In terms of cap hit, I'd be much less willing to take a financial risk on Orlov right now if he wants a large payday. He is, to me, still very much an unproven rookie, whose talents are obvious but still developing and whose actual defensive game is far from exceptional. I really hope he stays, but I think his roster spot would be easier to fill and his absense wouldn't significantly harm the Caps overall performance. Sadly, I'd have to argue the same about Schmidt if he were traded anywhere.
I think Johansson and wilson are probably level-pegging in terms of how easily you can replace them. Mojo brings a lot that other players don't - including Kuzy. His zone entries are some of the best on the team, for example, with Kuzy regularly dumping the puck in on PP2 rather than carrying it in cleanly like Marcus. Marcus' flexibility is also a massive advantage, and the current roster is seriously lacking in guys who can step up to fill top-6 positions (remember how, in an early game when Ovi was benched for missing a meeting, Brooks Laich got the 2C position so that Burakovsky could move to 1LW. Burakvosky who is far from a natural Center anyway. Just let that sink in for a minute). I think a lot of people mistake the fact that Mojo isn't an integral part of the team in the way Kuzy or Ovi are as a reason he's expendable - I'd suggest that this year he's had as much of an impact overall as Williams or Oshie have, in terms of getting linemates moving in the bottom six and how much the power play sucked without him. Replaceable? Mostly, and eventually. Hard to replace? I think so.
Wilson, on the other hand, has a part to play. It's a significant part, too - the caps are significantly weaker in strength and grit, and on the PK, without him. Again, he's replaceable, but finding a guy who can slowly be a bit more than a thug with a stick (hey there, Ryan White) and who isn't defensively irresponsible to make hits and be physical (how you doing, Mike Weber?) is actually quite hard.
Richards is certainly useful and valuable, and worth re-signing if GMBM can. We lose nothing by keeping Latta here, but Latta's development into a strong 4C/3C might lose out if there isn't a regular roster position for him soon. Very happy for Weber to find a new place to call home, and I think compared to all the non-Weber free agents Chimera is likely the guy who is easiest to replace, and might be hardest to sign to a reasonable deal.
So my vote, if I'd been here long enough to get one, would be for Mojo. Especially given the uncertainty surrounding Burakovsky for the second time this season. It'll be very interesting to see how Kuzy fairs next season, too, given his breakout year has tailed off as the rest of the league catches up to his tricks, and I think Burt owed a lot is his success this year to playing with Kuzy while Kuzy was super hot.
