Young, cheap, controllable, IIRC decent possession numbers, a demonstrated ability to score goals, and has been great in the shootout. I know he's hurt, but this doesn't make any sense. 28 teams refused to offer a 5th?
- Marco Estrada makes 32 starts and carries an ERA under 3.75
- Aaron Sanchez pitches 60+ games in relief with an ERA in the low 3s
- Gavin Floyd makes at least 10 effective starts
- Tulo hovers around league average offensively and spends significant time on the IR
- Edwin signs a reasonable 4 year contract before the end of the season
It's the fake parity. There shouldn't be a shootout. 2 points for a win, 1 for a tie, 0 for a loss. The shootout is the worst thing to ever happen to the NHL. The salary cap also doesn't help. There are no villains anymore.
They've ended the season top-10 in each of the last three seasons (10th, 10th, 9th). I have no idea where they project to finish 2016 right now, but the season hasn't started yet and if they're outside the top-10 it isn't by much.