what if Sundin doesn't sign? this would be my plan B actually it would be my plan A I don't want Sundin he's way too insecure...
1st Do whatever it takes to land Teemu Selanne - Selanne proved to himself last year that he is not ready for retirement when he came back; he is 38 years old but still is among the elite scorers in the league, yet not a defensive liability. Selanne is a power play monster and can easily replace what was lost to Mark Streit. I am sure he would love to help his buddy Saku win one for the most storied franchise in the NHL in its centennial year. Plus this puts Koivu’s morale through the roof. If Sundin Signs Saku is replaced, if they get Teemu he has a line mate! Teemu instantly gives Saku a career year.
Cap Hit - 6M
Current Cap - 0 .56 M
2nd Trade for Sami Pahlsson and Francois Beauchemin - Anaheim is still 3.2M over the cap and with Selanne signed they no longer need to move Schneider keeping their amazing defense corps in tact. I would give up a 3rd (or 2nd) rounder, a 5th rounder and a mid-level prospect (someone like Matt D'Agostini 6.0C). I love Pahlsson and I think he would fit in perfectly on the 4th line, speed, grit and experience, not to mention his penalty killing prowess and 55 percent face-off clip while ranking third in SH face-off wins. He will help Lapierre and Chipchura immensely. Beauchemin is a precursor for my next trade but I think he is an underrated 2nd pairing defensemen averaging more than 25 minutes TOI. Anaheim benefits as they are under the cap without giving any big pieces, while receiving more than fair value (I think a 2nd rounder is needed to get it done personally).
Cap Hit 3.05M
Current Cap - (-) 3.6M
3rd Trade Mathieu Dandenault and Francis Bouillon strictly as salary dumps - I would attempt to trade both as a package to LA. They only have 4 NHL defensemen under contract for next year, and they still haven’t even hit the salary floor. Both blue liners are UFA’s next year so there are no long term effects. And both are very serviceable 3rd pairing defensemen while Dandenault has demonstrated versatility. Take whatever Picks you can get in return.
Cap Hit - (-) 3.6M
Current Cap 0M
As you can see the numbers work out to near perfection. We should be spending to the cap in our Centennial year without a doubt.
Final Roster
Forwards
LW C RW
Andrei Kastsitsyn Tomas Plekanec Alexei Kovalev Line 1A
Alex Tanguay Saku Koivu Teemu Selanne Line 1B
Siarhei Kastsitsyn Chris Higgins Guillaume Latendresse Line 3
Tom Kostopoulos Sami Pahlsson Steve Bégin/ Line 4
Georges Laraque
Bench; Kyle Chipchura, Maxim Lapierre, Max Pacioretty (sub in against weaker teams)
No real defensive Liabilities, good 4th line shutdown unit. Latendresse and Laraque are the slowest players but line mate’s speed should make up for mistakes. Begin/Laraque should only play about 55-60 games with the other splitting the difference. Chipchura and Lapierre lose regular spots but were going for Lord Stanley’s Mug here. This lineup shows great depth and chemistry with adequate toughness as well as room for injuries, while nearly all the players assume their natural positions.
Defense
Andrei Markov Roman Hamrlik
Michael Komisarek Francois Beauchemin
Ryan O’Byrne Josh Gorges
Bench; Mathieu Carle, Shawn Belle, Ryan McDonagh, David Fischer
Goalies
Carey Price - 55 games, Marc Denis 20 Games, Jaroslav Halak 7 games
This unit brings all around defense with very good balance that I think can play any style of hockey be it physical or finesse, they are an extremely versatile group. Price should get the bulk of the starts with Denis as a backup, he was on TAMPA last year, and he’s not as bad as his numbers indicate. Halak plays 60 games in the AHL he needs to play more than 25 games in a season, unless some sort of 1A 1B situation is played but that hurts Price. Halak is used as trade bait at the deadline if the team is missing something.
My predictions, Line1A - 90 goals, Line 1B - 85 goals, Line 3 - 60 goals, Line 4 -15 goals, defense combine for 30 goals for a total of 280 goals, surpassing last years league leading number of 262 while not sacrificing defensively, and all key players are in contract years =) oh and Price wins 40 games!
What does everyone think? Don't be easy I can take it...what are your Plan B's?