I liked Kostin a lot as well. I especially liked that he was no shrinking violet in the playoffs and actually played just as well in the playoffs as he did in the regular season and scored some huge goals.
Not every player steps up and plays well in the playoffs and Kostin did well. He was +2 also... and only a handful of Oilers ended up on the plus side of the ledger in the playoffs.
It's unfortunate they couldn't keep him as he would have been a solid bottom 6 option.
Bjugstad is another I really liked and he's gone as well.
Kind of a shocking stat here... but Bjugstad and Kostin scored as many EV goals in the playoffs as McDavid, RNH, Hyman and Kane combined. Pretty solid for the TOI they had and the linemates they played with.
Obviously it's a loss when players who play solidly in the playoffs aren't able to stick with the club because of cap limitations.
Hopefully Brown can pick up some of that slack and some of the youth like McLeod/Holloway are going to have to contribute more as well.
Maybe I'm a little pessimistic but I think the team took a step back so far with Bjugstad/Kostin out and just Brown in (who's recovering from injury).
I'm hoping for the best and maybe Broberg and Desharnais with a little more experience under their belts can help with overall team D as well.
Campbell bouncing back would be massive and the obvious key to seeing this team get back to being able to beat a team like Vegas.
I hate that it felt like this last playoff run was a perfect doorway for the Oilers to go all the way and somehow the coaching/goaltending and untimely errors in judgement messed up a perfect opportunity for the team's best chance in 3+ decades at a Stanley Cup.
Can they repeat that setup for another excellent shot at a cup next spring? I dunno... it just seems everything was aligned pretty much perfectly and getting back to that level might be too much to ask for 2 years in a row... but I guess that's why they play the games and we get to watch it all over again... and again... and again.