It was really over when they lost to the Sharks, the worst team in the NHL, when it mattered if they won or lost. Not a huge fan of Drew Bannister, but not sure it really matters with this team until the '25-'26 season. Also hard to get a read on what he can do, with the current circumstances.

Ironically, the best part about this team is the goaltending. Not sure what to think about Kyrou. So far, it looks like a bad contract. He has skills and could easily score 40-50 goals a year, with the right team. But he is not a great two-way player (his +/- is sitting at -12 for this season) and his physicality is non-existent. Is that the player you want in the NHL playoffs? He's 6'-1" and listed at 196 lbs. (doubtful) and plays like he's 5'-8" and 165 lbs. Somebody needs to work with him to put on 10-15 lbs. and possibly get him a bigger set of balls. His style of play works when your pumping in 40-50 goals and racking up 100+ points a season. Then you get a few enforcers protecting you. But he likely won't hit 30 goals or 75 point this season. Possibly the most frustrating part of his game is not watching him lose so many puck battles and getting knocked off the puck, but rather, his inconsistent play. This guy just can't bring himself to show up for every game. Taking nights off in the NHL is a surefire way to get the fans booing you and teammates not respecting you. Unfortunately, I think that's where we are with JK. And we're there at $8 mil a year.

UGH!!

Overall, there are some good things that came out of this season. Parayko finally found it in himself to play up to his contract. I can see him anchoring this D, Like Petro did when he was here. Robert Thomas matured a little more. As previously stated, the goaltending is mostly solid. I can see next season being another building block year, getting some of 2023 1st rounders some NHL ice time.

On a brighter note, the Cardinals are 8 games into the 2024 season and are dead last in the NL Central...