There's also a bit of a concern that Graves could regress pretty hard, though some of his underlying numbers are better than you might think (some of that may have to do with playing alongside Cale Makar though). Your concerns are warranted.
That said, I think there are plenty of vet options available. Obviously some of these guys will be signed but a majority won't be.
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My personal preference: I've mentioned his name before but talk to Buffalo about trading for Colin Miller before they fire Botterill. That IMO was a pretty savvy pickup and CLEARLY gave them the flexibility they needed to move Ristolainen, but then they just...didn't. Meanwhile, Miller's numbers in Buggalo have been less-than-impressive since leaving Vegas. He's probably just not a good fit there, or they just couldn't figure out how to utilize him since they still had Ristolainen and Montour and Jokiharju in the mix. Either way, he's still fairly young, has plenty of skill, is a right-handed shot, and is signed for decent money. Take advantage of a bad situation in Buffalo and see if you can get him the hell outta there.
And in case anyone is curious, no, hell to the no, I do not want Ristolainen. If you're gonna do that, just sign Zadorov for cheaper.
I might get castigated for this, but whatever: I would not be crazy about it, but I could see Joe throwing a low pick to Detroit to get Nemeth back. He knows the system, the coaches, and a lot of the players, can play up and down the lineup if need be, still not yet 30, and isn't signed to a crippling contract. And not to mention a guy who's big and doesn't mind playing a physical game.