Edited Jan. 23, 2019 at 9:22 p.m.
It’s going to be extremely difficult for any GM to turn this wreck around.
At the beginning of the season, Lucic, Russell, Sekera, and to a lesser degree Kassian held contracts that made it difficult for the team to make moves that might improve the roster. Moving out Caggiula and Strome for Manning and Spooner has made the situation even worse, and having Brodziak on a two-year deal just exacerbates the situation that much more.
The team has managed to bumble along this season because it has been able to bury Sekera's salary under LTIR, but eventually that option may not be available. Unless the next GM is able to move out some of the contracts with term beyond July 2019, they will enter the free-agent market needing to re-sign Puljujarvi and Khaira while already carrying close to $66,500,000 in salary committed to a roster that will still have a highly suspect defense, needs a second NHL goaltender, and has to replace at least five NHL forwards.
Rattie, Chiasson, Petrovic, Gravel, Montoya and Talbot will all be UFAs in July. Rieder's contract expires this summer as well, but he's still an RFA. Re-singing Chiasson may be of interest to the next GM, but he will not be the answer this team needs if it is going to improve. Petrovic might also be of interest, but I just don’t see that working because the team is chock-full of lower-end NHL defensemen and really needs to focus on improved skill and speed.
IMO, the organization’s developmental system won’t be able to provide the vital help the NHL roster will need next season. At the very least the team needs to add a couple of top-six forwards, another top-4 d-man, and a solid goaltender who can manage no worse than a .905 Save percentage at the NHL level (preferable better). I think that to acquire the necessary talent, those forwards will cost a minimum of $8M, and the d-man is going to be at least $5M, with a solid goalie running no less than $1.5M (on a team-friendly deal). If I am correct, then the team simply does not have the salary cap space to become a play-off club next season.
It would certainly help if Gryba and Pouliot could be cleared off the books, but that isn’t going to happen next season. Similarly, it seems highly unlikely that Russell, Brodziak, or Spooner can be moved before trade deadline 2020, if at all. I am resigned to the fact that Lucic isn't going anywhere. I suppose there is a chance that Kassian could find a new club, but I doubt that will happen this season. Regardless, it appears to me that moving Brodziak and Kassian is unlikely to actually improve the roster, and the salary cleared does little to help sign top-end skill. As much as I don’t like suggesting it, it seems to me the only hope for the club is that Sekera remains on LTIR until his contract expires.