I would've liked to see Drury get creative here...
Matheson in Montreal I liked as a target. His contract is team friendly (2 years left, 4.875 per) and there was some speculation that he could be moved with Lane Hutson coming into the mix over there. He wouldn't be getting the same PP time he's getting in MTL but he'd likely fill in on the 2nd unit. Would help our D's ability to move the puck.
Provorov in Columbus is another one on a team friendly deal (1 year, 4.73 per). He doesn't have the same shine he had when he looked like a budding star coming into the league, but he's also played on a lot of bad teams. Maybe the right situation puts him back on track.
Drury dropped the ball on the Chychrun trade. That was the deal to make. He was dealt for peanuts. Lindgren has durability issues, Chychurn has durability issues... which one would you rather when they're healthy? Similar money... that one was a bummer. Sucks he wasn't in on it
Aside from that, very slim pickings. The market turned out to be garbage even with the cap rising, what was the alternative? I liked the idea of Skjei this summer, then he went and signed for 7 years at 7 Mil per. He's 30 years old already, no thanks. Zadorov signed for 6 years at 5 Mil per. So I don't have much of an issue with the Lindgren deal. I'm not as down on him as some, I just think we could've made an upgrade there. And based on this team's needs, 5v5 scoring has been a weak spot for years.. adding a defender or 2 that can move the puck and generate some offense should help in that regard. Oh well, it'll all come down to Lindgren's health. He's not a bad player, he's got the shutdown ability, the physicality, somewhat competent enough with the puck... its just all those things come down a notch or 2 with all the wear and tear