If you think it's bad... provide your own list of comparisons like I asked you to if you disagreed. You do realize that it's not an exact one/one comparison cause it's impossible to mirror their team 100% right?
Talk to me in 5 years. We can look back and talk about what we should have done today. This is not the CHL where you lose your assets for sure when they are 20 and your are forced into a rebuild. There is no proper rebuild. Ask the Oilers.
The idea that we can flip Petry and Tatar while we turn it into Patch type returns every time is hope. The idea that all our top prospects become top of the line-up players is also hope and you know very well how much I like them.
Adding Stone gives us a quality producer as a RW scorer (which we do need) going forward. Stone, 26, is one of those rare UFAs that will hit the market in their ultimate peak years. He's good for a high end production clip over the next 8 years. If that's not a long term solution, what is?
Even if it takes three years for MON to restock it's D-Corps, Stone will still offer us high end production over a 5-yr Cup window, IMO.
I'm not big on Muzzin, personally, for the other part of your suggestion. I believe that, at 29 right now (30 in a month), he'll cost too much for the amount of time he can produce over a Cup run starting in three years, for example.
Signing Gardiner as am UFA, let's say, and using the assets you would have wasted on Muzzin for something else might be a better deal. In two years, Romanv will likely be starting the season with MON and Mete is a fine 3rd pairing D to have on any team.
Of course, who's to say Stone and Gardiner will sign here?
Stone will likely command Draisaitl money (somewhere around 8.5M for 7 years, or closer to 9M with a yearly up front, bonus-structured deal for tax purposes in Canada).
MON can afford this in the short term, but will have to re-sign Domi after next season and Kotkaniemi soon enough, plus a few others along the way; Gallagher, Tatar, Lehkonen, Petry, etc.
Some serious Cap clean-up would have to be put into motion to free up enough space for both Stone and Gardiner and the upcoming RFAs/UFAs already on the team.
It's not impossible, with all the youngsters in the system and coming up through the system, but players like Petry, for example, might need to be traded or not re-signed to free up some Cap space going forward. Veterans like Byron might need to be replaced by younger players such as Ylonen for the same reasons.
In three years, with the Habs youngsters progressing and Stone and Gardiner added to the lineup, the team could look good as:
Domi (6.5M/6 remaining) - Kotkaniemi (6.5M/7 remaining) - Stone (9M/5 remaining)
Drouin (5.5M/2 remaining) - Poehling (1M/2 remaining) - Gallagher (6M/6 remaining)
Tatar (5.5M/5 remaining) - Danault (3M/3 remaining) - Suzuki (1M/2 remaining)
Lehkonen (1.5M/1 remaining) - Evans (1M/2 remaining) - Ylonen (1M/3 remaining)
Gardiner (6.5M/5 remaining) - Weber (7.857M/5 remaining)
Romanov (1M/2 remaining) - Brook (1M/2 remaining)
Mete (1,75M/2 remaining) - Juulsen (1.75M/2 remaining)
Price (10.5M/ 5 remaining)
McNiven (1.5M/2 remaining)
I'd go to war with that lineup at 79.357M. By then, the Cap might well be up to between 83M and 85M, leaving enough room for a 23-player deep roster and the IR.
Things get complicated after trying to win the Cup for two years and some talent will need to be sacrificed. Bridge contracts will also need to be considered.