im not a habs fan but it probably wouldnt rush caufield onto the first line, i think he could use a year in the AHL to get a bit bigger and adjust to the pro game size. He's still so small

Ya, it will take more than that. Go look at the Vegas expansion draft trade for references.

Mete is gone by the draft (at the latest).
Poehling and Vejdemo will not cost more than NHL minimum (given that they slot behind Evans on the depth chart who’s making 750k).
750k for Olofsson and Fleury also.
Armia can be signed after the expansion draft (so we can use protective slots in the expansion draft on both Lehkonen and Evans).

Norlinder is under contract for this season and next and he has said he will honor his contract. So he arrives here in 2022-2023 season.

I big time agree with you on Danault. $5 for a 3rd line Centre is a lot. Don't get me wrong I really like Danault but he had 3 seasons as the #1 C and never had more than 13 goals. Suzuki is #1 right now and by next season KK should be #2. I disagree on your labeling of calling Poehling a bust when he has not played one game all year. Plus he is spending a lot of time watching Perry and learning tricks from him.

To put Caufield from NCAA all the way to top line is a stretch. I would break him in slowly. That's putting a ton of pressure on him.

Evans in the #3 C is not a bad idea. I actually like it. He is so smart out there and if given offensive wingers, he may do well.

A lot of people dump on Edmunson but I love his game. He is so solid in so many areas. He has really helped Petry with his d-zone game. A very good pick up by Bergevin. Romanov is good but is also running around a little. I like him but lets not push him too quickly.