I think the big shocker for this year is going to be the stability of the Ottawa D in their own end. Everyone will likely talk about the D and goaltending being better. But, in fact, the main difference will be the consistent support of forwards coming back into the defensive zone and providing effective defensive support.
- spatso
If there's any element of 'addition by subtraction' in the Spezza trade it's the fact that they should now have 4 lines that are at least willing to try to take care of both ends of the rink. I can only imagine how deflating it must have been last year to routinely watch the guy wearing the 'C' being the obvious man out of position or not back-checking properly on critical goals against. I'm not a blind believer in +/-, but when you've got Turris at +22 and Spezza at -26 on the same team, it's hard to believe that's any kind of a coincidence. The addition of Legwand only further enhances this, and I actually think their centre ice position is one of their key strengths heading into the season.
That said, I still think they desperately need another 2nd-pairing defenceman who doesn't handle the puck like a hand grenade. As much as Gonchar was vastly overpaid by Dallas, the valuable minutes he was playing were never replaced, and I would suggest that this is still the team's most glaring roster issue. I keep hoping they might target Bogosian out of Winnipeg (who is rumoured to be available), because I suspect that Byfuglien and Enstrom are obstructing the more offensive role he should be playing. Also, another quality RH shot would really give the blue line some effective structure... but I get the sense it will be another year of random trial by fire for the likes of Cowen, Wiercioch, Gryba, and Ceci.
