We can't splurge for a Hanifin as long as Trouba is on the books. We have nearly 18 million dollars tied up in our top two RD. Regardless of the cap going up, adding another 7-8 (optimistically) million dollar defenseman means saying goodbye to guys like Kakko, Laf, Chytil, and maybe Miller. It's too top heavy. The team doesn't seem interested in doing this, but moving Trouba and picking up a top pair LD with that money would balance the d pairs out nicely (KAM and Schneider could easily handle second pair duties).
Calgary fans also seem like their big need are center and defense prospects. We don't have any.
I'm not opposed to giving Lindgren another contract, but there can't be a raise with it--it would need to be a contract based on what he actually is rather than how the team has played him. And even then, it's only because of his value to the locker room (I know a lot of folks discount the human factor, but chemistry is a real, and important, thing in team sports). As much as I don't want the team to overpay him by a ton, I'm also not going to discount the fact that he's been described as "the single best teammate any of us has ever had" either. I just think he can BE that teammate with 3rd pair and PK minutes rather than 1st pair.
