AA for Lehkonen is kinda a stretch. Anisimov being 30 vs. the younger and promising Lehkonen. But then again its Montreal so you never know!

Honestly all these are pretty solid. I would move Schmaltz to the second line to play with Kane and Gagner then have Smith be the 3rd line shut down center. I think Kampf should be the 4th line center, too.

Vancouver declines as we have no young and proven RD's other than Stecher. He usually ends up being our top pairing RD because Tanev is usually injured and we don't need Forsberg and Dahlstrom. We have enough goalies and LD prospects.

Vancouver ACCEPTS as Stecher is OVERRATED, only scored 1 goal last year, and Gagner is a contract I'd love to get rid of. Do this deal in a heart beat.

Stecher's +/- improved 7 notches and his physical presence took place a lot more this past season. In 2016/17, Stecher had 51 hits at even strength. This year, Stecher more than DOUBLED that amount with 111 hits at even strength. Additionally he had 9 more blocks, and 6 fewer giveaways.

Stecher is one of the better PK d-men in the NHL:
https://canucksarmy.com/2018/05/04/stecher-pk/

Gagner's contract doesn't hinder this team. Yes, he might be taking up a contract spot but the duration won't impact us when we have to re-sign guys like Pettersson. If someone proves that they are better than Gagner at training camp I'd expect Gagner to start the season on another team, in the press box or Utica.

#nomoresmalldefensemen