Vincenzo Arelliti
He Can't Play Center
Sobotka is more useful than Gomez and Upshall (but not nearly as cheap). His negotiated year was 2.5M iirc. Its not trivial, but its in the ballpark of what Ott makes (or slightly less) for a 4th line utility role. If Sobotka came back I'd want to part with Ott. (But I think Ott has been very good in his role this season so far. No complaints.)
At this point, I would want Armstrong to continue with his prior position: If Sobotka wants to come back and fulfill that contract, great. The team will welcome him. But there is no discussion about trading him or some magic way that he becomes UFA without fulfilling that year.
I think we only let Sobotka back if both Ott and Berglund are gone. Sobotka is the more useful, and less expensive version of Berglund, and the superior player to Ott. If we don't have Backes, he takes the 3C and moves up with injuries and as players need a break. He would be an excellent fit and a good coach for Barbashev for the following year.