Adding Hall will be very hard and may depend highly on Rittich's performance this Playoffs. I dont think Hall has the option to overdemand and I think hes more so looking for job security and the chance to compete then cashing out.

I must be in the minority on this for some reason but I dont think Gaudreau is guaranteed to walk. He has never shown any reason to want to leave nor has the team tried to push him away. If players always wanted to go hime why is Stamkos still in Tampa then? There are plenty of other examples, and Tavares is the exception. If Calgary is a competitive team in 2 years there isnt much reason for him to leave.

Yeah, I understand that. I should have rephrased as "in two years he CAN walk, and that will be a good spot to evaluate the team."

Sam Bennett is barely worth a 4th alone...

Strongly disagree. Sam Bennett is a young and talented NHLer, who has demonstrated he belongs in the NHL, can fill a bottom six roll and occasionally play up the lineup. Teams have certainly payed a lot more for less. I will gladly accept that a different price may be warranted, but saying he is barely worth a 4th is incorrect.

Ottawa, and Montreal for that matter, have lots of picks, and some of those picks are going to need to be cashed in for players. A young player that can be given opportunities to demonstrate some value, but can also easily be moved around the lineup, has a lot of value. Look at Curtis Lazar, for example. Couldn't stick in the NHL, went for a second, based on pedigree and a change in scenery. Bennett has more pedigree and has performed enough to know he will be an NHLer. That has value.