Not sure about this Connolly/Panik switcheroo.
Connolly is a bit of a one-trick pony in that he's not great defensively, isn't a big forechecker, and his best trait is his shot. I love the guy but was cool with him getting his payday somewhere else because we are so tight budget-wise. Panik seems like a solid 3rd line and Hagelin-Eller-Panik is an experienced, responsibly and dangerous 3rd line IMO. That's the line that goes up against Crosby or McDavid or Kucherov.
That said, we are currently super thin at forward in terms of scoring ability. None of our forward prospects scream high-end talent, so that concerns me a little bit because the fourth line of Stephenson-Boyd-Whoever is not going to be a threat much and relying on our top 2 lines for most of our scoring will be tough and there's not a young skilled forward we can drop in to try out (like we could with 65 the last few years).
I liked our draft a lot this year and the 2nd round pick Larsson should be in the AHL immediately and on the verge of a call-up and there's a couple guys to keep an eye on. Excited for the season to start.
