I think that is exaggerated. The defensive core as a unit is not that bad... HOWEVER, pair that with what might be the most inept group of defensive forwards, and you do have a significant problem.
In terms of “name brand“ at this point l I’d have sharks, Blackhawks, Montreal, maybe Washington.
So yea without Rielly I think it’s bottom 5 name wise, but in terms of actual play we should be much better.
I definitely agree with the forwards part, whether it’s supporting the defencemen or getting the puck out or stopping the puck in the nz our forwards has been pretty bad at that. Even someone like Matthews will make a pizza up the middle to an opponent once every couple games
The forwards need to support the dman much better, especially with Rielly out there’s no reliable stretch pass, if the players can drop back lower and actually be smarter with the puck in our zone we should be able to survive without Rielly, and hopefully we can keep that up once he returns
Seeing how it’s been 50 games though, my hopes aren’t high