I'll be the first to admit, my thesis has totally changed after seeing this season play out and watching what Jarmo is doing. I assumed this was a tear it down to the studs, collect lottery picks, and spend the next 3-5 years rebuilding through the draft. That is obviously not what Jarmo intends, so I'm not going to be giving any thought about what that process might look like.
I believe Jarmo and the team think they can make the playoffs as soon as 2023, while continuing to build through the draft, make smart trades, sign an occasional UFA that makes sense $/term, and develop young players (don't rush the kids, but make sure we have room for them to grow).
We have plenty of cap space in 2022-23. The cap won't likely be an issue for us for the next three years, until the kids start needing bigger deals. So for me, the first thought would be evaluating who is part of the future and who isn't. The following players need new contracts this summer and a decision needs to be made: Laine, Roslovic, Bemstrom, Guance, Kukan, Gerbe, Boqvist, Carlsson, Harrington, Korpisalo, Berube, Tarasov. Of those, I'd definitely like to keep- Laine, Roslovic, Boqvist, and 2 of Korpi, Tarasov, and Berube. I'd probably sign Bemstrom and Guance for depth. The rest I could take or leave.
I see the 2022-23 lineup looking something like this:
Voracek ? Laine
Bjorkstrand Sillinger ?
Jenner Roslovic Nyquist
? Kuraly ?
Extras-Chinakov, Robinson, Danforth, Johnson, Marchenko, Texier, Guance, Bemstrom
Werenski ?
Gavrikov Boqvist
Bean Peeke
Extras- Bayreuther
Elvis
?
?
Looking at the Offense, assuming we keep Roslovic and Laine, I see 4 ?'s. Three of those are on the wing, so I assume we have in-house fixes. The top line center is what I'm most concerned about. I don't think anyone on our roster is ready to be a #1 Center on a team that wants to make the playoffs. I'd like to see us find a veteran C that we can bring in via UFA or trade to play against other team's top lines every night. Someone good at faceoffs would be preferred. My dream scenario is Claude Giroux on a three year deal. But, I could also get behind a younger player who may need a change of scenery like Dylan Strome or someone similar. I'm sure there are other players who fit this mold, but as we all know, these players are very difficult to acquire. Can Kent Johnson be that guy? I certainly don't think KJ is going to be ready for that next year or maybe ever. I just don't see him as a classic top line NHL center mostly do to his size/build. That's ok, he could be a very effective playmaking winger (like Voracek) who wouldn't have to defend the Big Boys every night. There are some big time veteran UFA Centers this year in addition to Giroux, including- Malkin, Bergeron, and Getzlaf among others. I'd like to see us use our cap advantage to pursue one of these players aggressively. I am keenly aware of our history when it comes to UFAs, but I also know we have money to spend and a spot on the top line between Voracek and Laine to offer.
On Defense, I only have one real ?, but it's a big one. Who is our top line RD? I assume Ceulemans goes back to Wisconsin, so I didn't factor him into this mix. As with #1 C, I don't think we have a real good fit to play along side Werenski in our current mix. I'd like to see us pursue a big minute munching RD either via trade or UFA. I'm not too concerned about offensive production here, but someone who can be defensively capable for 20+ min/night. Extra offense would be a bonus.
I haven't really dug deep into to the UFA list yet, but the headliners are Letang and Klingberg. I'm not sure we are ready or need to bring in a headliner. But I wouldn't mind looking a little further down the list at a guy like Josh Manson, Justin Braun, or our old friend Anton Stralman as a stop gap. More than likely RD looks like a place to use some draft capital to make a hockey trade. This is where a guy like Chychrun might make sense. Another player who I wouldn't mind trading for is Connor Murphy. I'm not sure if he's in Chacago's long term plans or how serious his concussion issues are, but he'd be an upgrade on what we have for sure. BTW, he's from Columbus
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In net, I have one concern and 2 ?'s. The concern is Elvis and his play this season. For the sake of this exercise, I'm going to assume he bounces back with a better defense and a year removed from the Kivi tragedy. The questions are who backs him up. I've long been of the opinion that an NHL team should never overspend on a goalie, they are all nuts and sooner or later they crack. So, I'd do Korpi a favor and sign him on a cheap one year deal to back up Elvis and get healthy. I can't see him getting an NHL deal otherwise this year. Next, I'd sign Berube to a cheap deal in case Korpi isn't ready or quite honestly sucks again. Then I'd like to see us re-sign Tarasov and let him get healthy and play big minutes in the AHL. Finally, I'd like to see us add another developmental goalie later in the draft.
Bottom line- I think we are on the right track, but I'd like to see us make 2 significant moves this off-season to acquire at least short term solutions at 1C and 1RD. Would love to know whom you all think might be available at those spots.