Cap goes up by 10M. Rantanen gets a 4M raise. Makar gets a 6M raise. That's the extra space used. But consider this: Drouin needs a raise, Blackwood or some other goalie needs a raise, Mittelstadt needs a raise, Lehkonen needs a raise, maybe even Colton. Girard needs a new deal or a replacement, Manson needs a replacement. We can't fill all these holes. Drouin walks we save 1.5M (comparing to replacing with 1M players), Lehkonen walks we save 3.5M. Colton walks we save 3M. It's hard to say how much Mittelstadt will make, but we'd have 8M to spend on his raise and a 1G raise. Best case scenario half to each is enough: Mitts signs for around 10M and 1G for 5M. Girard/Manson may be replaceable at their current cost. So what we have is 4 top six forwards, 4 top four defenseman, 1 starter goalie. Compared to our current strength we leave holes at Drouins, Lehkonens and Coltons spots. LOC and Wood are in the top six. No money for a good backup goalie.
It's doable sure, but every penny counts.