It isn't a personnel issue.
The biggest problem we have as that we parted the seas for Kakko and Lafreniere to be consistent top 6 players and they haven't really stepped into it. Chytil sucks. We didn't lose Kravtsov so much as we bungled it. This keeps happening.
Every forward we have either can't score or scores a ton at the expense of everything else. It's happened too many times to be the players.
I'm not saying we couldn't use an acquisition or that it couldn't help short-term, but we're not going to see real change until the Rangers figure out why they keep poisoning the well.
This may be the most frustrating thing as a fan.
Here we are in 2022, 2 years removed from
finally winning not one, but TWO lotteries and
finally having the chance to draft the top offensive talents available in the draft - and we are talking about adding forward depth and 5 on 5 scoring.
I've been the first to preach patience, but if Kakko and Laf were hitting their projections from when they were drafted. Not even overly-hyped projections, just the status quo conservative expectations - where would this team be right now?
To your point - it needs to be figured out. I'm not sure if we will ever really understand if its the player, the coaching, the lineup preventing them from getting PP time. It really doesnt matter.
However- if Drury does find a way to strengthen the bottom 6 and the defense in a deal - and its one that keeps said players past this season - if both Kakko and Laf are "late bloomers" - it may be a blessing in disguise. Especially since their contracts wont be inflated off the bat.
But overall I agree with your statement. The trade deadline isnt where this team is going to be changed into a real contender. There are other more fundamental issues that need to be resolved, especially in the top 6.
