Too much cap hit for too long. Anything $6M+ is a definite no-go.

$5.5M is about the max we can reasonably take on.

Miller, Horvat, Hertl, Pavelski or maybe Carter are our only real options.

An inconsistent old guy for an inconsistent young guy with a much higher ceiling? The Wild pass.

Fiala probably costs more than that to resign

There is plenty of room to resign Fiala if Guerin has the guts to do the right thing (trade Zucc).

We have plenty of wingers though. As you can see, there is no Pitlick and Greenway on the roster. Fiala is going to be the third man with uncertain future. Nelson is consistent and is a center. He would do the job right while we are waiting Rossi to emerge as a top six center. Then, he will be moved to wing and become a Zucc replacement then. I can see a future in it. I do however understand that trading Fiala might not be a popular decision. But there is a common good in it: we need a top six center and Isles need the top six winger to play on the Barzal line.

Nelson is one of the more consistent Isles over the last couple of seasons.

No way I would choose Nelson (esp at this stage of his career) over Fiala…no way! Fiala might bruise our hearts with his inconsistency, but I believe he would crush our hearts if we gave up on him!