1. Sign Thomas Greiss to a two year deal worth 900K per season. Greiss generally puts up reliable numbers, moreso than former backup Ray Emery. The Flyers get to smirk at the Penguins by stealing their goalie that used to have potential to be a No.1 goalie. If Mason goes down again, then maybe that finally could come to fruition. I suspect he'll come cheap.
2. The solution for the D won't be easy. Think you can easily offload Schenn? Grossmann? MacDonald? I'd say think again. Thank Holmgren, but chances are, you'll either have to buyout a guy or else Morin/Sanheim/Gostisbehere are going to have to wait to get into the lineup. For the current lineup purpose, we'll buyout Nicklas Grossmann, but I'm VERY curious as to how Hextall will get out of this. The Flyers may have to go right up against the cap and wait for a team to lose a D to injury in training camp.
3. Buyout Nicklas Grossmann and Vincent Lecavalier. That's my current solution for the financial problems until a GM takes on one of the other Flyers D. This will shave quite a bit of money but unfortunately will cause money to linger for later. Both just haven't done much or have been ineffective or injured. It's also not inconceivable that this team buys out Umberger next year and the payroll becomes a goat rodeo.
4. Re-sign Jason Akeson and Ryan White to a one year deals. This is strictly so that Zac Rinaldo doesn't have to play every game. Or even half of them.
5. Sign Carl Soderberg to a two year deal worth 4.5M per season. It's Philadelphia. I don't know how they're going to do it, but they're going to do it. We all see it coming. Typical Flyers splash. I'm not sure if they believe that Couturier is a No.2 C, and Soderberg gives them nice depth there.
If I find a solution with another team involving the Flyers, I will change this lineup as I believe this lineup will be right up against the cap, and I mean right up as in riding it hard.
Voracek-Giroux-Simmonds
Schenn-Soderberg-Read
Umberger-Couturier-Raffl
Laughton-Bellerose-Akeson
Cousins/White (Rinaldo)
Streit-Schultz
Medvedev-Schenn
MacDonald-Del Zotto
Gudas
Mason
Greiss
BLUE JACKETS REALISTIC OFFSEASON
1. Give Anton Forsberg the backup job. He posted stellar AHL numbers, earning himself the position.
2. Sign Barret Jackman to a 2 year deal worth 3.1M per season. Jackman will be a calm D-man for a Jackets team needing more of a hard nosed No.4 D-man.
3. Stay healthy. This is not a team that needs to make a lot of roster moves. They just need to stay healthy.
Hartnell-Johansen-Foligno
Jenner-Dubinsky-Atkinson
Calvert-Anisimov-Clarkson
Bourque-Wennberg-Dano
Rychel/Morin
Johnson-Savard
Tyutin-Jackman
Murray-Prout
Connauton
Bobrovsky
Forsberg
SHARKS REALISTIC OFFSEASON
1. Keep Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. Like they have a choice.
2. Watch the status of Raffi Torres. If he can't go, then GO-DOLBIN. The Sharks could use the hands of Goldobin in their lineup but they also really need Torres to be back and healthy.
3. Buyout Mike Brown and Adam Burish. Neither are very effective for the Sharks.
3. Sign Cody Franson to a 3 year deal worth 4.75M per season. The Sharks need the defensive depth, and Franson's PP ability allows them to stick Burns in front of the net if they'd like. Franson would automatically be their second best offensive D-man.
4. Sharks trade their 2016 2nd round pick to Canucks for Ryan Miller. Canucks shave salary, and a lot of it. The Sharks trade for a No.1 goalie that gives them one last kick at the Stanley Cup can before it all goes to hell. If Devan Dubnyk talks fall through with Minnesota, then he's the No.1 target, but chances are good that the Wild re-sign him. Also, it's Doug Wilson. I expect crazy.
Hertl-Thornton-Pavelski
Marleau-Couture-Wingels
Karlsson-Tierney-Nieto
Torres-Smith-Goodrow
Goldobin/Donskoi
Vlasic-Braun
Dillon-Burns
Mueller-Franson
Tennyson
Miller
Stalock