Defense next year in GR will be fine. They'll not "probably" add an AHL vet, they'll definitely have a second AHL vet and probably a third, perhaps bringing back Didier (who wore the 'C' this year) and/or Simek.
The Griffins will be at least competitive again next season even without Berggren, Edvinsson, AlJo and possibly Kasper. There's always some veteran turnover but they'll want to bring back 2-3 of Czarnik, Hriose, Luff, L'Esperance and replace those who don't come back with similar quality. There will be dozens of AHL free agent vets this summer, as always. No trouble making the expanded playoffs and this year is a good reminder of how useful a couple playoff series wins can be for prospect development.