Edited Jul. 18, 2019 at 5:22 a.m.
I mean even in your scenario they JUST fit in and have no flexibility to operate.
Problem also is they arn't going to bury either. DeSmith is a no brainer to get claimed off waivers, and it’s not worth having Jarry as backup, DeSmith has outplayed him at every turn.
JJ they are just not waiving unfortunately, especially if they have any hope of moving him at some point.
So maybe they don’t “have to” make a move, in your dream the impossible dream world...but they are going to...
Also I wouldn’t say Pettersson at 1.8 is fair outside of the ACGM universe. Would not be surprised at all to see him over 2.25...that’s probably the floor for his next deal.
If 1.8 was the number I imagine they would have locked him up already. They reportly want him with term....and they can exceed the cap in the offseason and even go into the season over the cap after all
That said, OP, my preference would be Gudbranson or JJ because I don’t want both playing on the backend, but most likely it’s Bjugstad bc they can plug McCann there. Also Bjugstad doesn’t PK and isn’t especially physical or fast.
Also worth noting they can sign ZAR and Pettersson, be over the cap and not have to worry until like October, the cap is calculated by day to day salary, not total value on roster, and it can be exceeded in the summer and in the season as well.