I think there's more to it than that. And I think Shero pursuing the likes of Parise in the off-season suggests he thinks there's more to it than that, too.
Parise is a rare talent that doesn't often get to free agency. I don't think there's much more to it than that, but if you do, care to make an avatar bet on it?
We've seen Sid's line struggle vs. Montreal and Philly with Kunitz on one incarnation and Dupes on the other. The common thread is that those lines - with no "self-starters" aside from Sid - have had trouble at even strength (production in the Philly circus notwithstanding).
I don't think it's fair to compare those other lines as equal or similar to the current Sid - Kunitz - Dupuis. Last year I believe we had Sullivan flanking Sid, who was still recovering from a concussion and wasn't playing at the level he is now. Despite that, their production in the series was solid. I can't stress enough how bad Guerin was in that Montreal series. He was a complete anchor in every aspect of the game. Dupuis may not have great offensive talent, but he won't be behind the play the way Guerin constantly was, and he'll be providing so much more to that line in other areas.
The other part to that is that Dupuis and Kunitz are playing at the highest level of their careers, and have been successful on other lines recently as well - Kunitz with Malkin and Dupuis with Staal.
You're right, it is a small sample size. But a quality addition to Sid's line could allow Kunitz to slide to Malkin if Bennett encounters some rookie troubles.
If Kunitz isn't a self starter, Neal certainly isn't. With Geno having none of these proclaimed 'self starters' to flank him, does that mean he is doomed to fail? I mean, one could even say we saw it already in the Philly series.
Not that I believe it, just going along with some of the logic I'm seeing thrown around.
