This is a fairly pointless response but it fits the theme of your previous responses. Lots of melodrama and clutching of pearls over a financial situation (the cap) but little factoring of our actual cap/financial situation over the next several years or how NHL team generally handle these situations.
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@OkimLom from here on
Assuming Skinner clicks with one of our centers and merits an extension in the first place. Any deal he signs will be at least 2 or 3 years into it before any cap issues might arise. If they arise at all. I don't know of any team that would move on from a player they wanted to keep over worries of a cap crunch 2 or 3 years down the line. They would sign the player and deal with the cap crunch if and when it came.
Botts has a pretty open canvass cap/contract -wise to build this team going forward.
Summer of 2019 ---> Pommer, Moulson come off the books. Lets assume for the sake of discussion Skinner signs for 7x7.5mil and Sam is signed for 6yrsx6mil. That would give us 9 forwards, 5 dmen and a goalie under contract as of right now for next year, 3 notable RFAs (Erod, Ullmark and McCabe) with at least 16mil to sign the RFAs and fill out the roster. Much of which will be filled in by some of the youngsters we have entering the system or in it at the moment on ELCs. No cap problem next summer.
Summer of 2020 ---> Almost 20mil comes off the books in the form of Bogo, Scandella, Sheary, Wilson, Sobotka, Hunwick, Nelson. Would obviously need less than half of that to extend Mitts and use whats left to re-sign who you want from this group. Again no real cap issues.
Summer 2021 ---> Hard to say since there will be so many moving parts in the next few years. But with Dahlin's 2nd contract looming this is when there might be a cap crunch.
Obviously things can change due to trades and other issues in those offseasons.
I asked this before but its worth repeating ..... If Skinner has a great year with lets say Mitts and they tear up the NHL. Are you seriously suggesting we still can't sign him long term because of Okposo being here?