And also, can we please keep Dion away from the Leafs?
Haha. The Ghost of Christmas Past came to visit us.
Dubas built this team in a top heavy manner, everyone knows it. Just as the Habs have known they need offense for years,
Leafs have known they need D. For once the media and fans aren't exaggerating, it's a real need. I'm not convinced Leafs need to replace Andersen, but his confidence and swagger isn't there right now. It happens. It happened to Price earlier this year. It's usually a combination of bad D, bad goaltending and bad luck.
We can't survive big minute eaters like Muzzin and Reilly being out of this already thin lineup. The Cap Era is horrible for this reason, which is one other reason I support a luxury tax outside of my philosophy to support Free Market capitalism. Small market teams would benefit as well, it should be considered by the league.
I said earlier, if we aren't going to have a constant commitment to two way hockey from the forwards, the D
has to be improved. This time it will require a trade from someone on the roster and/or possibly a prospect. There's just no way around this, and I'm not sure why Dubas feels we can reinvent the wheel or replicate the Penguins of a decade ago.
This is the year to bite the bullet and make a bit of a splash if the opportunity presents itself. This current roster, even when healthy, will at best squeak into the playoffs. Or they might not. Even if they do, their D is a deficiency. If they don't get better than average goaltending, they usually lose.