If Oshie hangs them up--and even if he's still on the fence--they're going to need impact character almost as much as impact talent. Maybe that sounds hokey but it's true. They need character that can play, that's very fluid and dogged but The Culture needs players that will drag guys into the fight. It's my biggest concern after the investment in PLD. They can't be so caught up in upgrading skill that it's more of the frustrating or inconsistent variety. If they instead continue to sort of stockpile somewhat promising but inconsistent younger talent still finding their way that can pay off over time. Maybe there are smarter longer-term investments to be made along those lines...but they do need consistency, stability and leadership. Over time just stacking promise can provide depth to enable to impact trades but they need immediate impact ideally in all facets. Wilson isn't what he was. They don't have that nails Orpik type on the back-end unless maybe they make room for McIlrath in a depth role and work with him (somewhat risky albeit probably better than signing Zadorov to a hefty deal). Jensen probably isn't even on Niskanen's level. They haven't really replaced Orlov fully even. Carlson is a workhorse but needs more quality after him.
MacLellan needs a signature off-season with something closer to his initial Trotz/44/2 splash. They need youth, upside and dynamic talent that can break games wide open. But even after making the playoffs in Year 1 under Carbery and Hershey prevailing once again they've also got to keep leadership front of mind. Finding players that can not only help score next season but overall carry the torch 2-4 years from now is a big key I think. They can't be so desperate for talent that it's short-sighted in some key ways. This is the time to go big. They can go cheaper but winning every transaction isn't the goal. It's finding the right mix and sometimes paying ful price and full value is unavoidable. If that means they need to make more subtractions to make it fit so be it. Their priorities have to be in order.
Lastly I think they need to come up with a plan to get Leonard signed. He'll presumably be at development camp. They don't want to be too pushy about it. They're going to let him decide. But they need to make their case and go full court I think. They need Carbery mostly assessing him and his potential role next season. Perhaps a difficult thing to do with so much still up in the air but it seems like a missed opportunity not to. Miro is tracking well but they need this guy in the mix getting integrated and learning on the job. He's such a key transition piece. Are there moves that would improve their pitch? I don't know. Could they sign his brother for Hershey? Shrug. But he's ready and they need to instill the confidence and belief one way or another that finally gets him to make the jump.
