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personally (in order):
Kreider - highest ceiling right now. serious potential. hoping to see him gain a little bit of stamina to maintain that speed for longer periods.
McDonagh - 2nd highest ceiling. most proven kid. favorite current player to watch. going to be interesting to see if he can repeat last season defensively; but more importantly, i'm interested in seeing his offensive game develop with some powerplay time.
Nash/Richards/Gaborik - as a line. it's clear they'll excel apart, but the potential of playing them together will be exciting-- be it on the powerplay or even strength. when that kind of skill gets together other teams are going to tremble.
Staal - a full year after the concussion. arguably our best defenseman in the playoffs. he's going to have a full camp and some good rest. high expectations of him
additionally(no order):
mcilrath - if he readies himself he will be a huge plus to the blueline and a net presence on D. his size coupled with his physical style fills a huge gap on the back end.
sauer - just to know the kid is healthy would be great. if he can bring what he brought pre-concussion then we go up an entire tier defensively.
del zotto - another year of defensive work and maturity under his belt. can he still play on the 3rd pair and be productive with his shaky confidence or will the demotion take a beating on him?
thomas - say what you want, i think this kid has a serious chance of making the team if we have a full season. his creativity is clutch and with gaborik missing we could use the raw skill to start us off.
miller - if he can step into a 3rd center role this season with his skill-set and size we're complete on offense.
i think girardi is going to have a down year, but i think both of his potential pairings will be much better and make up for any lapses.
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