What Gorts should do:
1. Trade Zibanejad to Minnesota for Zucker and Kaprizov
Rationale: Leopold really do not want to rebuild. He wants the gate money. They are not really in a great position to rebuild with a lot of fairly good players, many which would be hard to move... The Nino/Rask trade was all about getting a center. There are no centers available. Would they really turn down Zibanejad?
Zucker haven't performed in the POs for Minny, or so they say.
For us Kaprizov is the key. Kaprizov is a really good player. He isn't Crosby-Malkin-McD level. But he is up there with the likes of Barzal, Keller level. One more year in the KHL after this season, then he will come over.
2. Trade Zucker to Colorado for Colorado's 1st (or the first from another similar team)
Rationale: Zucker as a trade piece is the carbon copy of Stepan when we moved him, with the not so slight difference that he is a winger not a center. His NTC kicks in this summer. Four more years at 5.5m per. He just turned 27. If you need secondary scoring for the coming 3-4 years he is a good option.
Sure, I have no clue if Sakic would trade his 1st or not. But some team -- not looking to go deep in the POs and that potentially can miss it, would probably be interested.
3. Trade Hayes, try to set the price to it being Hayes and a conditional 2nd round pick for two 1st round picks and a prospect, the condition on our 2nd is that the other team gets it as long as they do not win the Cup
Rationale: I think some will get a hick-up on the value aspect of this trade, who would give up two 1st for a rental? But in fact -- as long as the other team don't win the Cup -- its Hayes for a 1st and a prospect + only the difference between our 2nd next season (32-40) and the Cup winner's 1st round pick next season (what 26-31). If they win the Cup they dealt two 1st for Hayes, should be acceptable.
Anyway, if its not possible, get the best return you can for him.
4. Trade Zucc for the best return you can for him.
Try to get a 1st straight up, add if its necessary. Throw in a LD prospect, we have so many of them.
5. Trade Shatty 50% retained for whatever you can get
6. Trade Smith 50% retained for whatever you can get
7. Trade Namestnikov for a 2nd rounder
Off-season
8. Sign Panarin 7 years x 10.5m
Rationale: At this point this is a no-brainer for me. Its apples and oranges comparing signing Panarin if the above house cleaning isn't done with if its done. After the above moves we more or less have zero commitments following the two coming seasons. With Ziba gone we need a RHS forward that can play on the PP and make the kids around him better. At the end of that deal Panarin might not be great, but big deal. He would be 34 y/o his last year. Not 40. Zach Parise is 34 y/o today and has 6 years left on his deal... Those last years its perfectly possible that 5-6m per would be a better sum for him, but he wouldn't be worthless and you will always carry a bad contract or two. He will really help the kids the coming years, our offense will die completely if we don't have any RHS.
9. Resign Kreider
Rationale: See the above more or less.
END-GAME
Our Farm
We stink out the joint the coming months and our 1st ends up -- at least -- in the top 4-8 range. Not a bad shot at it being higher than that... We get another 1st round pick in the Zucker trade that should be 10-20. Can get a really good kid there. Two more very late 1st round picks and another next season. A total of 3-4 second rounders.
Our farm would be so stocked. Kaprizov would probably be the highest potential kid. Kravtsov will become a really good player. Chytil. And our top pick this summer should fetch us another really good forward. Lias should become a real clutch guy up front.
The next phase starts in the summer of 2019
For me the key is to start the next phase of the rebuild ASAP, and no later than the summer of 2019. Right now -- We are not "rebuilding" we are "down-tearing". Its the rebuilding part that is the hard part. Not collecting assets and getting rid of vets.
Gorts would literary have all the ammo in the world to do whatever he wants. Going into 2019/20 he really needs to start putting the parts together on the ice that hopefully can get us out of the rebuild in 21'-23'. As it is today, we cannot attract any UDFA, we have a log-jam at all positions. After the above moves it would be the opposite, we would have openings all over. Get those UDFAs. Sign interesting reclamation projects, like Rozival was for example. Make trades, get Ds that are lost in the number game elsewhere. Give our younger players a real shot at making the NHL.
Having made nine 1st round picks and multiple 2nd round picks the previous three years, its no concern what-so-ever to deal one of them and other assets if a bigger name, like say a Jake Trouba, becomes available. Try to add pieces to the team.
In the 19/20 season we would probably get another top 10 pick. Some assets we pick up along the way would be sell-able at the deadline surely, and hence also probably get multiple 1st round picks again.
The 2020/21 season
The big price -- Kaprizov -- joins the team. Barzal like performer from day 1. With the above approach, between Lias and Chytil. Kravtsov and our top pick in 19', our top pick in 20' that might be ready and Kaprizov, Panarin and Kreider, Howden, the blueline Gorton have tried to assemble the previous years -- we should be able to be that young super electric, albeit naive, team in 20/21. Hank and Staal are still here. Getting into the POs would be great, but we should at least get close. Get a lot of good things going.
The 2021/22 season
We finally get out of Hank's contract, Staal's contract, the retention on Smith and Shatty. Over 20m are cleared over night. There is an expansion draft with all the chaos that brings -- its perfect timing for us after having made the above moves. Ton of flexibility. A lot already in place. All the cap space in the world.
Make a "Tavares" move. Help the kids we already have. Complete the project of building a blueline.