This in response to Pat's newest at BDHS:
Consider the fact that next season Greene will probably be solidly on his way to being a dependable player, if we make a deal with Gilbert and Pitkanen we're more solid on the back end than we've been since Pronger. Who knows? Smid may settle down, too. Staios and Souray provide the stability. (I never thought I'd say that about Souray, but he's been playing much better than my expectations)
Up front, Brodziak and Cogliano could take steps forward, so now we have (with Penner, Hemsky, and Horcoff) five highly skilled workers. Do we keep Stoll? I don't know, but better the devil that you know. Torres, Moreau and Reasoner are all solid guys.
Garon in net...you know, there is a chance we tear up the second half of the season.
Can we do it?
Most of our losses last half were still pretty close, just like the majority of our wins. With a relatively healthy squad, is it too crazy to think we could tilt the ice in our favor more often than not?
If we can learn to avoid the infamous 3rd period meltdown, we could be legitimate contenders.
I look for a steady climb this second half - in contrast to our free-fall last year after the trade deadline- and I wonder if Lowe will have to make a trade at all?
If things click and gel, do we have enough right now to make the playoffs?
If we do well enough before the All-Star game, SHOULD Lowe trade up? Will we need some experience to survive the playoffs should we make it that far?
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