The Kane deal will prove to be one of the best contracts in the NHL over the next 4 years. I'm stoked. That's a huge piece of business done, he's a key piece of the puzzle.
Now for the goalie, I want Keumper, but I'd settle for Campbell, because I think Skinner will prove to be a very capable backup, and I'm leery of the dollars and term that Keumper is going to command. Campbell will be a long overdue upgrade over Smith and Kosk.
I sure wish they could have got Kulak to sign on the dotted line, I liked his game.
They need to get the Yamo (needs to be team friendly) and McLeod (pay the kid, he's going to be a stud) contracts finalized, and then figure out what to do with JP. I'm good either way really, he has value, so I don't want him gone for nothing, it has to be a good deal, but at the same time, his total lack of finish, poor hockey IQ, and weird sense of entitlement make him expendable in my mind.
Still need some D men, hopefully with some size and grit. I think Broberg makes the jump this year, Niemelainin is a maybe, he checks some boxes, but that isn't without risk for both of them, there will be growing pains. I'm kind of in the same place with Barrie as I am with JP, I don't mind him, so I'm not in a hurry to give him away, but if there's a deal to be done to add pieces and/or shed some salary, I'd definitely do it.
Last on the list is a couple 3rd and 4th liners. I'm penciling Holloway in for opening day, and maybe one more spot for our AHL guys, so that only leaves a couple spots. Veteran guys are always critical when you're in the win now window, so we'll see what Holland and co can do.
I sure wish Gaudreau would have signed in Calgary at $10.5M/per for 8 years, that would have been sweet. One can only hope they panic and give Tkachuk the same type of massive overpay of an offer...
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