Optimal Lineup

I'd switch Ehlers and Copp tho

But you haven't addressed your Byfuglien problem.

I kinda flirted with that idea, but the stats from the past couple years showed that Brian Little was his absolute best with Ehlers and Perreault.
The idea behind this lineup is trying to jumpstart the offense of a couple guys that have fallen off the tracks. (Laine with Scheifele, Lowry with Wheeler, Little, with Ehlers) Once you break up the Scheifele Wheeler partnership there is a lot more skill to spread around the lineup.

What problem? If Buff is retiring, then we cross that bridge when he decides. If Buff has a smaller amount of GP, and he comes back late, that is an ideal situation. The Jets problem last year was an over reliance on their stars, and fatigue down the stretch.

As of now there is 7.7M in cap space with him out of the lineup, leaving enough room for him to come back seamlessly. There's a potential problem, and contingencies are one thing, but chasing ghosts of problems is no way to do business.

"Chasing ghosts of problems?" Who's going on the ice at RD after the first shift in the first game? The only "ghost" at that moment will be Byfuglien; his absence is no ephemeral problem.