They have to clear space this off season and either trade or sign a legitimate top line center. If you cannot trade for one sign Marner or Rantanen, both are wings but both should be able to carry a line.
See what Marchand will take, it needs to be team friendly. Coyle and Carlo get you 9 million plus in cap space, whatever you get back is a plus, the cap space is huge. I have no idea what to do with Elias Lindholm, just a huge disappointment. You can't buy him out and it looks awful to trade a newly signed free agent a year after signing him. They have to figure a way to make him productive but they cannot afford two number 3 centers in Coyle and Lindholm for almost 13 million in cap space.
There will not be a tear down and rebuild, Jacobs is not sacrificing playoff gates for more than a year or two. They will do what they did in 2015. Move a key player or two and try to fill in those spots while your draft picks get ready. Sweeney did an OK job with his return for Lucic and Hamilton but then screwed up a generational draft and is paying for that now ( Zach Senyshyn. JFK. WTF)