OMG after 1 month of Maksimovich what's your take versus having acquired Saigeon, Hancock. I know you were not against acquiring him but were favoring others. I just felt (as you know I was pleading his case pre deadline) his style, skating and character would be a great fit. Bragging a bit I think I was right.
HE has elevated Hoelscher’s game. My main issue was I felt Hoelscher wasn’t committing enough offensively and we needed a Centre, preferably one with size (Saigon). I never felt Hancock was a fit here.
Then I wanted the D-Man (preferably Durzi). As much as Durzi would have been a great add, Belanger has elevated his game. He doesn’t play much but when he does, he performs.
In the end, the additions of Chiodo and Maks has stretched the lineup significantly. Maks, in particular, has added a pesky element that can play well in the playoffs too.
You’ll also notice the 1st line getting more attention and it’s opened up the ice for Chmelevski. It is a really tough team to defend and more importantly, you’ll also notice we aren’t running up the shots either. we are just getting quality opportunities and scoring on them a lot. These aren’t 50 shot 8 goal games. They are 26 shot 6 goal games. That isn’t typical of the higher scoring teams.