Wideman is not a top 4 defender. He is barely capable of being a bottom pairing defender without his defensive flaws being incredibly obvious. I'm also not sure Pageau, Stone or Brassard would be okay with decreased minutes. Lastly, Thornton's foot speed has dropped significantly, so putting him with Bobby Ryan may not be the best thing.

Besides that, it would be a cup contender for sure! Very dependent on Chabot succeeding, and Smith's playstyle fitting with Karlsson, but a cup contender.

You realize that Thornton had a significant knee injury right? Torn ligaments at his age it's likely best to stay far away. I like the Smith signing but he is likely to get offered more elsewhere like Toronto.