperform the opposition 5v5, and play respectable defence. So trading that type of player seems bizarre. But he's barely a shell of that right now and has been more or less like this all season.
So, given all of the above, is it time to start thinking about moving on? I know this idea may seem unfathomable to some, but I think that we should at least consider it as an option. We'll need to reevaluate this question next summer with his contract set to expire the following year. But what if, as some of you have mentioned, we've seen the peak of his career, and like Lucic in 2018, he only goes downhill from here and becomes virtually untradeable or returns negligible assets?
Why not consider selling at a high point? We need that #1D (not Chychryn - think bigger) or big splash to compete for the cup, but we don't have the cap. Moving Draisaitl not only frees up $8.5 million to make that big move but also removes what I think has become a redundant skillset on our team, especially with the return of Kane and the emergence of Nuge and Hyman as legitimate offensive threats that can carry a line on their own.
And now his recent stretch of play. Not that I put any stock into the all-star game, but, quite frankly, that was beyond embarrassing. Couldn't hit the broad side of a barn in target shooting. And what was with throwing the puck backwards on a breakaway?
Now, I was willing to cut him some slack until I realized that the all-star game was merely a reflection of his entire season. And now, his offence, the one thing that makes all of his foibles somewhat bearable, has disappeared. Pointless in the last two games. Even worse, not at single shot on goal.
Now a healthy, effective Draisaitl can provide that second-line centre that cup-winning teams need. That centre can drive a line on his own, outperform the opposition 5v5, and play respectable defence. So trading that type of player seems bizarre. But he's barely a shell of that right now and has been more or less like this all season.
So, given all of the above, is it time to start thinking about moving on? I know this idea may seem unfathomable to some, but I think that we should at least consider it as an option. We'll need to reevaluate this question next summer with his contract set to expire the following year. But what if, as some of you have mentioned, we've seen the peak of his career, and like Lucic in 2018, he only goes downhill from here and becomes virtually untradeable or returns negligible assets?
Why not consider selling at a high point? We need that #1D (not Chychryn - think bigger) or big splash to compete for the cup, but we don't have the cap. Moving Draisaitl not only frees up $8.5 million to make that big move but also removes what I think has become a redundant skillset on our team, especially with the return of Kane and the emergence of Nuge and Hyman as legitimate offensive threats that can carry a line on their own.
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