-PLD gets 8x$8M. No question about that to me - pay the man and keep him in town.
- The other big RFAs for me to keep would be Harkins, Svechnikov, and Vesailanen. I'm sure you can keep most of the other guys for depth, but those are the ones I see playing a part on the 2022-23 squad.
-Signed a couple of depth D to replace guys you've moved on from. For about a third of the cost of Brenden Dillon & Nate Schmidt, you can bring in a solid veteran RHD like Chris Wideman and a 7th D like Dean Kukan to bring some veteran presence to your blueline.
-I feel like Eric Comrie played well enough that someone overpays him this summer, but we won't be the ones to do that here. Casey DeSmith is a decent backup with playoff experience who should be available for under $2M. You're really only hoping to get 20-25 games out of him, so you don't need to splurge here - Hellebuyck is still your guy.
TRADES
1 - Feels like Jets fans are done with the big boy, so I tried to find a team that's tight against the cap and short on D for next season. Carolina has Ian Cole & Brendan Smith going UFA and Tony DeAngelo & Ethan Bear as RFAs this summer - assuming they keep the 2 RFAs, they'll still only have 5 D under contract for next season. They've got about $19M in cap space but those two D + Martin Necas will need RFA raises, plus they need to re-sign/replace Nino Niederreiter, Vincent Trocheck, Max Domi, & Derek Stepan. Getting a 6th/7th D with NHL experience and a low AAV would be worth a late 3rd to a contender, IMO.
2 - Schmidt to Detroit for a 3rd is pretty much agreed upon around here, no? Feels like fair value for both sides.
3 - If we're bringing Barry Trotz to Winnipeg, we're bringing a guy who rolls all 4 lines. Bonino is a little older but he's very strong defensively and can anchor a shutdown 4th line and your PK1. Giving up one of the 3rds you've stockpiled feels fair here.
4 - The quintessential "Who Adds?" type of trade. Dillon fills a need for the Islanders while Bailey brings Kieffer Bellows and a 4th rounder with him to make up for it.
LINES
Like I said, Barry Trotz loves to roll all 4 lines and I think this team can do it. First line is, to me, set no matter who is the coach. Connor-PLD-Ehlers is a top scoring line and should be the top line - they've all got term and are a great franchise foundation. I like the second line with Scheifele and Perfetti doing some creative offensive things with Harkins being a defensive anchor that can make up for some of their freelancing. 3rd line is a solid veteran line - Bailey and Wheeler driving the offense while Lowry can be your guy on the faceoffs you need to win. 4th line is centered by a veteran presence in Bonino who can be a steady hand in guiding two prospects who've still got some potential to unlock.
Not a Winnipeg fan, so apologies if I missed some insider points in building this. But I think this could be a very solid playoff contender next year, especially in a division where Dallas, Nashville, & St. Louis could all be losing major parts this summer.
Trotz hates Bellows on the island. Bellows would retire if he got traded to where trotz goes
Wanted to add to the Winnipeg side on that - feels like Bailey for Dillon needs a little bump, and I know the Jets are a little weaker on the wings. On the Isles side, I'd be fine saying "hey which of our prospects not named Aatu or Simon do you want to throw in?"
MTL didn’t trade Chris Wideman at the TDL because he wants to play here and he is a good vet in the locker room. Justin Barron isn’t NHL ready IMO so Wideman should have a roster spot with MTL next year
Wanted to add to the Winnipeg side on that - feels like Bailey for Dillon needs a little bump, and I know the Jets are a little weaker on the wings. On the Isles side, I'd be fine saying "hey which of our prospects not named Aatu or Simon do you want to throw in?"