Defense needs to be revamped but in stages. Sather knows this because he did it himself after the Euro Corps in Henrik’s early years was soft and turnover prone so they made it tougher and cleaner. Poor Bozolinsh lol. I’m glad they didn’t overpay for Guentzel because he would have disappeared too against Florida’s checking and cost us Berard or Othmann and a 1st . They key thing for Drury is not to panic for at least one more season so that Othmann, Berard, and Perreault can move one year closer to permanence and Trouba can be traded for picks to use in bigger deals down the road. I do sense a blockbuster that will include one of Chytil, Schneider, or Miller, kinda like the Nash trade that cost two everyday homegrown types, but prolly not this offseason. I really like the forward group and Fox but other five dmen can move on IMO. Just not all at once.
As for Florida, constructing this lineup did not come cheap. Lesson learned for teams sticking with prospects and picks. I get the fine line between patience and being over-protective but they traded a 100-point player and a 40-point dman in their primes for Tkachuk, dealt a top goalie prospect for Reinhart, their second-best young forward for Giroux, and gave a team an unprotected 2023 first-rounder for Ben Chiarot. No R1 picks in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. Win some, lose some, but point stands.