The big off season moves are over. We should now have the following areas of strength or consistency for the season:
- Harder to play against with additions and deletions to the bottom six.
- Some more physicality. At least on paper hits and takeaways will go up significantly.
- Defense – highly skilled offensively, young and learning.
- Goalies – Signing UPL long term, should his season continue is huge and a strength. Reimar should be a solid backup as UPL plays a majority of games like a true #1, and Levi can marinate in the minors. As long as he does not get frustrated with that role, we could have a true 1A 1B situation in the next year. Or a situation where one of the 2 provides trade fodder that can help the team get better in the long term.
- Special teams – penalty kill was decent, and likely has now become better.
Questions:
- Can we improve the power play to at least the top half of the league? (which will lead to an increase in scoring?
- Offense – more physical, faster. Question – can we score enough?
- Coaching – I am not sure I disliked Donny Granato as a head coach. Many players (especially the younger) grew and improved under him. Adding Lindy Ruff (who I am a huge fan of) should send a message that raising the level is needed by all, and I am sure Lindy will send clear messages overall and to individual players about the high expectations he has that will lead to the playoffs. Can the coaching we now have improve the power play (and scoring) which we so desperately need?
What else can we do?
So far in the off season most improvements needed were made, except about offense. KA did try, we have reports of trying to trade for Necas who apparently would not sign here longer than his current contract. I did wonder what would have happened had we ignored that, lowered our offer for him (assuming Carolina agreed to a lower offer and he stayed through is 2 years). Obviously they would get fewer assets in return, but would he actually refuse to play here for 2 years until he was an UFA? Does he refuse to report? What are his repercussions for that? Would it be worth it to Buffalo, given we used fewer assets to acquire him? Given his current 2 year deal in Carolina, which takes him to the end of team control and into UFA status, I wonder if he really would not sign in Buffalo long term, or just would not sign long term anywhere?
The lack of consistent and proven offense I assume is not obvious to just me, but to actual people with a voice and power within the organization. I am confident we tried for others, and either came up short with our offer (so teams did not want to make the deal) or were outbid by others (and teams sent the player to another suitor). I do not dislike the Kevyn Adams “grow from within” strategy or drafting and developing our own players, but it has clearly left a gap for this year, and possibly 2 depending on the growth of our young players.
The big moves in the summer are over. Now we hope for:
- Bounce back seasons from veterans: Thompson, Tuck
- Continued improvement from the kids: Benson, Peterka, Quinn, Power, Samuelason
- Living up to or achieving expectations: Cozens, Krebs, UPL
- Fewer goals given up by penalty kill
- Improved scoring from Power Play
Hope is not a strategy. But if everything works, we are playoff bound with the improvements to offense albeit not big ones. This is where we really fell apart last year, and where I struggle to see how much improvement we have made with personnel.
Is our glass now half (or more) empty or full?
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