I'm not down on the future of the team, far from it. I just think that you have to look two or three years down the road to see the team take a big jump up the standings and deals signed in the next year or two should take that into account. I think MBW is a good goalie. That said, I've never met him and have no idea what he's like. If he's a smart kid and hard worker, like Nico, I'd just as soon pay him and make him a putative part of the core for the next six or seven years. I expect Jack to get better and I like Bratt and realize he's small and gets hurt but he's smart and skilled and quietly feisty and I'd sign him to a six or seven year deal also. I'm confident that one other forward prospect will pan out to be a core player even if we don't know who that might be right now.
Unfortunately, I just don't see anyone beyond Severson and Smith on defense right now I'd want on the team in three years (Maybe one of Bahl or the other guys drafted last year pan out but I don't know enough about any of them). I'd move Butcher and Mueller and I hope PK bounces back but I don't see keeping him beyond a one or two year deal after his current one expires assuming he even finds his overall game again. If one of Bahl or the other young defenders develops into at least a mid pair guy and they sign or trade for a guy who can break even on the top pair then the team can at least start having a semblance of a stable defense.
In retrospect, Shero probably needed to set fire to everything in 2015 and 2016 rather than the team having to do that this year, five years after he took over. I think he might have been fooled by getting Hall into thinking the team was better than it was. They haven't