At this point I'm convinced Byfield would perform better off of the top line
Ruttu wanted Stutzle all the way and I'm heartbroken he didn't get his way
Byfield is being an Iafallo when we need him to be a Byfield.
It's not about where he's at in the lineup anymore, he looks less confident than last preseason, he's comfortable being a complementary player, a 'good teammate', more than a 'f*** you I've got this' guy.
We'll probably never see that until Kopitar et. al. are long gone if we see it at all.
I'm holding out hope that it's just preseason because that whole line has been half-speed/vanilla but he's not playing like a guy who wants to show everyone what he's got. He's playing like he's comfortable spending a long career as a 6'5" Andrew Cogliano.
On the bright side this will be a fun year, but it's hard to shake the feeling it's the last hurrah. No cap, no assets, youth regressing, vets aging.
All that's left to do is pour a cocktail and light a cigarette while we ride the Hindenburg