Lazar has had a good season and is one of the only current bottom 6 guys that were in last night's lineup that I care to see here again next year. He's also on a very cheap contract.
But he was pretty bad last night.
This is how I see it with the subtraction of McLeod, not even taking into account that he's a scumbag, monster and a rapist that should be punished by slow and painful death.
Losing him was a MASSIVE blow, but at the same time, it could have been a massive blow and drain on the cap to give him the contract he was probably going to get after the year he had. I never bought that he was magically a really good player this year, more than I figured he was just a pretty good bottom 6/4th liner having an up year/potentially career year.
Tierney has been an absolute crater since he was still on the Sharks, and that feels like forever and 10 days ago. And now he's about 30 years old, so a guy that was next to useless at 23-24 years old is really not an NHL player at 30 years old. He actually used to be able to score some points back then. Now he doesn't even do that.
He's kind of been the McLeod replacement, along with Nosek since he came back from injury. Nosek has been horrific this year after the injuries, despite looking somewhat serviceable lately.
I don't think the plan was ever there for Tierney to play this many games. Between Nosek's injuries and McLeod's expulsion, he's played a whole lot. Nosek would have played much more in an ideal season, but it would have been without the injuries and he would have been a decent player.
Willman stinks, no matter how many goals he scores. He's like 28 and has never been an NHL regular before, unlike Tierney, who was an NHL regular for quite some years. In a close to perfect season Willman maybe plays 4 games at most, 0 at best.
Foote probably could have been something, but lost the entire year to injury,
Bastian is an upgrade to almost everybody I just named.
MacDermid, just...No... it's just a no.