Edited Apr. 16 at 6:24 p.m.
I'm impressed. Not many non-Chicago fans care to even understand CHI's situation and what they are trying to do. Everyone assumes rebuild means dumping ground and "CHI should be happy to take our garbage." So, thanks for putting the effort in!
As for the Schmidt dump, I will preface by saying that I would prefer that Kyle Davidson was raking other GM's over the coals for assets in cap dump trades. But, so far, he has been pretty modest in what he has asked for in return for cap relief. That said, he also hasn't just handed out cap relief for nothing. Gustafsson is a fine young-ish player who maybe still has some room to grow, but at this point he is the equivalent of a late round pick or someone I might consider taking on for FC's. Not as payment for almost $6M in cap relief.
I also don't think Schmidt would be a benefit or complement to Korch at all. Korch's transition game is fine. I think where he needs more support is in the defensive zone. Someone who can stop plays, pull pucks off guys, and feed him outlet passes for a quick transition back to the offensive zone. That is where Korch is gonna shine, I think. Which, finding the right RD to complement Korchinski's play-style and maybe be a mentor to him, is my biggest concern for a roster addition next season. If we could find another Foligno who plays RD, that would be perfect. *COUGH* TANEV *COUGH*. haha. But I doubt Tanev is interested in joining a rebuild and being a mentor. I thought Murphy could be something along those lines for him this year, but it didn't really work out that way. They looked great together in the 22-23 training camp before he went back to Seattle. Maybe Korch comes back next season and all those rookie concerns are left in the past.
If CHI is going to take someone for free or highly discounted and hoping they can flip them with retention down the road, they should be looking at struggling veteran top 6 forwards who have shown an ability to produce in the past. Someone they can possibly put with Bedard to give him a little more stability and keep him engaged, because I feel like he could do a whole lot more damage with better line-mates. Preferably someone who is more defensively responsible. Maybe that is Hall when he is healthy, or Nazar, and also he and Kurashev continue to build even more chemistry than they showed this season.
As for a forward signing, I don't know if it will be Olofsson specifically, but I get the idea. Sort of like Domi and Athanasiou were last year, guys looking for an opportunity somewhere to hopefully rekindle their careers. But, I think there will be better options, whether that is another cap dump or very low acquisition cost, or another free agent. I think CHI would prefer to bring in a harder worker who takes defensive responsibilities more seriously but is also willing to be a mentor and isn't just there to further their own career. From the outside, guys like Dickinson, Foligno, and Mrazek, look like overpaid mistakes or undesirables. But in CHI, they are loved, and on the roster their knowledge, hard work, and leadership have been invaluable. They are worth every penny to this team and the rebuild, and that is what they will likely be looking to add more of.