bp13
Registered User
I think Don Sweeney can do a multitude of things wrong. If he goes into the season without adding a top 2-4 D, he's a failure, no matter how the picks and free agent signings pan out. I may be more forgiving of the Hamilton trade than you, but the D still sucks, and I'll call him out on it if it does not improve.
How's that for having my head up his ass?
The notion that he has his head up his ass if he doesn't add another top 4 dman is ONLY potentially true if he actually cares about this season though, right? What if he doesn't, and or, shouldn't? I'd argue this is clearly a "bridge" year. We have kids who need ice, some new guys who need acclimating, some vets who need to rebound from injuries/down seasons.
If you can't get a real top 4 without overpaying, play the year out. Find out what you've got in Pasta, Spooner, Hayes, Connolly, Trotman, C. Miller. Get Kelly off the books, maybe move another vet. Get things moving in the right direction again and if need be, use the deadline or next offseason to bolster the top half of the defense.
I'm not necessarily excited about that plan, but I like it a lot more than committing big money or term to the likes of Franson or Erhoff.