The simple truth is there are too many top contracts to create a winning team in NYR. Zibanejad and Fox are paid at a premium - which I think they deserve. Trouba's contract is questionable, he's a detriment against speedy teams where the forwards lose the pressure of the forecheck. And then we have Panarin being paid a crapload more for being a passenger when he should be the #1. In a physical playoff, that will probably never happen. Panarin is immensely skilled but he's not cut out for the do or die moments at that kind of money, no f***ing way.
So, Zibanejad and Kreider lost Buchnevich and they were a golden line. An absolute monster, top tier line. No problems with the right winger there, they poured in points. Now, imagine having Zuccarello instead of Panarin, not a big loss. He's much better 200 ft over the ice and has a ton more grit and intensity to his game, while I guess Panarin might be slightly better at the forecheck and passing.
So, Panarin is the better playmaker but Zuccarello is a passing wizard in his own regard at half the price. And he can make things happen with basically any teammates, just like Panarin only Zuccarello drives the line, Panarin seems to catch on to his teammates instead. WTF was that trainwreck hockey carried with Strome? It was a joke, it was pond hockey and voilá - it didn't work.
And the last one that falls out in terms of payment is Panarin. Zuke could feed Zibanejad one timers and occassionally score as well for half the price. Unless Panarin can reform his game in a big way he's not worth the money by a long shot, he'll probably have a great career for some mediocre team playing pond hockey.
You cannot have a player like Panarin @11.5m a year and expect the team to win anything. He's too one dimensional. It's John Tavares all over again, an ill fit, big name that is so overpaid the team is doomed. Toronto would be much better off without Tavares than with him. Same case for NYR with Panarin, they're simply monetary anchors.
That's why McDrai cannot win anything, they're too one dimensional, they are too bad defensively to carry their salaries. That kind of money for players in a salary cap world is insane and never works.
I can never forgive a business model that gives away McDonagh, Miller, Buchnevich and Zuccarello for nothing and keep having a straight face that it's working. No, just because you're rich and can bury constant mistakes, it doesn't get the team closer to winning. It just keeps spending to the top while trying to bury the constant mistakes.
So sure, the team did much more than expected. That was because of actual key players they managed to have and less of the management decisions made. I don't blame that on Drury at all. Panarin should never have been signed.
I can guarantee you a team with Buchnevich and Zuccarello in the lineup instead of Panarin would've been in the finals now.
