I really want Montreal to resign Price and Pacioretty to 6 year contracts. They'll probably be worth 9.5 and 7.5 million give or take 1 M from either. This will be easier if habs don't resign Radulov. Just hear me out.
On RW, the organization removed from Radulov has Gallagher, Shaw, Scherbak, and Bitten. I'm okay with that. The right side is fine moving forward. It's at LW where they struggle. If Pacioretty on the off chance doesn't resign, Lehkonen would be the top LW. That's unacceptable. Moving forward habs should obtain another LW because getting a centre would definitely change the core and at that point, why would you. To join Pacioretty, Lehkonen, Hudon, and Byron, MB should offer sheet the hell out of Drouin.
That's why you don't sign Radulov. Drouin's younger and will be a better player in my opinion plus habs desperately need a LW not named Pacioretty (whom has all star calibre) to play with Galchenyuk and their styles' would complement eachother well. Obviously this still leaves a weakness down the middle but I believe Danault, McCarron and possible Bitten (C/RW) whomcan also play the position at the NHL level, will be fine with good wingers.
Habs should trade for a pending UFA D to compliment Weber until Sergachev comes up. Kulikov is a possible option. Next season it be Weber, Sergachev, Markov, Petry, Beaulieu, and possibly Juulsen if he has a good camp. Juulsen has a mature game to him and KC has been grooming him for the past 4 years in Everett under quite possibly the best defensive system in the CHL as their #1. I believe he could compliment Beaulieu's game very well. He has no weaknesses. He's a prototypical utility D whom has all the tools but will never be a top pair D.
It's very important to integrate young players because habs need to resign Pacioretty and Price. By my math the salary cap will be at just under 70 million once Pacioretty, Price are signed long term and the kids are on their bridges. Markov, Emelin, Plekanec, Desharnais will all be gone by then. Next year habs could look like this:
Pacioretty-Danault-Scherbak
Drouin-Galchenyuk-Gallagher
Lehkonen-Plekanec-Shaw
Byron-McCarron-Mitchell
Sergachev-Weber
Markov-Petry
Beaulieu-Juulsen
Price
Montoya
That's a better team than the current one. Yzerman is in a mess. He desperately needs a top D and he's playing with limited cap space. MB should offer Drouin 6.5 at 7 years. He should offer the same to Galchenyuk. Because of the limited cap space, habs need to desperately integrate A LOT of young players either next year or the year after that.