Keeping Fiala in 2023-24

The offense is incredibly potent.
The defense is...volatile...at best.
Goaltending is questionable, at this point.

This team can compete, it can make the playoffs, it probably can't make a deep run, but that's what you can expect with 15M in dead cap.

Fiala too low, Kahk and Addison too high, net you probably get 500k back in cap though.

If this is the route they are going to go, which very well could be, they will have to package up some prospects and picks to get NHL ready or current NHL D-men on good contracts, which are pricey.

All the contracts seem reasonable, although Addison may make closer to $3M than $2M and from what we've seen I think he will be able to play on that 2nd pairing with ease.

Also not sure whether or not Lambos will be ready for that role. Defenseman typically take longer to develop.

I disagree. This contract puts Fiala in line with Kyle Connor, who I think is a very good comp for him. Connor got 7.1x7 after a 66 point season, and since then he's been just under a point per game. I think that's about what we can expect from Fiala going forward.

As for Kahkonen and Addison, you might have a point. I could see Kahkonen getting anywhere between 1.5 and 2.5 depending on how they want to use him going forward. If he were on the open market, he would definitely get 2. If Addison is thrust into this role with Dumba's departure, he should prove worthy of 2 as well, but he might get a shorter bridge at around 1.5 too.

But in any case, you're probably right, that the difference will be around +/- 500k for all three.



They don't have the cap space for that. You can't have a perfect team with 15M in dead cap, that's the entire point to illustrate here. They're going to have to rely on young players to step up during these next few years.