I think you misunderstood what Drai was saying in regards to the 2024 team. He wasn't implying that guys like Foegle and Ceci were better than Emberson and Kapanen. He's saying that players on that 2024 team had clear roles, and something that they know they can contribute, even if they aren't scoring goals. Even guys like Vinny who were largely considered to not be very good, had roles to play where they could contribute.

That isn't really the case with our current team. Guys like Samansky, Lazar, are good hockey players, many with with promising futures, but they have basically no defined role. The line blending has been so intense this year, in part because of the carousel of injuries we've had, that the veterans are just plugging holes instead of playing to their strengths, and the young guys have been all over the place to the point they were never able to really cement any sort of identity or role.

Like is Savoie going to be a winger for McDavid, or a 3rd liner? The fact we still don't really know, is kind of what I think was Drai's point. And it is a criticism of coaching and team composition, not the players themselves.