1. At what point in real time you realize that PP1 gone stale? In regular season you can look back 5-6 games but in playoffs?
@bhamill mentions games 4-6 against Panthers which is great with hindsight but was that a call for action after only one game - in game 4? Two games at game 5? If a team is lucky enough to overcome PP going stale - on the strength of ES play - then maybe over the length of a long playoff run there’s an opportunity but in a 3-4 game stretch it is pretty impossible in practice.
2. Overall Aa it was mentioned again and again the strength of NYR PP1 is in its structure and having pieces that fit this structure. I’d love to have Lafreniere included but because he he’s LH - he doesn’t fit and it doesn’t make sense to break up a top-5 PP for the last three years just to find a spot for him. Because of how good PP has been at this point the only players who’d warrant such change would be at 3 Ms level (McDavid etc) - and even that not without a risk.
3. So if we go back to last year’s FL series, if Laviolette wanted a desperation move in game 6 (prepare yourself cause you’re not going to like it) it would be to address Fox ineffectiveness (both ES and PP) playing through injury and maybe trying Jones there. It’s a Hail Mary move but the only spot I could point to for the biggest reason why it stopped working if take randomness out
4. What Laviolette can do going forward this season is improvement in ES and PP2. Unless someone like McDavid suddenly enters the picture PP1 should let stay as is.