Let’s hope Kreider can get back to 100% over the break. He looks so off.
Halak was great tonight. He’s been really solid for a while, no longer afraid every time he faces a shot like earlier in the season.
Chytil is looking great. The one thing that separates him from most of the forwards on this team is he’s not afraid to be selfish, not afraid to try and make a play, he never hesitates to shoot and he has the speed with the puck where he can make something out of nothing like his goal tonight. He has a killer instinct and it feels like too many of our forwards are lacking that. He is integral to the success of this team currently and in the future.
These lines are good. Kid line needs to be the second line with the third line getting the grind matchups. Those guys all play special teams so there’s no reason for the Trocheck line to get more 5v5 minutes than the kid line. Ideally you get a trade deadline acquisition to slot into Vesey’s spot and Vesey can play on the 4th line. If you can acquire one or two top 9 guys and push Vesey and Goodrow to the 4th line, now your fourth line is on par with most teams’ third lines.
Either way, either the kid line or the Kreider-Trocheck combo being deployed as a 3rd line will feast on the opposition a la the Zubb-Brass-Pou line from 2014.
Tarasenko is very intriguing for that winger slot. Kane too honestly, although him being banged up hinders that thought. I wouldn’t want to pay too dollar for either but if you can wait out the market and get them relatively cheap then I’d consider it.