Joined: May 2017
Posts: 517
Likes: 214
Losing Point creates a major hole in our roster (the main reason we were so lethal last season is because Stamkos and Kucherov played separately and teams had to be shutting down top 10 players in the League for ~40 minutes per game, as well as our improved power play which had much to do with Point). I don't know that I'm fully ready to trust Cirelli as a primary shutdown center, and Stamkos and Kucherov don't play that well together, making Stamkos as a #1C a difficult option. A Stamkos-Tkachuk pairing separate from the Point-Kucherov line would be absolutely wonderful and if there were any way to make the cap work, I would give CGY anything and everything not named Point, Kucherov, or Stamkos. But I don't think CGY wants anything like that. I'm still convinced that Kreider is the best physical top-six power winger we can realistically get.
Also, CGY, despite prolific offensive talent, solid defense and goaltending, and Tkachuk as a physical top-six presence, wasn't much better than us in the playoffs....