I would say every year there are 31 losers and 1 winner
We could just sit on the sidelines and gather picks and prospects but I like trying to win also
Adding at the deadline didn’t help, in fact it might have backfired this year and made us slower and less cohesive defensively.
Our team, as is, had us in 1st place in the NHL at one point this season. It’s not like they needed help to get there, the team earned their way there by executing the game plan. Trade deadline assets usually bump guys down the line up and and change chemistry but is that change positive or negative? We lost the identity that got us to 4th OA. Right from the opening puck drop in the playoffs the team speed seemed off? Was that all Tofolli and Monahan’s fault….of course not but they might have made a bad situation worse.
I don’t love the narrative that going with the guys that brought us success is sitting on the sidelines, that feels like we are selling those guys short that filled those roles well. I like trying to win too but changing out 33% of our top 6 flopped. Maybe going with the guys that got us there might have made it easier to get back to the system at some point, to recover after the knock downs.
This isn’t even about the draft picks it’s about winning. How bad did Sean and Tyler even want it, this off season one of them went to play with his buddy in Columbus, the other willingly signed his sunset deal with a team in the middle of a full rebuild ensuring he won’t be competing for a cup again. Couple of guys that are not hungry to win
This post wasn’t meant to single you out Joe, I am howling at the moon, clearly venting, I am tired of watching this team collapse come playoff time.