With Compher their lineup should look like this
Kane-Couture-Labanc
Donato-Hertl-Meier
Leonard-Compher-Noesen
Marleau-Handemark-Gregor

I still like Compher and Nieto would probably be a regular healthy scratch on COL this year. This would only make sense if Sakic was to use the extra cap space to add a much better player

This is exactly what Avs would do. I made a corresponding Avs AGM

It doesn't have to be Nieto, but I figured might as well pick someone with the cheapest possible contract and someone who already knows Bednar's systems just as a depth add for the playoffs.

He wouldn't make the top six on the Sharks, the Sharks have an acceptable forward core, the other two positions are the issue.

I'm not sure Compher has positive value anymore. Seems to me that with the flat cap teams are avoiding money and term like the plague. Compher isn't worth his cap hit and is not some unusual piece.