There's 8 defencemen now if we look at the big picture.
1. Green
2. Kronwall
3. DeKeyser
4. Daley
5. Ericsson
6. Ouellet
7. Jensen
8. Hronek (knocking the door)
What Holland is going to do?
A) trade Green for future draft picks.
B) trade Ouellet, who has value, for future draft picks.
C) bring in a prospect, like Hronek.
D) sign UFA defenceman, like Jack Johnson, a free asset, to be sold later, again, for futures.
And next year we will have:
1. Johnson
2. DeKeyser
3. Kronwall
4. Daley
5. Ericsson
6. Hronek
7. Jensen
Next year he is gonna sell bodies from Kronwall/Daley/Ericsson/Jensen group.
And will bring kids in. And will sign UFAs again.
Reapeat, repeat. UFAs are not any kind of problem. Always a free asset. Sell another asset for futures. Repeat. Bring a kid in drafted with a pick from earlier trade for futures. Repeat. Repeat.
At some point you will start winning in values, when you never buy players. The talent group grows bigger, towards a contender talent group.
We did sell futures for 2 decades. Now do it in an opposite way and as long as we get lucky in lottery, or some of multiple draft picks will surprise us.
Only thing you have to avoid, is losing assets for nothing. If some player is gonna retire as a Wing because of injuries, then so be it. It's life, bad things happen. But turn valuable players for picks. Doesn't matter old or young. If you turn old player for futures, great. But it you turn mediocre player for futures, also great. Doesn't matter. Transfer the player value forward. But don't lose anybody to UFA you did pay for. Do it exact opposite way, turn free assets for picks. Repeat.