Defense crisis - what would you do?

[angelofharlem]

Quick background: I\'m defending champion and among the favourites this year. I want to win this year without mortgaging the future.

My problem: Gonchar, Whitney, EJ - my top 3 D-men, all gone for much, most or all of the season. That left me with just Coburn, Letang and Suter, and we dress 4 D per week. I traded Hanzal and a draft pick for Bieksa, and hoped I could ride those 4 D till December when Whitney should come back. But Bieksa hurt his knee last night, and Letang has done jack squat in 3 games, and lost his spot on the PP last night. (The seriousness of Bieksa\'s injury is still unknown, but he did say it\'s not as bad as he thought and he hopes he can rejoin the team at some point on their current road trip.)

Stat categories are all standard scoring cats plus PIM, +/- and shots.

Options:

1. I can stand pat and trust that my F and G are strong enough to keep me in decent shape till Whitney comes back. I still managed to win my first game this week, despite the carnage, and as long as I can stay in the top half of my league (6 of 12 teams make the playoffs), I should have both Gonchar and Whitney back when it matters.

2. I can use my only allotted free agent signing right now to pick up a D-man (if I do it tonight, I can get him in the lineup for next week). The most intriguing options are Ballard, Hamhuis, Komisarek or Giordano. I would lean towards Ballard, but with J-Bo and McCabe on the PP (when McCabe gets back), his opportunities may be limited. Also, in an ideal world, I\'d prefer to save my FA signing for later, because later on in the season the hidden gems tend to surface (last year I could\'ve had Mike Green in Feb if I hadn\'t used my signing earlier).

3. I could try to swing a trade to land another D, but I already made one trade I didn\'t really want to make to try to cover my injuries.

What would you do in my place? I\'d appreciate any advice, and insight on the FA\'s I mentioned. Thanks.

[JagrBomb]

i would just stand pat until whitney comes back. save your FA signing for later, as you said you can probably find a gem. you could make a trade but then once gonchar and whitney come back your going to be loaded with D which isnt necessarily good

[woodrow]

I\'d sit tight for now and not waste the signing or try for 1 of the FA D as they are just not worth the effort. Your D is decent. It is hard to comment further without knowing the scoring in your league, but your forwards are very strong. Whitney shouldn\'t be out too long and Gonchar will be back by Xmas at the latest, I think. If you can stay close, hang in there.

[angelofharlem]

Thanks for helping me keep my head on straight guys. Really don\'t want to waste that FA on a mediocre D-man.

[dthif1980]

stay put. You have 3 nice d-men right now. With only one FA move, I would not waste it on the d-men you mentionned.