Before the season Ken Hitchcock had the top six he wanted. Esa Lindell and John Klingberg looked to be taking the necessary next step. He liked what he saw of Jamie Oleksiak and figured he could slot in next to Marc Methot. Dan Hamhuis and Stephen Johns rounded out a blue collar blueline the size of an adult mastodon.
He said he’d evaluate them after five games, but a rough start and a sore groin accelerated that process.
Now he’s got Methot with Klingberg, Lindell with Honka, and Hamhuis with Johns.