Not CAP compliant. Missing two players from the roster (which is allowed I might add but not smart and no team does this). Also you're not accounting for bonuses which means you're likely below the CAP already. Team looks dangerous but someone will need to take less money on their deal to be compliant or another trade has to happen

I'm sure they could figure it out. Maybe get Ottawa to retain for another piece (doubt they would). Maybe find a way to trade Berglund now. Or Bouwmeester.

Philly trade is good.

We could run 1-2 players short on opening night, allowing bouwmeester to be put on LTIR and then call up the players we need. There is also the option to bridge Edmundson for 1-2 years for closer to 2/yr if we need cap for one year. Armstrong has a pretty good track record of occasionally running a roster with 22, especially during home stretches, to minimize the daily cap to help stay under.

I believe we are going to run into an Elliott situation with Hutton, where he wants to be a #1 somewhere instead of being back up to the likes of Gubauer. Unless we convinced him its going to be a 1A/1B and the better player will garner the most starts, I think he goes elsewhere. Replace him with Husso or a vet on a minimal salary around 1 and thats a little bit more cap savings added as well.

Overall it looks good. Giving up Kyrou is going to sting, but to move on from Sobotka and getting to keep the 2018 first (to be used elsewhere), i think that deal works out well.

I like this a lot. If we're that close to the cap it may be smarter to bridge Edmundson for 2 years at a lower AAV. I wouldn't expect him to explode offensively or anything so we probably wouldn't get burned using the bridge - could sign him to a 2.75m x 2 followed by a nice 4m x 4 after that. Tbh the only way I'm comfortable moving Kyrou/Thomas is if we can land Tavares and resolve the goaltending situation - and those are going to be tough tasks.

--Ottowa trade is fair value, though I'd prefer to keep Kyrou (and, reportedly, so would DA). Ottowa will get better offers for Hoffman than that.
--No Thomas? I think he's almost a lock to make the team.
--Gunnarsson likely won't be back from IR until Christmas; you can't move him before then.
--Last thing we need is another Left shooting LHD.
--For the millionth time: IF Fabbri makes the club after sitting out the better part of two seasons, there is no way he gets penciled into the top line--and even if his conditioning is up to par, his timing, chemistry and vision will take months to recoup. It is far more likely he starts the season in San Antonio, and sees spot duty in the middle six after Christmas.
--AND if I'm right, we need a LW as bad as we need a RW. Yes, we do "have a ton of LWs". Sadly, Schwartz is the only one in the organization who belongs in the top 6.
--Kudos for keeping Steen and Berglund on the 3rd line where they belong.
--That 4th line is awful. Thorburn can be effective enough, but Barbashev as 4th line center is just bad. He either makes the team as a middle six center, or as a utility extra forward. I see him being dealt. Bringing back Brodziak should be priority #2, behind acquiring a top center, IMO.
--Tavares and Tarasenko should be paired, just as Schenn and Schwartz are a pairing that needs to stick. I think Hoffman will compliment the Schenn line nicely.
--Kostin is an interesting option at 4th line RW. He's big, he can hit, he can fight, and he has the skill to move up the lineup in a pinch. But I suspect his defensive game needs a lot more work. I see him being dealt, or starting the season in San Antonio.

All of your points are valid, except you keep saying this about Fabbri - this ain't baseball, man. You can't just send the guy down to find his game. Any time in San Antonio would be on a conditioning stint, which he won't need because he'll be a full participant in training camp and preseason... Otherwise we'd have to send him through waivers to the minors and I'm pretty sure 30 teams would submit claims (low risk, high reward).

You're right, they can't just "send him down". But they absolutely can choose to have a player who missed an entire bloody season start the year on a conditioning assignment in the minors, and when that concludes, they absolutely can give him sheltered minutes as an extra forward. Which is exactly how I see the Blues using him for the better part of this year, assuming they keep him. What they won't do is throw him to the wolves by playing him first line minutes right out the gate. It would risk a career-ending re-injury, it isn't necessary, it most likely wouldn't be effective anyway, and it boggles the mind how many people are assuming otherwise.

Here's the CBA language:
"Such Conditioning Loan shall not extend for more than fourteen (14) consecutive days. The Commissioner may take whatever steps he deems necessary to investigate the circumstances under which a Player is Loaned on a Conditioning Loan."

They didn't rush him back after the first surgery and that recovery took 5-6 months. He had the surgery back in November - I think if everything goes well he's going to be cleared to be a full participant in preseason. So, even if the league is dumb enough to believe that he needs a conditioning stint to start the season, it would last 2 weeks. I guess there's no point to speculate at this point because so much is unknown, but most people think if he can play at all, he'll be a top6 guy, and with the chemistry between Schwartz and Schenn, he's going to play on the other top line if he stays at LW. I don't think anyone is expecting 80 pts or even top-line quality, people are just putting him on that top line to balance out the rest of the lineup.

Time will tell. I don't want to be right. I just think it's foolish to count on him in a top-6 role and risk his career playing top line minutes until he's proven he can still hang. And it's not as if he's going to get paid as a first line player. He's almost certainly going to get some sort of bridge deal, so it won't sting so bad if he's sitting a lot. Truthfully, I think Kyrou and Thomas both make the team, and Fabbri spells the two of them as the extra guy, and they see where chemistry and conditioning will take them.