I think I'm going to change my tune of "they should trade Rust and/or Hornqvist to shake up the team" to "they should trade Rust and/or Hornqvist because they've been generally shitty in the playoffs since the 2017 cup win", because them being shitty in the playoffs is more empirically based than the concept of "shaking the team up".
That doesn't change that they would have just gotten smacked by the Flyers instead of losing to the Habs.
That's why I'm not super pissed (as pissed as JR) about the loss. That said though, the Canadians didn't exactly make it easy on the Flyers. They put up a good fight. It made me feel a tad bit better about the loss. Now if Montreal loses 4-0 and gets blown out 6-0 every game, then we have big concerns.
I agree there are some questions how everything fits together. I think a lot of the pieces are there, but we don't really know until they are put together. That's why I wanted to go bigger than Kapanen. Get a surefire top line winger. Just to use an example, Nylander. You get Nylander and run:
Zucker - Crosby - Nylander
Guentzel - Malkin - Rust
You have to pay a big premium to get a guy like that, but that's a sick top 6 and then you can start to build L3. Again, I think there are potential pieces already there. Hornqvist, McCann (preferably at wing), Poulin, maybe Blueger. But you have a direction on what needs to be done. With Kapanen, it's like, well, we hope he works in the top 6, but he might not, so we might have to put him on L3 and move Hornqvist up and then...then you're just juggling things around hoping something sticks.
Problem is, the assets we have to get a guy like Nylander are very limited. You could have MAYBE offered Dumo for him but more likely, it would be Letang. Then we would be down a top pairing dman and have to chase down the solution to that hole.
I really don't think it's a skill thing. I truly believe that, especially now adding Kapanen, we have the skill sets to complete for a cup. I look at any team still in and I think we could still skate with them...IF. THEY. WANTED. TO. And thats the thing...last year and this year there was a tremendous amount of 'don't give a shit'. You didn't see that hunger. Look at Vancouver and the Avs...those kids are HUNGRY. And it shows. It would be one thing if it was a team of Matt Cookes, Tylers Kennedys, and Brandon Sutters trying to make a go of it and their skills just are enough to compete but that's not us. This has been a "flip the switch team" for as long as I can remember. Sullivan in 2016 got them to flip it and it stayed on. Now...it's off again.
It's not a skill thing. It's an effort thing.
Guys, guys... this is easy to compromise on:
The players are a bad mix AND the coach has lost the plot.
Which, I mean... is exactly why I don't see them doing anything much different as far as positive results are concerned for at least another season. I mean... aside from the attendant deck chairs on the giant doomed cruise liner, etc.
I wouldn't say bad mix. I don't think that's fair. St. Louis fans could easily have said "it's a bad mix" in Jan 2019. I do think you have a bunch of guys that have had a lot of success together that no longer feel that burning passion to dominate not only for themselves and the team, but rather the guy sitting or skating right next to you. The youthful infusion worked both ways in 2016.
On a completely different note:
I fully expect Dustin Tokarski will be signing a two-way deal with the Penguins.
Oh good, trade both Murray and Jarry for picks and prospects that won't help. We have our new toy.
In all seriousness though, 1.97GAA, 0.924%SV in 18GP is pretty good. Encouraging even. He seems to have bounced around a lot though...
Depends on what your expectations are. If you trade Dumo and expect Dumo back, you'll be disappointed. There's only one Dumo. Who you get back will be different...better or worse is up for debate. But I mean, if you can send Dumo out for Boeser and Rust for Klefbom/Nurse...do you do it? Again...think overall fit as part of a team identity not necessarily ability in a vacuum.