I agree to some degree. I'd much rather see Gardiner & Colborne play over Hamilton & Kostka, but I don't think we should gut the roster and fill it up with propects...that's a step backwards from everything we've been doing the last few seasons.
We need to create a scenario where players have to compete and earn a roster spot. Look at Fraser; a guy everyone had pegged as an 8th/9th defenseman on our depth chart at best. He competed at the beginning of the year against Kostka, Liles, Gardiner, Holzer, Franson, etc. and eventually earned a place on the team adn became a very reliable defenseman. The same thing with Kadri...surpassing guys like Grabovski, McClement, and Connollly to secure that 2nd line center spot.
Simply letting Bozak, Mac, Kostka, and O'Byrne walk without bringing in anyone else is a recipe for disaster. What if Kadri has a sophmore slump? What if we get a few injuries on the back-end or down the middle? What if Colborne/Ashton/Blacker aren't ready for a full time role, or start to regress part way through the season?
I think we need to let Mac, O'Byrne, and Kostka walk, sign Bozak for a shorter term contract (maybe 2 years in order to determine his actual worth on a competitive team), and then bring in a couple stabilizing veteran players. Then let the kids compete during the camp/preseason for their own roster spot.