Well said, Squatchy. I generally believe an athlete’s prime years are being pushed back a few so we could be getting him at his sweet spot to not only contribute but also to train the new talent. He’s not the old washed up veteran, he’s the strong veteran who can still act on what he preaches. Myers and him should be a fascinating combination. If we can tie up Forsberg too, then a “competitive rebuild” may actually appear to be a truthfulish statement. Excited to see how these first few weeks turn out.
- Clay Brewer
We've seen flashes that Ekholm can be competent in the offensive zone, but he's such and unselfish team player, he's spent the last few season being the babysitter/mentor without complaint. The babysitter to Subban, serving as the defensively responsible partner to cover for P.K. on those occasions he forgot was still a defensemen and not actually a forward, and the last three covering for a still learning and oft times struggling Fabbro. Myers is still young but a bit more seasoned than Fabbro, so I'm wondering if Ekholm might get the chance to be a bit more selfish this year if he doesn't have to worry about shouldering the majority of the defensive burden when his pair is on the ice.
I think both sides are smart to be patient on the Forsberg front. I don't see him signing for any less than 8mil for at least six years, and I have mixed feelings on whether or not he's worth it. I love the player, and to be perfectly candid, I don't care much about the injury issues. 64 games a year of Filip Forsberg playing up to his usual standards is still worth the investment... The real problem is the sometimes drastic drop-off in performance after the injury that bothers me. If the production stayed consistent pre and post injury I'd pay up to try to keep him, but if the same pattern continues, it might be in the teams best interest to move on. There's also the question if he's interested in staying within Hynes system, though he did seem to thrive in it the beginning of last season.