Here’s the thing. There are only a couple of “premium roles” available on each team. Top line minutes. PP. Etc.
When you already have those roles established, it doesn’t make sense to pay out the nose to add additional players that played those roles elsewhere. There isn’t enough ice/PP time to go around to have more than a handful of PPG players.
Extreme example, but if you had a whole team full of McDavids, you wouldn’t have 12 125 point players. You’d have a few PPG players, a few 70 point players, and a few 20 point players just based on ice time and opportunity.
The team with the best core players playing the best during the playoffs wins. It never makes sense to add core players at the deadline. If you have to, you’re not good enough. And if you’re going to slot them down the lineup, they aren’t going to produce like they did as core guys on other teams so what’s the point?
Drury added depth. We needed that.
I would have preferred a slightly better defenseman but I am very happy with the strategy and execution overall.