I don't see much changing with the forwards. Who is going to leave? The only person I see possibly being moved is JVR. Getting rid of Bozak is very risky in terms of centre depth. Hyman, Nylander, Marner, Komorov, Brown and Martin all seem like locks to be brought back on the wing. Only real spot I see up for grabs is the RW spot on the 4th line and possibly a scoring line LW spot if JVR is moved.
I think there will be minor changes on D, but it will be mostly with the 5-6 guys. I can actually see Polak back as a 6/7/8 though. He's still effective and the only guy of the group that plays physical. My bet is we sign one guy who will play on the bottom pair, and then have competition for someone from the Marlies to step into a bottom pair spot. If nobody steps up, the the FA signing and Polak are your bottom pair.
I would be surprised if JVR is back. I can see Bozak gone too. Maybe a 10% chance of Leo being gone if they got a good offer. Leipsic plays a similar style, so Leo could be expendable. Martin could be snagged in expansion if LV prefers to add more expensive bottom 6 players than a potential albatross like Bobby Ryan for example. Though, I still wonder if Lou knows McPhee will take Eric Fehr.
Overall, I see our forwards like this;
Hyman - Matthews - XXXX
XXXXX - Nylander - Marner
Komarov - Kadri - Brown
Martin - XXXXX - Soshnikov
4C - No real contest. Option 1 will be Brian Boyle. Option 2 is Frederik Gauthier. Option 3 is likely Aaltonen, but we're hoping Boyle is back, or Gauthier shows hes ready full-time (he did look good when he was up [minus possession numbers though])
1RW - Bit Tougher. I think it's Kapanen's spot to lose, to re-create the Matthews-Nylander from this season. Other option obviously is keeping Bozak and Nylander staying as a winger for the foreseeable future. Another option? Connor Brown moving up. He did see some time with Matthews and Hyman this season
2LW - Pretty much an open spot. Leivo and Leipsic could both fill this spot very well. I think Babcock will like Leipsic's tenacity on the puck, so I see him having a slight edge. I can also see Leivo being an intriguing player to other teams in a trade. Again, if Leo is moved, then Leivo takes the spot on the Kadri line, and Leipsic takes the Nylander/Bozak line. Or, Brown takes 1RW, and Leivo slots in, in his spot.
Overall, while the forwards are generally set, there will be movement. The likely hood of Leo, Bozak AND JVR all being back is really low IMO