We really need the expansion draft to result in McDonagh going to Seattle. Whether we have to pay Seattle or if they want him regardless. If we get to a point where Hedman, McDonagh, and Sergachev are eating up 25+% of the cap, then we are going to struggle to keep the team balanced all around. Getting McDonagh off the books would theoretically still leaves us with 2 solid defensive pairings Hedman-Foote and Sergachev-Cernak, and then the rest filled out by younger guys and/or value vets. I doubt Foote is going to be someone who earns anything insane in the next 5 years, so that would keep things stable.

If we are going to keep Cirelli long-term, then we are going to need a good value LW to pair with Cirelli and Stamkos. I hope Volkov is that guy since his scoring potential does not seem to be huge, but he can get in deep and get the puck out. Which is all you really need to ask of anyone on Stamkos' line since he's who we want shooting the puck. Outside of Volkov I am not sure we have any good options to fill that role at the moment once Killorn is traded to make space. **Coming in to edit this in that it may be possible Goodrow surprises us this coming season with his offensive potential**

I do not think moving Palat is an option this year after the chemistry he showed with Point and Kucherov. Maybe we can move him after the season (if needed) if Barre-Boulet is able to play a top-line LW role, but once again, outside of Killorn and Palat there's no one to fill the role of a Top 6 LW. Goodrow and Paquette are unquestionable bottom 6 checking line players, good ones at it (not to take away from them). And on the topic of Barre-Boulet, if he is not able to fill that top line role with Point and Kucherov, and Volkov or someone else with a little more size and physicality is needed/wanted on the 2nd line, then where does Barre-Boulet fit in if he has some offensive talent (for a 2nd line role), but not enough for the 1st? We still have to see how he adjusts to the NHL, but he doesn't strike me as the type of player I'd say we're now looking for on the 3rd line. He's already 23, so we cannot keep him buried on the forward lines forever.

In my hypothetical ACGMs I have unpublished, Gourde moves up to 2C for a year or two, and then is replaced by Barre-Boulet when he would have a few seasons of NHL experience under him. Gourde could probably play 2C effectively now, but you would still prefer Cirelli (cannot argue otherwise).

Cirelli long-term is possible, but Gourde and McDonagh are two long-term contracts we're going to have to get rid of to make things balance before full-value deals arrive for our current group of RFAs. Gourde should not be an issue moving if his play keeps up with only a M-NTC his final 3 years, but McDonagh is only M-NTC his final year and the age and salary become bigger issues with each passing year. And even if we get through all of that it might still take some generous home team discounts if Sergachev and Cirelli careers continue to ascend how we would up.

Now that my late night cap thoughts are over (thanks for reading if you got this far ), I am going to go enjoy some sleep. I am sure JBB is not going to be doing much sleeping until things start getting resolved, but at least having the cup helps!

For the upcoming season, I agree that Palat is very unlikely to be moved. I think that if Killorn is traded, they will see who between Volkov and Barre-Boulet fits better with Cirelli-Stamkos. Volkov could be effective on the 4th line with Stephens/Paquette-Maroon while ABB either needs to be in the top 6 or stay in Syracuse if not effective there. Mathieu Joseph is another option as well for a 3rd line role if they decide to break that line up and try Coleman or Goodrow at 2LW.

In terms of McD, while he may be the ideal player to have Seattle take in the exp draft, his performance the upcoming year could determine how Tampa approaches which player is more valuable. If the plan is to have him taken regardless though, another great year from him will be huge to reduce any possible sweeteners they have to attach to him.

Overall, the next two years Tampa should be able to minimize most damage and keep one of the top 3 lineups together. After that, it's murkier due to where the Cap will be and what these upcoming rfa deals look like. Brisebois and his team have been able to keep things rolling(and Yzerman before that), so will continue to trust they have a plan and will do what's best for the team.

We need to see more of Volkov, 10 NHL games is not conclusive, but I think he'll make a solid Middle 6 winger. I forgot about Coleman there, but he definitely could fill out the 2LW role at a reasonable cost if he's able to play LW. I think he's pretty much played RW with us since we acquired him. And I do not even want to go into Joseph. Trying to guess what kind of a future, if any, he has in our org is pretty much impossible after he was demoted to Syracuse during the year and the only forward not to be used in the bubble.

Hopefully we can experiment a bit with the lines this year, assuming Killorn and Johnson are gone, and find out where players might fit in going forward when we're going to need good value from players who aren't prolific scorers. I would like to see Volkov, Barre-Boulet, Goodrow, and Coleman all get time at LW on the Cirelli/Stamkos line until we find who fits the best.

Also, a bit of a random question, do you think Paquette could make the jump to 3C/3LW (Goodrow looks like he can play C too) eventually if we do not have to trade him to make space this year? He's good in the FO circle, he has the physicality we now want on the 3rd line, and I think he's underrated as a playmaker (although he has trouble finishing his scoring chances as we saw throughout the playoffs). He'd also be cost controlled at $2million or less a year.

I think it's possible, not certain though, that Brisebois has some sort of basic framework in place already with the 3 main rfa's. A lot has to do with Killorn, but seeing as how there's been no mention of him being moved when most seemed to think it was a foregone conclusion, perhaps JBB is planning on keeping him around this year. If Johnson and Paquette are moved, perhaps the deals with the rfa's are set with Serg taking 3.5-4 for 2 years, Cirelli at 3-3.5 for 2 years and Cernak at 1.75-2 for a year or two. Again, not saying this is what is happening, but it is certainly a possibility given the current landscape.

If Killorn is traded, then I think experimentation between Barre-Boulet and Volkov for the 2LW would likely happen. I would hope ABB fits well there, as Volkov I believe could be alright on the 4th line, where as I don't see ABB working out well there. As long as the 3rd line of Goodrow-Gourde-Coleman continues to play at or near the way they did in the playoffs, it's difficult to justify breaking them up. If they hit a rut or something, then yeah, maybe try Coleman or Gourde up there and have ABB on the 3rd instead.

Paquette fills in the role of a grinding, get in your face/under your skin 4C/W pretty well. He could work on the 3rd line perhaps and maybe they see how he works there, but since they already re-signed Stephens and let Verhaeghe walk, if Paquette is kept, can definitely see that 4th line as Paquette-Stephens-Maroon.

It would also be great if Tampa could re-sign Rutta or perhaps reacquire Slater Koekkoek, as he can also play the right side effectively. I don't want Schenn as anything more than a 7/8 guy that plays every few games or if Tampa rolls 11/7, matchup dependent etc. Coburn can't play the right side well at all, and so unless they are intending to move Sergachev to 1RD or 2RD next year, Coburn doesn't really have a spot in the top 6 either. If he was willing to waive and Brisebois can move his last year, there would likely be enough space for either Rutta or Koekkoek(likely Rutta). If not, I likely see the d pairings being Hedman-Serg or Cernak, McD with Cernak or Foote, and Coburn with either Foote or Serg(if they want to spread out the top dmen vs having a top heavy top 4 and a weaker 3rd pairing).