Yeah hes never been great until now but I think he could hang in rockford for a year and potentially challenge carlsson/seeler for the last spot. I like his upside better than Gilbert

This is basically the same lineup as this year ??? I think strome gets less . Bridge deals are typically less money and short term . If your giving 5 mil it should be a longer contract . Same with Kubalik he is rfa with no arbitration rights if your absolutely sold on him not being a one hit wonder (GUS LAST YEAR ) . KKK is really overpaid at 1.75 mil he is a 6-7 dman at best

The defence needs at least one more solid number 3 -4 dman unless you want a repeat of this years defencive meltdowns

The Cap hit is great news but just means players ask for more money and every team has this.

I would be interested to see how Ryan Shea goes in Rockford next year with a potential opportunity in the NHL if injuries occur or if he plays lights out for them its even better for us.

De Haan was great when he was healthy, hopefully he can play a full season. Otherwise, with Boqvist's development and a new face in Ian Mitchell, I'm fairly confident we'll see at least a little improvement.

Not a ton of great, affordable defenders on the free agent market, so I think most of the improvements we make on the backend will be internal.