The lineup from 2012/13? Do we even remember? I'm going to put a rating next to each player on what their performance was like for their role.
Hall (B+) - Nugent-Hopkins (B) - Hemsky (B-)
Smyth (C) - Gagner (C) - Eberle (A-)
Hordichuk (D-) - Belanger (D-) - Jones (D+)
Eager (D) - Horcoff (C)- Petrell (C+)
Smid (C+) - Petry (B-)
N. Schultz (B-) - Whitney (C)
Peckham (C-) - Fistric (C-)
Khabibulin (B-)
Only three players remain from that roster from only 3 years ago. Four, if you include Lander, then five if you include Yakupov.
Now, the current roster and what I think their performance will be at with this experience and linemates. I'm basing this on my gut instinct.
Pouliot (B+) - Nugent-Hopkins (A) - Eberle (A-)
Hall (A+) - McDavid (A-) - Yakupov (B)
Korpisocki (C) - Lander (B) - Purcell (B-)
Hendricks (A-) - Letestu (C+) - Klinkhammer (B) / Gazdic (D+)
Sekera (A-) - Fayne (B-)
Klefbom (B+) - Schultz (C+)
Nikitin (C-) - Ference (C-)
Talbot (B-)
Now, I know that half the defense may change, but I don't see one of Griffin Reinhart or Gryba on the starting line. There is a distinct possibility that Darnell Nurse will play and that Nikitin and/or Ference and/or Schultz gets traded or bought out for UFA Cody Franson, Christian Ehroff, or traded for Seabrook. Ideally, the D might just look like this:
Sekera (A-) - Seabrook (A+)
Nurse (B) - Franson/Ehrhoff (A)
Klefbom (B+)/Nurse (B) - Fayne (B-)
Now look back to '12/'13.
What a difference good management can do.
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