Heralding an improved 4th line is the lowest hanging fruit. He kept the same bottom 6 for his entire tenure filling it with non physical non decent players who couldn’t win a face off to save their life. It doesn’t mean you are going to net 10 points from it.
Whether or not the team improves isn't going to hinge on only revamping the 4th line, which I think is being severely downplayed here. I've watched elite 4th lines have a big impact on games. I remember watching the Isles w/ Martin and Clutterbuck 4th line wreak havoc night-in-and-night-out, especially in the playoffs. Big time momentum shifters who also gave the teams hell on the forecheck.
Now, whether they improve by 10 pts is more nuanced than just focusing on the 4th line addtions:
Coaching- Replacing Granato with Ruff could have a big impact on this season. He's a better coach.
Goaltending shored up- UPL is taking the reigns this season. He's not the #3 goalie anymore. We don't have to waste games on Comrie or Levi. We very may well have a legit #1 goalie for the entire season, which wasn't the case last year.
Offseason Workouts- Are the players actually buying-in this offseason? Because last offseason they were too busy focusing on other things rather than hockey, and it showed. If they're committed to working on their game this offseason- it's possible they don't sputter out the gate, and all but destroy their playoff hopes in the first 2 months of the season.
Will the players buy-in to what Ruff preaches? - We've already heard from the FAs Adams brought in that they want these boys playing hardnosed hockey consistently. I think it was wise to bring in UFAs who are going to push the players to play harder. On top of that, if the team buys into what Ruff is preaching about playing outside their comfort zones, then the team could see a big-time improvement. Too many games last year we'd watch our core players reach for pucks rather than fight for body position, try to skate through the neutral zone rather than dumping it in, blow the D zone early, etc...
My homie Quinn- How many games did he miss last year? He's been ahead of Peterka in their development all along, and we saw Peterka grow his game to become more of impactful player. Quinn put up a points after being out for a long period of time. His presence shouldn't be downplayed. He very well may become our best forward. His potential is that high, and he's already a good player.
I understand people not believing in the team, but there's way more to their success than just adding a good fourth line.
