I don't like seeing Vesey on the 4th line either, especially given some end of season and preseason chemistry and the possibility he could break out a bit offensively. But for now he does strike me more as a grinder type. Not that those guys need to be stapled to a 4th line. He adds some stability to Desharnais - Carey. Neither of those two impress me. Carey is OK down there to start. Desharnais gets knocked off the puck easily, so Vesey can help with that aspect. Grabner shouldn't be down there either, though. We all know (expect) he won't be putting up goals like he did last year but he definitely CAN generate some great offense and is reliable enough to deserve minutes where he can get a breakaway. This is a case of having too many wingers of top 9 ability, or even top 6 ability. No STUDS but a ton of guys who can get it done. Also a reason Jagr wasn't a fit here. But this is a good thing to have with inevitable injuries. We all know that one or two of the guys (when Fast returns) playing on the 4th line any given night, CAN slot up a line or even two as needed.
We also have way more wiggle room with the D corps. A lot of guys can move up a pairing and we have a few who can be called up and deserve a shot. So it all boils down to chemistry for me, really. And I think we see that evolve as the season progresses. We're not in a GREAT spot, but we're not in a bad one either. Could go either way. If the goalies play well, some guys step up a bit more, new/young additions acclimate... we can be very strong. If the opposite occurs, we're basically a bubble team in this division. Kind of a weird feeling, but I'm psyched to see how things play out. This should be an interesting, if not outright fun, season.