This is the same damn team, plus a 3rd line center, as the one that sucked all year and missed the playoffs. The defense is brutal and needs a complete overhaul. Who knows why you would bring back Teppo, and not suggest Pratt as a 3rd pair guy.
Let me break it down for you about Max. Like I said earlier, I'm as big a fan of his as there is. To compare him to Jochen Hecht and then use points per game as a determining factor is ridiculous. If Max doesn't lead Hecht by a fair margin in points, then there is a major problem. 75% of Hecht's role is defense. He's one of our top PK guys as a defensive specialist, yet he was able to pitch in with 20+ goals and center a line where Jason Pominville, whom many figured would be sh-- without Briere, went on to score 80 points. Hecht's role is absolutely essential to any team looking to make it in the playoffs, where Afinogenov, who may be speedy and dynamic, seemed to skate around and do nothing all year. I do think we'll Max a lot when he's gone, but just don't say Max > Hecht because he has more points. JP Dumont has more points than Chris Drury this year. Who would you rather have?