We also had the luxury of a prime Sid, Geno and Letang when we landed Dumo, so the need wasn't as pressing. And no, I'm not satisfied with Petts' play, and think we should strive to improve on that spot. He's routinely getting worked by smaller, faster guys. He doesn't provide enough offensively or in transition to make up for that. His defensive lapses are glaring, and tend to be costly. He's a bottom pairing guy right now, imo, forced into a middle pairing role because of how poorly our other blueliners are playing.
MP played 2nd pair minutes all year and both his production and metrics are good. His pairing hasn't allowed a goal through 3 playoff games.
If he's regularly getting worked - something I haven't seen evidence of - it's not manifesting itself in a quantifiable way over a large sample size in the regular season or a small sample size when it matters most.
I don't think Marino's production is up to snuff for the #1 blueliner on a team chasing Cups. I think it's impressive, especially as a 23 year old rookie, but I would feel a whole lot better about the near and distant future if he and Letang weren't the only guys doing anything offensively from the blueline. And again, Letang's production and impact are going to drop off sooner rather than later. And no, again, I don't think going out and getting another stud blueliner (if possible) can result in any sort of negative. Our blueline's been a massive weakness for years, and with the big three approaching a drop off, it's important to shore it up. We've got wingers in Jake, Zucker and Rust that'll be around well into Sid/Geno's twilight. After we tinker with the 1RW spot, we're basically done in the top-6 for the Sid/Geno era.
Marino's ES pace as a rookie was 32.
Pietrangelo's in '18-'19 was 29.
Carlson's in '17-'18 was 36.
Schultz's in '16-'17 was 33.
Having 2 blueliners who can produce like Marino and Letang (and understanding that the former will likely increase and the latter decrease over the next few years) is a luxury in itself. The middle pairing's getting it done but our wing group isn't, and no minor tinkering is going to fix the PP.
What else do we spend assets on? A 3C? A 1RW that doesn't even need to be an expensive pickup anyway? I don't think either role is going to cost us a lot, nor are they as pressing now or heading into the future as the 2LD spot. We've got Poulin and Legare who may be able to step into the top-6 in a year or so. We've got one guy in PO Joseph, who I haven't exactly heard rave reviews about when it comes to his development on the ice or with regard to his physique.
Unless you want to get a guy like Kadri's caliber to be the 3C, I don't think that'll be an expensive acquisition either. As we've learned, it's about finding the right guy, not the most expensive guy (cough, Brassard, cough).
It's proven a lot more difficult than most anticipated to replace both Bonino and Kessel.
If I had my say about how we spent our assets, they'd clearly go to those weaknesses rather than a top 4 that looks pretty well set up for the next few years based on the numbers.