Lets Go Blues
Joined: Jun. 2016
Posts: 6,774
Likes: 4,332
I've seen a lot of post-mortem Blues analysis that says they need to be bigger, tougher to play against, etc., and personally I think that's trash. It's definitely nice to have some sandpaper in the lineup to help with the rough stuff, but when the team gets swept and the top 6 was completely invisible, it might be time to look at the successful teams and their roster construction. The Avs skated circles around the Blues. They will continue to skate circles around the Blues for the next 5+ years. If the Blues add the biggest, meanest crease-clearing d-men known to man, the Avs will still skate circles around the Blues.
The key to being good at defense is to avoid playing it. It's how all of the other teams win. Cale Makar dominated every shift he played, the dude weighs like 160 lbs soaking wet. Their worst defensemen in the series, by my eye? The big guys, Nemeth and Graves, out there tossing grenades and giving up good ice for bad. It ain't about size or toughness. Those things are nice, but they are cheap/easy to come by/already on the Blues' roster.
Ok that rant is over. Honestly what you've done here is fine. Hamilton is big - he's not a "heavy" player, but he is an elite puck mover/offensive weapon. He'd be a much better replacement for Pietrangelo than Krug or Faulk. But who is playing their off side, or who is the really expensive 3rd pair RHD? That Lowry contract is long but I'd have faith that he could be a 3rd liner for the remainder of it. Losing Dunn is going to suck but I'm already mentally preparing for it.
Only team that can sign Hamilton for 8 yrs is the team he was on at the TDL per the CBA. But if the Blues could shed a big contract to Seattle, they should be all over Hamilton IMO. If he even gets to free agency, that is.