This is a FanPost written by thomba
Defense
I think we can say that this team should be better than last year. I wish we signed Orlov at $8x 2 instead of Johnson and Clifton at $6.83 but we will never know what happens behind the scenes. It’s easy to say go get Pesce or Hanifin, but maybe they were never on the market or the ask was to much. So, we got what we got and that’s what we have to work with. Our D is improved, we brought in experience and grit, two things we lacked last year. We all know what we have with our 2 # 1 d men and Sammy, they are the cornerstones for the next decade on D. But what about the rest? It’s nice to finally have some depth on D. what’s our Top six ? Who pairs best with whom? I admit, I don’t have the scouting report on the new D- men, but that’s why I come here, where the experts are. Dahlin — Samuelsson Power — Johnson Clifton — Joki Did we pay Clifton top 4 money? Is Johnson a good fit with Power or is he to old and slow? Who is # 6 and 7? Bryson, Lyub, stillman, Johnson Levi – UPL Do we Cut / trade Comrie and hope and prey UPL and Levi are the real deal? The fact we haven’t brought in a new goalie could ruin the season or make the GM look like a genius.
Offense
We don’t need to add much to our offense in the offseason. A middle six addition would be nice and I would have liked someone a little faster, tougher and younger than Girgensons and Oxposo but that’s a moot point. I am very happy we brought Jost back, he should have a Big year, there is a UFA contract waiting for him. The offense is all homegrown and it’s growing exponentially!
Losing Quinn hurts. I love that he was training when the injury occurred. It shows his dedication and commitment to improving which is the theme for this team. Getting him back in January, will be huge for the home stretch. It took no pull-ups Mittelstadt over 5 years to become the player we wanted and he hasn’t hit his ceiling yet. I always thought Casey relied on his talent, and maybe didn’t do the small things that makes players great. Did we rush him?, we sure did. But either way, his continued growth into a top 6 player, 60+ points and 20+ goals is needed. Sign him to 6×6 now!
Krebs needs to take on a much bigger role. a third line center or middle six wing position should give him more opportunities. 40- 55 points would be nice. He has the drive, and that edge. He is a high energy guy, always flying around on the ice, he’s our enforcer. Lol. Can he follow Cozens trajectory because we need at least half of that from Kreb’s game. Peterka needs to find consistency in his game, which is expected for any rookie. It’s a long season and these are boys playing amongst men. His shot , and offensive game is only going to get better, he easily replaces Olofsson. 20+ goals would help.
Greenway has potential, it’s make or break for him, he could be in the press box or a consistent presence on the ice as a bottom six guy. We all know what Cozens is capable of. What a draft class that is becoming! Still can’t believe Hughes signed 8×8 what an amazing deal! Great deal with Dylan too, huge ceiling.Cozens could easily be our next captain. I love his game, he is only 22, a leader on and off the ice and he took a tremendous leap last year. 80+ points is reachable.
Then we have the Rochester kids and the other youngsters. I wouldn’t expect much from them, maybe a call up for Kulich or Savoie sticks out of camp? One more year developing should help. We know what we have with Skinner, Tuch and Tage, but I do think there is room to grow. Skies the limit for Tage, 50/100 seems fair. Skinner and Tuch seem to be recreating their games as they mature. Skinner becoming an assist man and Tuch, heck, I never expected that production from him.
Skinner – Mitts – Tuch
Krebs – Thompson – JJ
Jost – Cozens – Olofsson
Ox – Girg – Greenway
Call ups – Kulich – Rousek
Having Mitts become a bonafide center/ top six let’s us see if Thompson can drive his own line. Before the Quinn injury I felt a lot better with our top 12. I think we are still lacking something and need to bring in a rental. One more injury, and we are starting to look thin. not a fan of Victor. I would love to trade Olofsson, his skill set is repetitive, he doesn’t play d, he disappears for months in the scoring department and is a one trick pony. It’s sad that we all want a 25+ goal scorer off this team, but in order to take that next step, we got to play better D.
What’s the best lineup with what we have? And what else can we do to improve them?