Quoting: Anus_McLeod
Braun is my preference and think it would take around a 3rd. Maybe a small kicker if they need retention. He's the only one I think really improves the team, with his main impact coming on the pk. If they go hard after Giroux, then including Braun would be a smart play.
I'm not against Kulak or Pysyk, buy they are pure depth (imo) and I wouldn't want to go higher than a 5th. The others either have too high a salary (DeHaan), cost too much (Mayfield), are too old (Greene), or have an extra year (Soucy). I guess with Soucy they could trade him again though...
I think there are 2 main options - getting a cheap guy with 1 year left, or getting a slightly more expensive guy with more term.
Out of the guys with 1 year left, I agree Braun is the best fit. The AAV and acquisition cost looks reasonable too
For the guys with 2 years left, It seems like NYI is asking too much for Mayfield imo. Id stay away from him, but Soucy is the better player anyway and I look at the 2nd year as a bonus instead of a "I guess we could trade him again" type of thing. If the cost is a 2nd Id be down for that, Id even add if SEA or another team was willing to retain a bit. Soucy has the best size, 5v5 defense, and PK defense out of all of the players here imo. Thats exactly what COL was missing
For next season with Soucy im thinking
Toews-Makar
Byram-Girard
Soucy-EJ
Then Barron can also be put in once the inevitable injuries pile up (could even rotate in a couple games when theres no injuries and use 11F-7D). Not sure if Helleson will be signed this summer but if so then he could be in the mix too