Peter Sejna once played in the NHL, too.
I would say that we've definitely got better depth at SA than we have had in our short stint being affiliated with the Rampage, but I would agree with simon that none of those guys scream "NHL ready" at the moment. You basically have 3 guys who are back-pairing caliber, a 6/7 guy at best [and more likely a lesser version of Chris Butler], a "maybe he could be a 2nd-pairing guy, but he's still not close to that yet" and a wild card who needs to show up in shape and motivated before you can make any kind of judgment about him.
Yeah, potentially 3-5 of them could play a short stint in the NHL this season, but if anyone thinks that any of those guys can replace Edmundson today, ... I know we just won the Cup and everyone is euphoric still about it, but please - lay off the sauce some.
San Antonio is better than it was two days ago. That’s what these moves are about. We’re happy and comfortable with our vet leadership and young supporting cast, and we’re going into next season with (mostly) the same lineup as we took to the top of Mt. Stanley.
Nevertheless, out of all of our signings, I would say only Lappin, Walker, and Polei are definite locks for the AHL. Pouliot, Vecchione, and Dotchin can all compete for a spot. I don’t think it’s particularly likely that any of them are full-time regulars, and I don’t think it’s fair to assume that they’ll magically solve all of their shortcomings in one summer. But they’re strong signings for what they are: injury call-ups and leadership for the team in San Antonio.
You also never know what a better system and a better fit can unlock in a player. Pouliot went from buried in Pittsburg to playing too much on a horrid Vancouver team. Can he grow into Shatty-lite here? Doubt it, but maybe. Dotchin got too fat to play in Tampa, but we play a big game, so if he hits the bike hard this summer and shows up in game shape, maybe he pushes Bortz for ice time. Vecchione was a Hobey Baker finalist, and played through some rough years in Lehigh, but still produced fine. Can he push Blais, Sanford, and MacEachern for ice time? I’m not sure, but he’ll get a chance to. We like our college players.
I don’t think anybody expects these guys to win the Norris or Hart next season, but just *playing* for the Blues next season is absolutely in reach for each of them. They will have to be better than they have been in the past. But Binnington was aging out of prospect status too, and none of Sundqvist, Sanford, Blais, or MacEachern were especially young when they broke in.
But you’re right: you don’t trade Edmundson on the hope and prayer that these guys can be better. They’ll either prove that, or they won’t. No big deal either way