I would much rather have Formenton play 3rd line LW than anyone else. While a few guys could fill in on the 3rd line RW spot none of them bring the offence I would like to see that C. Brown brought on that 3rd line. He would be the perfect fit there right now. On the 4th line I want Kastelic at centre & someone bigger, tougher, who can skate & rough it up if needed. I don't mind one of the three below at 4th line LW but I think they need a fighter on RW who can also play & contribute. Joseph just isn't the playmaker or goal scorer they need on the 3rd line RW IMO. I think Boucher & Ostapchuk could eventually make their way onto this bottom six in the next 2 yrs.
Tkachuk - Norris - Batherson
DeBrincat - Stutzle - Giroux
Formenton - Pinto - ???
Motte/Joseph/Kelly - Kastelic - ???
The defence needs to be upgraded especially given we have 3 UFAs on it this yr. Re-signing Zub has to be a priority & no brainer, he's just better than everyone else defensively. IMO Sanderson is going to be another special player, maybe not quite as dynamic as Chabot but better defensively & will still bring some offence. I think he will get better every yr & could be a better version of Redden.
I like Hamonic as the 4th D, he has decent size & can play a tough game & will drop them, but he is a 32 yr old UFA. JBD IMO could be the best RD we have at the moment to replace him next yr & play with Sanderson that would allow Sanderson to attack offensively. I'm not a fan of Zaitsev or Brannstrom & would prefer Thomson at this time to replace them on the roster. Holden is a 35 yr old UFA who could be replaced by Kleven as soon as next yr.
Chabot - Zub
Sanderson - JBD
Kleven - Thomson
The goaltending this yr looks much better than last yr, but Talbot is a 35 yr old UFA & I'm just not sure about Forsberg or Sogaard for this future team. Goaltenders are hard to guage, but most of the very good ones were all drafted fairly high. The Sens need a good young goaltender to emerge from within or fall into their lap.