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thekeyholespy wrote:Zubov had his chance he'll need to be traded to see a regular shift in the NHL ...Zack Smith will start the season with the big club.
Wiercioch will play next year in the show as will Karlsson...but how much depends on them and how quickly picard and smith are shipped out
Regin did well last year ...but i don't know where he fits with kelly, Donovan, and winchester on the club... i'd say donovan will likely be put on waivers or traded for late round pick while kelly goes for a solid prospect who might be 1yr or 2yrs out and a 2nd round pick but more likely a 3rd or 4th
....as for the rest, not this year
top prospect
Cowan in 3 yrs = Pronger
Regin and Z. Smith are probably the best bets to make the jump this season, but neither is a for-sure thing, especially if BM insists on bringing back two forwards in a Heatley deal.
We already have 11 players on 1-way deals, plus Foligno. That puts 12 players ahead of Regin and Smith. If Heatley is traded for 2 forwards on 1-way deals, that's bring the total up to 12 players on 1-way deals, plus Foligno. At that point, it would take substantial player movement in the form of trades for Smith or Regin to even get a sniff.
As for Cowen, not sure this Pronger comparison is fair. He's projecting to be a defensive D in the NHL. He's got some offence, but scouts don't have him pegged to put up the kind of offensive numbers that Pronger has. In 3 years in the WHL, the best Cowen has done is 21 points in 48 games. There's a lot to like about this guy, totally, but we probably shouldn't be expecting major offence, especially not 3 short years from now.
