The point is a fair one that says this roster as you project it won't be demonstrably better than it would be if AA and Foligno were the guys playing in place of a couple of the young guys coming up through the system. I won't venture to guess what the roster looks like in 3 years, and the future of role players is always tenuous. I understand the cyclical process in which draftees develop and push out vets. I also understand high hopes for Wennberg and Milano, as well as the rest. But guys like Dano, Rychel and Bjorkstrand will need to outplay Anisimov and Foligno, in my mind, to push them out; or else in 3 years we will be going with unproven youngsters to try to be competitive, make the playoffs, and become world champions. Meanwhile, Anisimov and Foligno will both be in their prime vets (29 years old each).
It's almost like your using the model of a small market team. Columbus may be a "small market", but they have not spent like one in a few years (though Jarmo seems to be changing that). I appreciate your belief that all those prospects will develop into top 6 NHL players and play their way onto this roster, and I hope they do. But they have to do that first, and in the meantime we have some pretty decent late year models in the garage right now.
I remember when Arniel was all about rolling 4 lines. The Dubinsky and Anisimov lines do seem interchangeable, with roughly equivalent levels of effectiveness but different styles. Still, I hesitate to deviate from a tried-and-true conception of lines. Which is why I still prefer a bruiser like Boll on the 4th line rather than expecting offense to be generated there.
