So, in your mind adding a 20-year-old mobile defenseman with projectable size, offensive ability who moves the puck and instantly becomes our top D prospect is not getting to work?
It has been a good off-season, so far. We have added Kahun, Galchenyuk and Poulin up front, Joseph on the blueline and Vellucci in the coaching ranks. We have shed cap space, picked up some very intriguing players via the draft aside from Poulin (Legare and Puustinen, in particular) and have only given up a 4th ('21) and a 7th ('20) round pick along with the two veteran players that (whether we like it or not) had to go.
So far, so good. Now, the hard part. I admit it. We have one goaltender to deal, potentially a RW (my preference is to move Hornqvist because I still don't see where he fits, otherwise Rust is moveable) and of course Johnson. I think Schultz could also be in play if the right deal comes along (if someone would take Johnson with Schultz, for example). We need to bring in one more winger to off-set the Kessel effect on offense. Preferably a right shot who can play on the PP. We only have one vital RFA to re-sign in Pettersson. Aston-Reese and Blueger could be throw-ins in any other potential deal we could make.
We could have a team that (aside from a potential UFA signing) has the core of Crosby, Malkin and Letang all at the 32-33 age range, and then everyone else at 28 or under. Works for me.
Let's see what happens when phase II begins tomorrow.
