Quote:
Originally Posted by HighLifeMan
I dont think our center depth is as awful as everyone makes it out to be. To me it is clearly one of the most "unknown/unproven" in the league, but it also has the potential to be in the top half in terms of productivity with ease.
Is it really out of the question or unreasonable to expect Cammalleri to put up 65 points in a season? I certainly dont think so. That would then leave one of (or a combination of..)Cervenka/Stajan/Backlund to produce at a .55 PPG clip or better on the second line. One has already done so on multiple occasions in the past, and the other two certainly have that capability. Backlund is clearly the biggest longshot of the bunch to achieve those results next season, but I dont think it is impossible.
That alone would result in a minimum of 100 points produced by the top two centermen on this team which to me is attainable, and more than enough to handily make the playoffs.
Without question I believe that both Cervenka and Stajan would score 40+ points if they were given consistent top six minutes. Obviously only one of them will earn that ice time, but I am not all that concerned about the depth at that position myself. With that said, I would obviously condone a move to upgrade the position without hesitation.
Maybe I am giving them the benefit of the doubt but with the amount of talented wingers we have on this team it makes it more bearable.
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My biggest concern is Backlund, and that's taking into consideration that Stajan had 18 points and Cervenka hasn't played a day of NHL hockey. Backlund at least has been given ample opportunity without capitalizing, whereas Stajan has shown to perform when surrounded with proper talent.