This team has fallen down to the earth.
Pasta is getting Krejci treatment having to play with Heinen on the same line.
Neither Zacha nor Coyle are good enough for a top line center resp. 2nd line center position. They are inconsistent in generating offense night in and night out.
Zacha with 2A in last 5 games, Coyle with no points in last 5 games.
Each should be a line lower.
Besides Pasta and aging Marchand there is not a true top 6 skill level winger on the roster, just an endless list of role players randomly spread across the lines.
Defense is the real trouble with this team. We have seen it in the Panthers series when the game got more physical they all fell apart.
A good D-man should be physical, mobile and skilled.
McAvoy has to be the biggest disappointment. Pairing him with Gryz has made him worse than he was 3 years ago. He was supposed to be the alpha dog but his game has regressed. He should be hitting his prime at 26. He got abused in the Panthers series, not good in the Hurricanes or Islanders series in the previous years either.
Lindholm is becoming Lindholm of Ducks. Soft, uninspired and useless.
Carlo, playing soft is not a good sign in the regular season.
Forbort, is good for PK otherwise useless.
The rest of D-men either have no skill or size or both.