I like Namestnikov but his production was spread around different lines. He was good on the 4th line, as a winger. Became 2c from the moment Perfetti was moved to the wing...his defensive game is good, so he's essentially the Copp replacement without the faceoffs. The Jets brought Monahan in specifically for faceoffs, both zones, and to be a bumper guy on the PP. So both those roles are going to have to be solved internally going into the season. I realize that most faceoffs have no significance but want to see a coach with an angry look watch a lost draw end up in the back of the net. On the PK especially winning a clean draw is 20 seconds off the clock, if played right. For a coach drawing up offensive zone plays is usually based on won or scrambled draws. Namestnikov doesn't take many d-zone faceoffs, and he is a good enough skater to play at Ehlers pace, so it could be a non factor...but if Chevy was fishing for a C in the offseason good chance he might not be satisfied with the roster as it stands. Since it's hard to get quality players here might have to be patient with Lambert, Lucius and Yager and see where it goes.
I suppose the sample size last year was large enough for him to pass grade, but Pionk's success with Samberg is generally written off.
We were no better after getting Monahan last year. He improved the PP but he could have done that lining up at 4LW at evens. IIRC our winning % actually went down slightly after getting him.
