Preface: Any upcoming UFA gets dealt for picks, except possibly Chad Johnson, in order to keep Ullmark playing games in the AHL and having a "replacement level" player behind Lehner. I'll assume a 2nd for McGinn, but that's about it.
1. Sign Hudson Fasching to an entry level contract, get him some games with the Sabres and have him hopefully help the Amerks get to the playoffs.
2. Re-sign Ristolainen. 8yrs. $48-54. I'm comfortable with it, I'd guess it'll be around $50. $6.25M aav cap hit.
3. Re-Sign Girgensons. If it's me, I try to do like Arizona did with Martin Hanzal, something like 6yrs. $21M. $3.5M aav cap hit.
4. Re-sign Larsson. I'd also like to get him to a longer deal at a cheaper rate. Could something like 5yrs $12.5M work? $2.5M cap hit? If not maybe just 4yrs. $10M. $2.5M cap hit to me is his real value anyways.
5. Re-Sign Pysyk. Bridge, 3yrs, $8M. $2.67M aav cap hit.
6. Re-Sign Foligno. Short term, maybe 2yrs. $4M. $2M aav cap hit
7. Re-Sign McCabe. 3yr deal, $6M. $2M aav cap hit? If he becomes the player we want him to be, that'll be a bargain during the last year and he'd still be under team control for a year I believe.
8. Re-Sign Deslauriers. 2yrs. $2M. $1M cap hit?
9. Re-Sign Varone, Schaller, Ruhwedel and Makarov to 2-way deals and put em in Rochester. Let Lieuwen go, sign Johannson to entry level deal.
Note: I want to roll 3 scoring lines. We should be able to roll 3 offensive lines, and a 4th line that is similar to most teams 3rd line. I want to add 2 LHD to the roster, and at least one forward, if not two, to the roster as well.
10. At the deadline, trade Tyler Ennis & Brendan Guhle (or Will Borgen) for Mirco Mueller and Tyler Wingels. Basically downgrading from Ennis to Wingels in order to upgrade from Guhle or Borgen to Mueller. Mueller has a lot of raw talent and could start the season in Rochester before coming up if he's not quite ready, he helps to speed up the timeline on the back end, without being a guy who is getting big money. And if he's not ready, we have McCabe & Gorges on the left, plus Bogosian is showing he can flip to play with Ristolainen. But that won't be necessary because...
11. Offer sheet Ryan Murray for 6yrs. $33M. $5.5M aav. Would give up our own 2017 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round picks. It might sting, but we have three 3rd rounders this season, and two in 2017, plus if we get another 2nd or 3rd for McGinn, that mitigates it as well. Columbus is in a tight situation with Murray, Boone Jenner, and Seth Jones all due new contracts, having some suspect big deals already out to forwards like Nick Foligno, Scott Hartnell, Brandon Saad, Brandon Dubinsky, and David freaking Clarkson, along with
Defensemen Fedor Tyutin, and a $2.95M pay increase going to David Savard. Not to mention a goalie who makes nearly $7.5M and its a tough situation in Ohio. They're a prime target for an RFA offer sheet, and Murray is not scared to do it.
12. Sign a free agent winger... I know I just chastised the UFA process, but there are some interesting guys available. I'd be interested in Boedker for $5.75M/yr or less, no more than 5 yrs. Backes or Staal at no more than 3 yrs. I'd overpay big for Backes, maybe $6.5M/yr and probably $5M for Staal, Loui Eriksson would be a possiblity as well if he'd entertain the Backes term/money. I have a feeling that the older three (Staal/Backes/Eriksson) will want to sign with teams that are contending now as opposed to in the short future, but cap space is limited and the cap in general isn't going up much. A step down would be guys like Purcell, or even McGinn. Getting McGinn back at something like 3yrs $10M, $3.3M aav cap hit would be a nice deal. Seems to like the club, is good friends with O'Reilly, might want to come back this way.
I would stay away from Stamkos, the cap will be way too high for a player like that.
I would rate my desire for said players as
Boedker, Backes, Staal, Eriksson, McGinn, Purcell... so let's say the fact we have $, a good owner, an up and coming city, and an up and coming core group (Eichel, Ristolainen, O'Reilly & Reinhart) allow us to sign Staal, but we overpay 3yrs. $18M. Keeps him close to Toronto, but he's enjoyed anonymity in Carolina so many years, and seen his brother in NY that he wants a hockey market, but not hometown, hockey mecca Toronto, especially since Toronto is going to spend their efforts trying to get Stamkos.
So...
Eric Staal, 3yrs. $18M- $6M aav cap hit
13. We're currently playing better than before Christmas, but injuries are hurting the forward ranks now after the defense was hit in the first half. This team lacks he depth to withstand those types of losses (Girgensons, Ennis, and now Reinhart out, idk for how long, but that's an entire line, half of our top 6). So unfortunately we stay near the cellar. Fortunately that (hypothetically) gets us the #3 pick in the draft. Arizona wins the lottery (Bettman doing all he can to keep that franchise relevant
) so they take Matthews. Edmonton gets the #2 pick, and to the chagrin of everyone takes Laine, leaving Buffalo to take Puljujarvi. With the above additions, Buffalo is able to take best player available, and with Chychrun's shoulder issue, Tkachuk being seen as slightly below the Fins, and Laine & Matthews being gone, Buffalo gets Eichel's wingman for the next 10-15 years, Jesse Puljujarvi.
14. Buffalo trades the 2nd rounder they acquired in trading McGinn (at least, hopefully acquired), and draft Markus Niemelainen, a 6'5" 190lb left-handed national defenseman from Finland currently playing for Saginaw Spirit of the OHL.
15. Chad Johnson is re-signed to a one year contract. Allows Ullmark to get starts in Rochester.
2016-2017 Roster:
L1: Staal-O'Reilly-Wingels
L2: Girgensons-Eichel-Puljujarvi
L3: Kane-Reinhart-Foligno
L4: Deslauriers-Larsson-Gionta
xtras: Moulson, Schaller (Roch), Varone (Roch)
Forward prospects: Fasching, Baptiste, Bailey, Karabacek,
D1: Murray-Ristolainen
D2: Gorges-Bogosian
D3: McCabe-Pysyk
xtras: Franson, Mueller (Roch to start 2016), Ruhwedel (Roch)
Defense prospects:
Niemelainen, Guhle/Borgen(one dealt in Mueller/Ennis deal, preferably Guhle imo), Martin, Stephens, Florentino
Starter- Lehner
Backup- Johnson
Rochester- Ullmark, Makarov, Johannson
Prospects: Pederson, Kasdorf
I think this lineup gets us to the playoffs in 2016-2017. Talent, depth, cap space for the future, solid youth to grow around our talented core of players.
*Also, if we aren't in top-3, draft BPA, and either sign a guy like McGinn or Dale Weise to take that spot next to Eichel until Fasching is ready.
