Drouin is better in the dot??? He's so good that when he was playing center his wingers took draws for him.
And it's not "one bad year", he has NEVER demonstrated he can play center in any league since junior.
This idea of " well let's just play him at position X out of need" presumed that the positions are all functionally interchangeable. They are not.
You want players to reach their potential, put them in a position where they can leverage their specific s.trengths to succeed. For Drouin, that's on the wing.
What's next trying lolzner or Benn at center? They both have exactly one half NHL season less experience at that position than Drouin.
And Domi is a winger.
That's just the same old rhetoric. Wasn't Drouin hitting 50% + down the stretch, on the draws. Domi played centre with Duclair when he broke in, if I am not mistaken.
I think Domi-Drouin-Gallagher is a dandy line, that's top notch speed. A passer in Domi makes a JD a more dangerous shooter, and anybody that doesn't think he can shoot the puck isn't watching.
Pacioretty-Danault-Scherbak also has skill. Scherbak could be a younger Radulov, he sure is good on his edges.
As a top 6 that's better than what went into the playoffs as the top seed 2 years ago. Unmistakably.
Lehkonen-Plekanec-Hudon can play defense and produce some secondary offense.
Deslauriers-Peca-Armia
Can grind, and also chip in.
Defense is the question mark, but I like Luke Richardson as a coach, he played 1000 games, with some good ones. And for John Muckler, Jacques Martin.
I expect more structure.
People despair but this is a mediocre enough team to make the playoffs, with more depth from Byron and Shaw, pushing players in and out.
The loss of Weber is going to be toughest to mitigate, but if Juulsen can play top 4, Mete too, which is not unreasonable, this team has potential, with a franchise goalie backing them up. I still #4 in the Atlantic, first round matchup with To.
Valiev 9th on D?
