I think a big question everyone needs to ask themselves is that if this team takes a step back the next year or two retooling, how likely is it that EP resigns?
EP strikes me as a guy who would be out the door with two more non playoff years. Which IMO, is likely with a JT Miller trade (If it's futures based).
I've been on the trade Miller team for a while now but the more I think about it, especially with the signing of Kuzmenko, this team might just be better of resigning Miller (as long as he isn't asking for anything completely unreasonable) and going for it the next couple years. The current top 9 is really good (assuming Hoglander and Podz can take the next step in their development and Kuzmenko lives up to the hype).
Find a way to acquire a top 4 RD (maybe use Boeser as a trade piece) and I think this team could do some damage in the playoffs next year.
If it fails, you'd have a ton of valuable pieces to flip and do a complete tear down rebuild.
I don't know, just thinking out loud.
I get that concern, but that mentality is precisely what got us into a situation where we're worried about EP leaving.
"Can't rebuild, can't take any time, can't take any steps back, rush rush retool on the fly compete immediately" was the previous regime's philosophy and 8 years later we're still not competitive with no cupboards or cap space.
Also EP hasn't shown we can build around him yet. He's a franchise centre when healthy and at his best but his wrist injury has been an issue for a long time now and whether he'll ever fully recover is unknown. If you add flight risk on top of that then it's all the more reason to hit a deeper retool asap.
There's a time crunch to tear it down because the 2023 draft is insanely deep and loaded with centres. A top 10 pick in 2023 may turn out to be like a top 3 pick in other years and you can potentially save yourself years of rebuilding by loading up on 2023 picks.
If we can dump OEL and Myers, and somehow dig up two more top pairing dmen and another top 4 dman, all this summer, then I'm all for trying to compete immediately but it seems like an impossible ask. And any other route is permanent mediocrity.
I don't think Miller wants to re-sign here either and it's all a moot point. We were a shit show the whole time he was here and I doubt he forgot that he had to publicly stand up for his team during the covid crunch when the front office was hiding like cowards.