Boy, that Doug Wilson sure is optimistic, isn't he?
"(Chicago) got good players, but we’re fortunate that we have players that can fill roles. We’ve got a lot of depth in our defensive end."
Let's examine that depth, shall we?
Kyle McLaren: Good, steady, stay-at-home guy who hits like a mofo. Holds on to the puck WAY too long when he gets it and always gets his shot blocked. Has a really heavy shot but can't get it on net. Good #2/#3 guy.
Scott Hannan: Great at shutting down the opposition and has adjusted to play the non-clutch-and-grab style of play. Decent skater, but not great with the puck. Can't make a good outlet pass and can be prone to turnovers. Good #2/#3 guy.
Matt Carle: Doug Wilson's favorite person on the planet. Won the Hobey Baker award, smooth skater, good passer. Could use a little more meat on his bones, but has nowhere to go but up. Potential to be a #1/#2 defenseman, but right now he's a #4/#5.
Christian Ehrhoff: About halfway through the season, Ehrhoff finally figured it out and played terrifically down the stretch. He's still prone to bad turnovers and soft plays but skates like the wind and has a ridiculously good shot. There was a stretch right after the Olympics where he looked like the second coming of Brian Leetch. He won't ever be mistaken for Scott Stevens because of his defensive shortcomings, but he's getting better. Potential to be a #1/#2 defenseman, but right now he's a #3/#4.
Doug Murray: Big and built like a freight train, Murray hit a lot of people in a very short amount of time. That was cool. Then he got injured and we never saw him again. Potential to be a #3/#4 guy. Right now, who knows?
Josh Gorges: You know when you push a shopping cart around the grocery store? That's how the Edmonton forwards pushed Josh Gorges around. He's defensively sound, but still lacks bite. He's a #6 guy and he'll probably stay there if he even stays in the NHL.
The rest o' the crew...
Rob Davison: Rob Davison...not that good. That's all I have to say. I'm sure he's a nice guy though.
Jim Fahey: Jim Fahey...really not that good, which is weird considering how well he did his rookie year. He's probably pretty good at delivering Una Mas burritos from the concessions to Doug Wilson.
Patrick Traverse: Woo hoo, another big name free agent signing! This guy was...a mediocre defenseman...in the AHL. Yeah.
So that's it. You've got two guys with great potential (Ehrhoff/Carle), two steady vets (Hannan/McLaren), one guy who might be a #4 (Murray). The remaining four, well, let's just say that their isn't a large talent gap between them.
That's *cough cough* Doug Wilson's "depth".
By the way, for my take on the OTHER participants in the Bell deal, check out my non-California-centric blog.
"(Chicago) got good players, but we’re fortunate that we have players that can fill roles. We’ve got a lot of depth in our defensive end."
Let's examine that depth, shall we?
Kyle McLaren: Good, steady, stay-at-home guy who hits like a mofo. Holds on to the puck WAY too long when he gets it and always gets his shot blocked. Has a really heavy shot but can't get it on net. Good #2/#3 guy.
Scott Hannan: Great at shutting down the opposition and has adjusted to play the non-clutch-and-grab style of play. Decent skater, but not great with the puck. Can't make a good outlet pass and can be prone to turnovers. Good #2/#3 guy.
Matt Carle: Doug Wilson's favorite person on the planet. Won the Hobey Baker award, smooth skater, good passer. Could use a little more meat on his bones, but has nowhere to go but up. Potential to be a #1/#2 defenseman, but right now he's a #4/#5.
Christian Ehrhoff: About halfway through the season, Ehrhoff finally figured it out and played terrifically down the stretch. He's still prone to bad turnovers and soft plays but skates like the wind and has a ridiculously good shot. There was a stretch right after the Olympics where he looked like the second coming of Brian Leetch. He won't ever be mistaken for Scott Stevens because of his defensive shortcomings, but he's getting better. Potential to be a #1/#2 defenseman, but right now he's a #3/#4.
Doug Murray: Big and built like a freight train, Murray hit a lot of people in a very short amount of time. That was cool. Then he got injured and we never saw him again. Potential to be a #3/#4 guy. Right now, who knows?
Josh Gorges: You know when you push a shopping cart around the grocery store? That's how the Edmonton forwards pushed Josh Gorges around. He's defensively sound, but still lacks bite. He's a #6 guy and he'll probably stay there if he even stays in the NHL.
The rest o' the crew...
Rob Davison: Rob Davison...not that good. That's all I have to say. I'm sure he's a nice guy though.
Jim Fahey: Jim Fahey...really not that good, which is weird considering how well he did his rookie year. He's probably pretty good at delivering Una Mas burritos from the concessions to Doug Wilson.
Patrick Traverse: Woo hoo, another big name free agent signing! This guy was...a mediocre defenseman...in the AHL. Yeah.
So that's it. You've got two guys with great potential (Ehrhoff/Carle), two steady vets (Hannan/McLaren), one guy who might be a #4 (Murray). The remaining four, well, let's just say that their isn't a large talent gap between them.
That's *cough cough* Doug Wilson's "depth".
By the way, for my take on the OTHER participants in the Bell deal, check out my non-California-centric blog.