Naw, Stralman is perfect with Hedman. Looks like we both agree that overall there should be more of a physical force than Gudas, but I'm ok with it coming from somewhere else. Stralman's defensive prowess allows Hedman to do what he does best, rush the puck up the ice. Playing on the right side, his shot is also probably the best we've had since Dan Boyle, and that is saying a ton. He rarely misses and isn't a total flake defensively(cough MAB).
Perfect combo, plus he does add some physical play from time to time, I can't complain.
I've harped on this before, but I think Carle's days are numbered. I don't think Carle is bad, but he's turned into a bad fit now, mostly due to the lack of a shutdown physical presence. Funny, because I thought he was the perfect pickup when we signed him. We have the perfect #3 in Koekkoek who should supplant him in the near future, that is where I think we will get the increased physical presence from. A more conservative estimate is that Koekkoek plays #5 minutes as Brewer's replacement next year.
Any opinions or predictions on what happens to Barbario and Sustr?