Quote:
Originally Posted by Double-Shift Lassé
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You know what would be better? If Davidson was able to figure out the lay of the actual team. Is there actually something to build from on the forward corps or is it as crappy as most people seem to think it is? Is Derick Brassard going to turn into anything more than an often-injured 45 point 2nd line center who doesn't play defense or is there something more there? Is there actually something to the reports that Mason actually worked hard this offseason and maybe his rookie season wasn't one of the the biggest flukes in NHL history? Is Jack Johnson really the #1 defensemen he looked like after he came over last season? Is Nikita Nikitin for real? Is Todd Richards actually a decent coach or does he simply look competent because his predecessor was awful?
It's certainly harder to answer these questions during a lockout.
And I really don't buy that this team was anything but lottery material. It definitely would have been more entertaining, but I don't think that would have translated to wins. So in that sense, the lockout probably hurt our chances of getting a franchise type player. With this team's luck, we'll probably get the 5th pick, get a good but not great player, and remain mired in the "Awful, but not awful enough to improve significantly enough to have a cup-winning core"
Edit: In summary, I would have bought that article if he had gone the "This lockout might not be as awful for the Jackets as one might think", not the "Root for the lockout" approach.