pace.

The rest of the blue line floundered in 2018-19. 27-year-old veteran Cam Fowler was easily the biggest disappointment on defense, falling below the team average in shot and chance metrics while failing to assume a leadership role on a team that sorely needed a galvanizing presence. Despite his effortless skating stride, he controlled much less of the action than he had in previous years. He did miss almost two months in the middle of the year with a facial injury, so perhaps he was just tentative down the stretch.

Marcus Pettersson and Brandon Montour were both dealt away. Jake Dotchin was a disaster who didn’t play a game after January 1, whereas Andy Welinsky was regularly pounded in scoring chances (45.3 SCF%) and high-danger opportunities (39.3 HDCF%).

Sloppy puck managementdeal in his first stint at the helm of an NHL team. In all likelihood, he’ll try to put his stamp on the squad by altering its tactics to favor more puck possession and assertiveness.

That culture change should be met with an influx of youth too. There will be a fierce competition for the open slots up front, as 2016 first-rounders Sam Steel (11 points in 22 games) and Max Jones (5 points in 30 games) will look to cement full-time positions after seeing a good amount of action last season. The former is a crafty and reliable center, whereas the latter is a power forward with untapped potential.

2017 50th overall pick Max Comtois (7 points in 10 games) was quite impressive in his cup of coffee with