Zacha won’t get that

I don't like the lines you've assembled here but aside from that,

I agree it's time to move on from Pav and Boqvist, I'd target some draft capital.

In my view it's also imperative that TF adds a scoring winger before next season. Whether it be Forsberg via FA, Boeser or Laine via trade, whoever. Has to be addressed. The lack of finishing on this team consistently kills them at 5v5 and with the man advantage.

L Hughes isn't ready for the NHL next year, especially top 4 minutes
Holtz isn't gonna be ready for top 6 minutes most likely. No need to rush him

Lines should be in my opinion
Bratt-Hughes-Sharangovich
Zacha-Hischier-Tatar
Johnsson-Mercer-Holtz

Graves-Hamilton
Smih-Severson
Siegenthaler-Walsh

Good balance, good chemistry

I've been in supporting the idea of trading Zacha since last summer and I think Boqvist is more and more likely getting traded so I don't mind the assumption you did regarding expendable forwards.
Nevertheless you are off by at least a million Bratt's contract and possibly 1.5 - 2m on Zacha's.
Lines are mostly alright. One glaring error in my view are the positions of Mercer and Kuokkanen.

Lines using your players:
Sharangovich - Hughes - Bratt
Holtz - Hischier - Tatar
Kuokkanen - Mercer - Johnsson
Wood - McLeod - Bastian



Good points imo, though I think we can do without a big acquisition of a winger for the foreseeable as we have too many promising wingers as is (if there is such a thing).
I am getting more and more concerned about goaltending going forward, Fitz might make a bigger move addressing that instead.

A second for zacha? Too little ?

Think it'd have to at least be a late 1st.
Think that'd be a fairly low price for a cheap winger with 2nd line upside, especially for a contending / dark horse team like Penguins.

I am looking forward to the arrival of guys like Foote, Stillman, Moynihan. But I don’t think any of them will surpass Zacha next season (if ever). We have no reason to bail on him (a 16-game stretch? C’mon!). Foote has not developed the skating to be a regular yet. Stillman is probably 3 years away. And Moynihan doesn’t have the skill for top-6 nor the defensive or physical game to squeeze into bottom-6 yet. If we moved on from Zacha, the first internal replacement would probably be Studenic.

Only move Zacha if it returns a better winger.

I like these lines

Also I am with you about adding a winger too soon. Let’s see what we have first. And if we get the point where we feel like we are one winger away, make a move then. Unless right move comes along.

With Wood coming back next year, Sharangovich returning to form, Holtz developing, there are some reasons to be optimistic.

And we do need a veteran back-up yesterday. Blackwood is still recovering, shouldn’t go every night

Zacha should be part of a package that acquires a talented scoring winger like Laine or Boeser. Because it is something that is really need and TF needs to address it

The last I read from Columbus fans was that they would ask for jack Hughes+ for Laine. Would you do that? or Holtz + Mercer and multiple 1st rounders? And when we fork that over, we have to sign him. Can't let him walk then. He is one-year away from UFA. So when Laine asks for 8-years at $10-12 million, we would have to offer that, no?

He'd need to score 60 goals a year to earn that (he is now at 4).

We need to improve our finishing....but we are not going to solve it with one guy.