The offense is incredibly potent.
The defense is...volatile...at best.
Goaltending is questionable, at this point.

This team can compete, it can make the playoffs, it probably can't make a deep run, but that's what you can expect with 15M in dead cap.

Fiala too low, Kahk and Addison too high, net you probably get 500k back in cap though.

If this is the route they are going to go, which very well could be, they will have to package up some prospects and picks to get NHL ready or current NHL D-men on good contracts, which are pricey.

All the contracts seem reasonable, although Addison may make closer to $3M than $2M and from what we've seen I think he will be able to play on that 2nd pairing with ease.

Also not sure whether or not Lambos will be ready for that role. Defenseman typically take longer to develop.

I disagree. This contract puts Fiala in line with Kyle Connor, who I think is a very good comp for him. Connor got 7.1x7 after a 66 point season, and since then he's been just under a point per game. I think that's about what we can expect from Fiala going forward.

As for Kahkonen and Addison, you might have a point. I could see Kahkonen getting anywhere between 1.5 and 2.5 depending on how they want to use him going forward. If he were on the open market, he would definitely get 2. If Addison is thrust into this role with Dumba's departure, he should prove worthy of 2 as well, but he might get a shorter bridge at around 1.5 too.

But in any case, you're probably right, that the difference will be around +/- 500k for all three.



They don't have the cap space for that. You can't have a perfect team with 15M in dead cap, that's the entire point to illustrate here. They're going to have to rely on young players to step up during these next few years.

What about Duhaime?

You can have some fun with the fourth line if you want to keep him. If you ask me, he should have taken Greenway's spot for half the price but it is what it is. But having an 11.3M third line isn't the smartest idea when you also have 15M in dead cap.

You can either send Beckman down to the AHL to keep cooking until Zuccarello is gone, or you can keep McBain down and play Dewar at center and Duhaime on the right wing. The money shouldn't change too much, though having Duhaime might add another 500k-ish to the payroll.

It’ll be really interesting to see what they do with Fiala/Dumba and how close this ends up being. I’m a fan of this approach, as it feels like the most prudent way to continue developing while also being flexible/setup for the post-buyout era.

Considering the amount of dead cap, it’s a pretty good lineup. Offense in particular.

Personally I would have traded Greenway this summer, and used that money to improve the defense, kinda splitting the two sides, if you will. That way you're only relying on one of the three of Lambos, O'Rourke, Hunt to make the jump in 2023-24, and you can still mostly replace what Greenway brings on that third line with Duhaime. But I guess Guerin likes the sum of that line too much, despite Greenway being the clear third wheel there.

Yeah agreed. Greenway is playing well, but the reality is that it’s easier to backfill him via Duhaime than it is to backfill a 2nd and 3rd pair D via Lambos/Hunt/ROR.

Almost have to bank on a minimum deal 7th D vet to over perform, which I assume is kinda what the Benn signing represents here.