OK ... good.
Those moves show a realistic grasp of where we are competitively with regards to depth players.
Nash is not now nor is he ever likely to be a legit center in the NHL. There are just too many issues. He's got decent enough instincts, but is just not quite there physically. Not quite fast enough, not quite big enough, not quite a good enough shot ... not quite a lot of things. I assume they've either slotted the guy we signed from Sweden in there or are thinking about splitting the Staals up again and using Lindholm or Skinner in the 3rd line role. Either is fine because Nash just isn't playing 3rd line minutes on a winning NHL team.
Staal the Youngest ... giant meh of a prospect that they clearly strung along for the brother value, and it's past time to put such foolishness aside and get on with building a serious hockey team around here. He's just not going to be an NHL player, in large part because he clearly doesn't want to work hard enough. How long has the guy been in pro hockey and still not bothered to hit the gym and get in shape? I mean, c'mon.
Levi and Schmitz ... did anyone who watched even a single Checkers game think these guys were anything other than AHL roster fodder? No.
The four guys they qualified all share one thing in common ... they are at least decent AHL players. You need guys like that if you're going to have any chance of competing in the A. Fine. None of them are likely to be NHL prospects anytime soon, but none of them would barf on themselves in callup duty either.
Along with Riley Nash, Austin Levi and Beau Schmitz.
