Fair enough. Thanks for the response.
Although I would argue that there are some vets out there who I think can show the way and lead by example. Guys who have never won a cup and want a shot at one. And guys who might find some new energy if they went from a team that isn't going to make the playoffs, to a top 4-5 team that could have a real shot with the right additions.
As for Kadri and Matthews slumping, I think a lot of that has to do with Nylander missing a lot of time, Johnsson playing dinged up early, the lines getting shuffled again with the Hyman injury, Kapanen playing all over the lineup, Ennis moving up and down before his injury, Brown playing on all 4 lines at times this year...
It has to be frustrating for Matthews and Kadri... They've had little continuity in terms of linemates and on top of that, Kadri has been snake bitten by posts and crossbars this year, as well as some pucks in tight that he's banged home in the past and just can't seem to get his stick on this year. Kadri has 9 goals, but with a little puck luck he might be at 13-14 goals (realistically) and could be on pace to apparoach 30 again, especially, if he has a little late season surge once his linemates stabilize and they build a little bit of chemistry.
Moving down into a definitive 3C position, a 27-28 goal season would change the optics of his season, significantly. Unfortauntely, at this point I think 21-22 would be a salavaged 2nd half at this point.