Bringing in a true top 4 RHD will be key. Having a goalie to help ease the burden on Levi will also be key. Other than that its simply developing our players. We have a crazy amount of forward prospects so absolutely 0 need to acquire anything up front. By 2025-2026 Zach Benson will be on the team 0 doubt. Ostlund would be close to NHL ready. Wahlberg as well probably. I think Novikov is a dark horse for being a real good option for a shutdown physical guy on the 3rd pairing. I think Johnson can play right-side in the future since he's an elite skater.

10 million for a fourth line...I know where I'm trimming some fat.

Not really a 4th line on this team whatsoever, you roll 4 lines, any line on this team would easily be a good 2nd line on any team, maybe even 1st line. You can say trim some fat on the 4th line or just switch Mittelstadt and Rosen and have a 5 million dollar “3rd line” and a 5 million dollar “4th line”

100% agree with this, anything you do bring in up front earlier on would be on 1-2 year deals that you don’t have to give up assets for, for example a joe pavelski type. Although that may block a guy like savoie or kulich. By 25-26 ostlund, wahlberg and benson will 100% be ready for the show but where do you put them? Obviously zetterlunds spot is one but how about the other 2, and those guys all should be on the power play as well but I just don’t see who you’d move out. Gonna be a huge logjam in a year or two even though there already is. Could definitely bolster the defence.