well to dadonov's credit hes more than worth that. and the only way anyone was getting yandle in ufa was with a max year deal.
unfortunately we have nearly 8mil spent on goaltending with nothing to show for it, average at absolute best, id absolutely argue for a bit below average (not counting niemi's caphit). i think next year will be luongo's last. his skills have been fading, his body has been breaking down, hes getting older, he has next year making a salary of 3+mil, after that its 1.5, 1, and 1, i dont see at this stage the value of him playing for that, especially since we wouldnt want him to either. unless hes going for a last cap run but that aint happening here. after that id deal reimer too, his cap hit is doable and only 3yrs left or so. go after someone either proven or a young-ish backup with a potential future like most new starters.
outside of Barkov and Trocheck down the middle, Huberdeau and Dadonov on the wings, theres nothing else of substance. mccann has the traits to be a solid 3rd line center or potentially a decent 2nd line winger. but we need legit talent to round out that top-6. we need 1, preferably 2 wingers and some depth. i think with guys like mccann, borgstrom as soon as next season, potentially guys like repo, haapala, and mamin. plus with bottom-6's being easier to acquire and sign, i wouldnt worry about that as much moving down the line as much as the top-6 help. im ok with trading the 1st (top-5 protected), tippett, and other picks and prospects if it can return a legit players. i dont like complacency to do nothing, we always pray on the young kids and by the time theyre good they dont have enough around them and either get traded or leave, draft more, repeat the cycle.
we have 4 more years of barkov and trocheck on their great deals. theres no better time than that to compete. but we wont be proactive enough, and those deals will run out, and either lose the cap space to properly add around them or lose them entirely. and repeat.
