Pretty much. But then we should be talking about how this is an unfortunate reality of managing the cap. Because there is a good chance the Habs will be worse for not having Ryder next season.
Given that Gionta is aging out, and the Habs have cap space, going out and getting another quality winger should be on the radar.
Here's my thing about the cap, before July 1st, I believe we'll need to fill 2 roster spots with about 8 million in cap space.
Assuming you're a smart GM and save 2 million in cap space for the deadline to add a key player possibly if you're in the hunt sort of deal, that leaves us about 6 million in cap space.
IMO, we need another top 4 defenseman to fill in for 1-2 years before Tinordi is ready to move up the depth chart and Beaulieu is ready to replace Markov. I think that should be a bigger priority as the defense, IMO is what was one of our weaker points down the stretch. Gallagher and Galchenyuk (barring a sophmore slump) can look after Ryder's production and maybe a Top 9 RW like say, Chad LaRose would be a good plug to put in until Kristo/Collberg/whoever is ready to make the jump to the NHL. Until then, spend 4 million on Regehr as our Top 4 D acquisition on a 2 year term deal and spend 2 million on LaRose on a 2-3 year deal to fill in till the prospect(s) are ready.
Gionta i don't think he's aging out as much as he's injuring out. Had he not been injured this past year, he would still be scoring 20-25 goals a season.
