I think Lehtera can be a serviceable 4th liner/pressboxer. We don’t need the cap room next year so it’s better to just wait out the last year of his deal. I also don’t see Martel making this team over a whole bunch of players. 3C is a big ? For next year. Anyone of about 5 guys could end up there. We could also even sign Filppula to a 1 year deal to give Frost 1 more year to bulk up a bit.

My main concern is AMac back there still. He is just absolute garbage. He might be good in the room but my god when he is on the ice he looks like a scared child. If he can be out 7th D man that would be nice.

I can see them bringing back Lehtera and have him be like Read was this season. Eitehr stash him in the minors, or have him warm the bench.

I honestly think they are holding the 3C spot for one of Frost/Vecchione/Vorobyev (or at least that's what I'd lke to believe). I only gave it to Vecchione because he's a bigger body and can kill penalties, but it could go to any of the 3, if you ask me.

MacDonald and Morin can flip flop depending on the matchups or who is playing better between the two. Like you said, they'll have plenty of cap space next year that they can afford to hold onto him for one more year and then either buy him out or trade him

I would rather have Sam Morin playing over MacDonald is basically all scenarios.

I like the idea of having Danick Martel and Mike Vecchione making the team, but I personally like Mikhail Vorobyov and Nick Aube-Kubal making the team out of camp. I wouldn't mind if Aube-Kubal, Martel, Vecchione, and Taylor Leier all got some rotation in as the fourth line wingers.

The best part if that the top-six are secured. It's going to be all about the following three things for next season:

1.) Goaltending - can we get by with Elliot/Neuvirth/Mrazek. is Alex Lyon and Anthony Stolarz serviceable backups relative to the goaltending market?
2.) Solidifying the bottom-six - Laughton, Simmonds, and Raffl have a spot locked, need to find which of Jordan Weal, Taylor Leier, Mikhail Yorobyov, Mike Vecchione, Danick Martel, Nick Aube-Kubal can round out the bottom-six.
3.) Young defensemen - Sanheim has proven (to me at least) that he should be up here full time. that leaves Sam Morin and Philippe Myers fighting for playing time along with Robert Hagg.

Ideally, these are my lines heading into next season:

Claude Giroux (C) - Sean Couturier (A) - Travis Konecny
Oskar Lindblom - Nolan Patrick - Jake Voracek
Michael Raffl - Mikhail Yorobyov - Wayne Simmonds (A)
Jordan Weal - Scott Laughton - Nick Aube-Kubal
Taylor Leier - Mike Vecchione - Matt Read
Danick Martel

Ivan Provorov (A) - Shayne Gostisbehere
Travis Sanheim - Radko Gudas
Robert Hagg - Sam Morin
Andrew MacDonald - Philippe Myers
TJ Brennan

Brian Elliot
Petr Mrazek
Michal Neuvirth
Anthony Stolarz
Alex Lyon