Boq is better and younger than Girard, injuries aside

The Jackets defense needs to get bigger.

Whats the point of signing big contracts and trading for good players if you're just going to have Compher as your 1C either way?

can't generate a 1C out of thin air unfortunately. I don't believe any of the bigger FA centers sign here, and CBJ is too early to trade for one. Their 1C will be developed, but I think they need a versatile stopgap who can play many roles, and Compher is just that. He's covered 1C with Mac out in COL, and otherwise is a versatile 2/3C. He will be a fit even after the prospect pool fills in the rest of the team.

No point to signing Suter and Donato. Cheaper to get the same or better production from internal players like Danforth and Foudy. Did Sillinger die? Also don’t much see the point of the Foegele/Robinson swap. It’s not like cap matters to Columbus next season. I don’t hate the Compher signing, although the idea of putting him at 1c as anything other than a fill in is funny. This is still a team with four 3cs and a porous defense.

Compher and Jenner would alternate until a true 1C (Johnson or whoever you guys get in the draft this year) develops.

I've long been on the "Sillinger needs to be in the AHL to develop" camp, I feel like starting him in the NHL next year will harm him moer than help... call him up when he regains confidence.

This is a build that helps to work towards a longer term goal of development and planning rather than doing well next year; it will take time, piece by piece.

Gonna have to spend more than that to get Compher coming off a career year; I'm thinking he goes for no less than $4.5Mx5 and he's really, really not a 1C, regardless of him playing there when MacKinnon was out for all of a month; expecting him to fill that role is going to lead to disappointment.

When Boqvist starts getting 50/50 zone starts and has to play with guys like Jack Johnson and Kurtis MacDermid regularly, then maybe we can make an accurate comparison to him and Girard.

They are very close IMO. I might do a Boq for Girard straight up just to balance the CBJ back end a little more since they have so many righties. Peeke can play 2nd pair, and I'm completely sold on Jiricek being on the top pair with Werenski. There will be some growing pains, but he's going to figure it out next year and be an absolute stud moving forward.

That is what the draft is for. CBJ aren't going to fix their eternal center issues with FA. They have to get one of those top two guys in the draft this year or hope Johnson miraculously gets bigger and learns how to win faceoffs. I'm putting all my hope in the Bedard cart.