Goaltending is about even maybe even a little bit better this year than two years ago.
On defence we had Siegenthaler and Karrer in 2017 who were probably better than any defenceman on the roster right now. On the other hand the depth on defence is way better now than two years ago, as have three competent pairings and not just one.
The forward group of 2017 was better because of Hischier alone. The rest of the forward group is about even.
Overall i would say the 2017 squad was better offensively and was able to come back from several multi goal deficits because of the x-factor Hischier and Siegenthaler brought to the team. This years team is better defensively and has done an amazing job to keep the games close so far, even against top teams. On the other hand they seem to need too many opportunities to score, especially on even strength.
