Could Jason Smith be an option if Stuart bolts?

[norrisnick 1]

I should have been clearer, then: I'm looking ahead to the postseason. So, management will need to bring someone in by the trade deadline. I'm fine with experiments in the regular season. Ideally, I'd like to see that spot solidified as quickly as possible, but who knows how it'll play out.

So ride the kids and see what we have before we need to make a decision about trading assets for a rental. If we're lucky we won't have to make a move for the blueline and we can ride what we have for the next decade.

[SnipeShow 0]

And they never will be ready if they never get that chance. Sooner or later, Ericsson, Meech, and/or Quincey are gonna have to be given their shot. I'm more than willing to use the regular season as an experimentation ground for these guys to pair up with, say, Kronwall, and see how they do. For those three, it's getting to be put up or shut up time because letting them rot in the press box as the seventh and eighth defenseman is a disservice to them and to the team, and keeping them in GR is going to block the development of the lower end of the pipeline - Kindl, Smith, etc.

If we're going to keep on signing new top-four defensemen and keep on bringing Chelios back (as we're about to do) and still have Lebda (who's signed for another two seasons) then what's the point of bringing guys through the pipeline and patiently developing them if they get to the threshold and we decide they're never ready? It's a waste of money to spend on a top-four defenseman when we now have an entire regular season to see what these guys can do.

As soon as we won the cup I was hoping Chelios would hang them up, Lilja would leave and Stuart would go for big money elsewhere because I agree I want to see these kids play too. Kenny would probably have to get a legit #4 guy at the deadline still, but for the majority of the season just let them play.