The obvious slot for upgrade is Mangiapane. And I like the player. BUT, that 5.8m or whatever is where the capital will need to come from, to acquire someone that makes an actual — you know — difference?
Other than that, it’ll be an injury replacement, I fear. With Ovy out, this team has slowed their goal roll, like quite a lot. Which is concerning.
So that’s where I would look, were I running the team.
Edit — I could see a trade for Michael Granlund. Mangiapane going the other way to absorb salary.
Issue would be cost. He probably would be EXpensive. But he’s been really good in San Jose, and would make sense as a top 6F (or top 9) to supplant the current team.
I DO worry that Protas and CMM will slow down. So having another versatile forward to plug in would be a major plus.