Protas might be better currently than Patrick and hes not worth a 2nd let alone Protas imo

Agreed. Nolan's head issues make me think he won't play much longer. Protas has a huge ceiling.

None of this garbage makes the team better. Marner makes way more than he's worth and acquiring another LHD just hinders the prospects (Fehervary/Alexeyev) from gaining NHL experience. I'd rather just move Kuznetsov for a pick and roll the dice on plugging McMichael immediately into the top 6/9 depending on the opponent and possibly trade for a center if he's not ready. Eller has done well as #2 when Kuzy has been out in the past but McMichael has the offensive upside you look for.