Racki: Yah I agree with that, Mr. M. It also goes back to your statement in the other discussion about management knowing who the core guys are too. These guys are really important, but I wouldn’t consider them the core at all. To save money, we’d want the cheapest guy available who can get the job done.. and these guys usually don’t sign for that high a price tag.I will say though, I’m still one of the delusional folks that thinks this team still has a shot at the playoffs. Or at the very least, it’s still too big of an unknown not to at least give it your best shot. I’ve never been a fan of writing the season off before it’s really starter. There should be a cut-off point where you figure out if your team has a chance (trade deadline has always been that for teams), but this is too early. So they basically have to give it an honest effort. I think the role player and shutdown D would give us a good boost in the right direction.

Yeah, I’m fully on board with this. Like Racki, I’ve been saying this for a while now too. These guys are available every single off season as FA’s. Sign them, they come cheap and you can always trade them at the deadline for picks if you’re not in the hunt. It serves two purposes.

1, you keep your team salary low and the team competative.

2, it’ a great way to get “free” bottom end draft picks if you can trade them at the deadline.

Having said that, we’ve made a couple glaring mistakes with guys who we had that were really good bottom six guys. Brodziak and Glenncross specifically, but if you’re looking at the salary end of it, perhaps not as good of deals as one would find on the market.

I will say though, I’m still one of the delusional folks that thinks this team still has a shot at the playoffs. Or at the very least, it’s still too big of an unknown not to at least give it your best shot. I’ve never been a fan of writing the season off before it’s really starter. There should be a cut-off point where you figure out if your team has a chance (trade deadline has always been that for teams), but this is too early. So they basically have to give it an honest effort. I think the role player and shutdown D would give us a good boost in the right direction.

And I agree that it would really help to have guys who are natural on the dot (if there is such a thing). I just think that there are those Koivus and Stolls that spend a lot of time outside of practices/games working at faceoffs. So hearing Gagner say he couldn’t work on it, was a little disconcerting. I don’t think he can work on it easily, and I don’t think it will be an overnight thing, but I think if he busts his balls working on it, over a couple of years, he’ll start to see the results.

But that’s Gagner… and maybe Cogliano. I’m not suggesting we waste much time on a bottom six guy that isn’t a developed faceoff man. I’ve always thought that it was well worth it to just hire out in that area.