Quoting: spockrock
Fast is underrated. Perfect top 9 guy, can play on any line and in any situation. Sure, he’s not going to give you 20g or 40pts, but he’s one of those glue guys that do the little things that contribute to wins.
To me, the main decisions the Canes have 3 major decisions to make this off-season:
1 - Which one of Necas/Guentzel do they keep? Jarvis being retained is a given. Personally, I think Guentzel walks and they keep Necas.
2 - The blue line. Is it financially feasible/responsible to keep one of Pesce/Skjei? If both walk, who replaces one of them in the top 4?
3 - Which center out of Kuzetsov, Kotkaniemi or Drury do you jettison? Not enough room on roster to keep all 3 and bad for cap to keep them all. My bet is they end up trading Drury for a young-ish roster D and keep the other 2. Dumpling Kotkaniemi is likely too costly.
KK's not a dump. He's played very well all season and just hasn't had the puck go in enough. He's been very strong all year. I could see Drury going since Rod thinks he's the scratch now. Kuzy's not going anywhere, he looks like a Trocheck replacement.
Fast's not a top 9 guy, he's a 4th liner. He and Staal both are. Staal's HEAVILY regressing, so it's time to sell on him and try to get value on nepotism. His on-ice play probably puts him as the 5th best C on the team right now, which isn't good. He's not a great leader either, with Aho being the voice of the team according to most. Give Aho the C, get rid of Staal and Fast, and move forward with a younger roster.
Neither Skjei or Pesce should come back. If Orlov can make Chatfield look good, he'll LOVE playing with someone that has actual skill. Orlov's also a good mentor, as we've seen with Kochetkov, so the young kid will benefit from a senior partner. Then Lily who is a fine D man can play with whoever. I picked smith, but if you want to sign a 3LD from the market, be my guest.
McDavid, Connor
$250,000)
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