They need talent in the worst way. Speed is nice but they need guys that can create offense and put pucks into the net. The lower your talent level is the smaller your margin for error which is why the Caps won close games and got blown out in losses — they had to be structurally superior every night and if a few bounces didn’t go their way they didn’t have the horses to keep up.
If speed, speed, and quickness also comes with a cannon of a shot or an ability to create offense for his teammates then yes, all things equal you’d rather have a faster player than a slower one but speed with third line talent gives you Jason Chimera. No offense to the Ice Cheetah, of course, but he’s not the player the Caps need in their top six.