1.) Sit down with every UFA and tell them that either they sign an extension a week before the deadline or they will be moved.
As a rebuilding team for the next two or so years, there is no reason to loose assets. 4th round picks can be packaged into 3rd round picks, 3rds into 2nds etc.
Plus, if they want to stay here, it shouldn't be hard to come to terms on deals. We can give them above market value at reasonable term since we aren't after any big fish.
2.) Find ways to get high end assets. We need to make 3 picks in the top 20 of the next two drafts.
Our first pick is a no brainer (in that we will make it, not who we will pick). We need to find ways to move up with whatever other 1st round picks we get to get back into the 10-20 range. Package our 3 2nds or prospects like Adam/McNabb to make it happen.
3.) Identify the right vets for the rebuild.
We won't get the Iginlas, or other stars looking for a cup in their waning years, but we can get former cup winners (Jagr types) who can still contribute in 2nd/3rd line, 5th/6th dman roles that we can ship off for more assets at the deadline.
4.) Continue to make low risk/high reward moves.
Waiver wire/5-7th round picks should be spent trying to find someone else's cast-off who didn't mesh for whatever reason. We can afford to offer them top-6, top-4 roles to see if they can hack it in the big leagues.
5.) Target a young but established top line player on the outs and make a trade for him, but not until 2016.
We need to be on the receiving end of the next Seguin deal. Tank-on for now, and after the 2015 draft, go get E Kane, or whoever it happens to be two years from now, to end the rebuild. That would give us a top line that looks like Reinhart/McDavid/Kane for the future.
