Speculation: Ottawa Senators without Erik Karlsson - are we better or worse without McDavid?

[Beerfish]

Without mcdavid the oilers would be top 3 to 5 pick bound for sure.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

You lose McDavid, this team still has the ability to ice a competent forward core...

Maroon-Draisaitl-Eberle
Lucic-RNH-Pouliot
Slepyshev-DD-Kassian
Caggiula-Letestu-Pakarinen


Toss in a still decent defence and Talbot and you'd still have a chance to win. It's a bit like Pittsburgh last year, they lost Malkin going into the playoffs, but (a then struggling) Kessel was able to step up and fill his role.

 

[bone]

You lose McDavid, this team still has the ability to ice a competent forward core...

Maroon-Draisaitl-Eberle
Lucic-RNH-Pouliot
Slepyshev-DD-Kassian
Caggiula-Letestu-Pakarinen


Toss in a still decent defence and Talbot and you'd still have a chance to win. It's a bit like Pittsburgh last year, they lost Malkin going into the playoffs, but (a then struggling) Kessel was able to step up and fill his role.

The key, I think, is past success or length of absence. In the Pens case, they know they can win. Losing a top guy makes everyone step up because they don't want to lose that chance. That can keep a team going possibly for a sustained run.

On a team without past success, you lose a guy, you have more the mentality that what success you have comes from them. You may be able to bear down for 10 games or so, to fill the void, but if it is longer, you don't have to past successes to push you knowing that it is still close. If we had lost McDavid this year, they probably would have faltered (like last year). This year, they are having success now. If they have playoff run of sorts, they'd be in a better spot to push through an injury in future years.