Fans aren't overreacting over a two game stretch five games into the season - we're seeing the same problems we've seen for the last two or three seasons - Vasy's overall decline, Hedman's defensive and skating decline, the lack of forward depth to cover important players leaving. There's not a lot Jeannot, err sorry, JBB, could do about it as all teams/cores eventually slip out of their contender status. I sat this with sadness as I watched the performance of Vasy and Hedman in sadness tonight.
Vasy started to have me believing again four games in. I put the Ottawa game on the rest of the team. But this performance tonight was the Toronto series all over again, except the skaters were also pretty bad - though Vasy was clearly the worst player out there. He showed us that floor still exists. The only way this team gets deep into the playoffs is he returns to peak form.
The nail in the coffin of the "it's only been 5 games" argument - when was the last time Cooper pulled Vasy five games into the season? I think he's sending a message that he's not getting that extra leash anymore, he's tired of seeing it too.
Last season I would have agreed to bringing Crozier up but he was close to Perbix bad in the preseason this year, which doesn't bode well for him matching last year's level of play.
Though it is early in the season, I can't help noticing Teivo Teravainen, the forward I thought JBB should sign, has 3 goals and 7 points in 6 games on a Chicago Blackhawks team and he's only costing them 5.4 per for 3 years. I'm sure Guentzel is going to lap him in points by season's end, but we would have had money first for another add to the lower lines or pair to help move this farce along a little more believably.