This is running with the idea that the Sharks do not win the Cup in 2019 and that Erik Karlsson decides to sign elsewhere for, like, 13 or 14 million a year.
1. Cap space is created and much needed picks are acquired through several trades.
-Dallas has no depth whatsoever at the moment, and while they do have some promising players on the Texas Stars, Melker is out performing both their fourth and third line right wingers this season. He’d give them some needed stability.
-Doug has a good relationship with Florida, and I honestly think that Braun could perform very well for them. They also get two AHL player who aren’t developing as hoped but who still show promise.
-Detroit gets two promising defensemen to develop towards their rebuild
-Yeah, I don’t even know about Dell, but he’s got to go *somewhere*
2. Assuming that Karlsson is out, then signing Pavelski probably becomes the first priority. After this season, he’ll be looking for a raise, and 7 to 7.5 for 3 years seems like it could be a possibility - he could probably get more elsewhere (think Marleau, only younger), but hopefully not having to uproot his family & still trying for a cup with SJ would be worth something.
3. Jumbo obviously comes back in this scenario, assuming he doesn’t injure himself again in the stretch or post season. He’s settled in to his role in the third line and his play has been trending upwards over the last month. I think that there’s a good chance he’d take a slight paycut in order to help the team out, as he’s indicated a willingness to do so in the past.
4. The tangle of Meier, Labanc, and Donskoi could sort itself out very nicely - Timo obviously commands the largest salary of the three, and given the Nylander deal and Timo’s play this season I feel like he’s likely to command between 5.5 and 6. I split the difference at 5.75 for 8 years - he doesn’t have arbitration rights & I think locking him in long term at that price would be a good call. Labanc gets a cap friendly two year deal at 2.5 to give him time to prove himself - he’s trending in the right direction for sure with his play this year, but he’s still got work to do. Donskoi is a streaky player who is currently on the same pace as he was last year - which is still solid! - but he also gets a modest raise and a show me contract of 2 years.
5. I debated between trying to re-sign Nyquist or going after Dzingel, but ultimately it comes down to one factor. Nyquist, to my understanding, is looking for 6 million and a 5 year or more contract. Dzingle could probably be brought in for 5 and to be frank, I think he’s got more promise at this point.
6. With Karlsson out, there’s a hole in the blue line. I have been impressed with Heed’s playing with Vlasic so far this season & I think he’d be well worth bringing back, especially for under a million. Nick DeSimone is on the verge of being NHL ready & is currently out-performing all the other Cuda defensemen. I think he’d be a good addition.
Thoughts? I left some cap space there in case they would need to trade around for defense or (god help us all) a different goalie before the deadline.
McDavid, Connor
250 000 $)
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