You can choose to be patient and always be a contender, ala the GB Packers who typically don't go out and spend big in Free Agency.
But, for Carolina, Aho and Pesce are due up in 2024. They can begin negotiations and sign this summer. But, Pasta got $11.25 and MacKinnon got $12.6 mill on their extensions. If Aho lands somewhere in between because he's a C, that's a $3 mill increase over his current deal and unlike going from ELC to your RFA deal, there's unlikely to be a significant bump in production when he turns 27. That's not old, but he made the NHL at 19, vs someone at 23. I don't foresee his production jumping up 25% moving forward. You're going to be paying more for the same production you have now. Same with Pesce. So, that's probably a $4-$5 mill increase against their combined cap of $12.5 mill to something in the $16.5 to $17.5 mill range.
So, that's going to eat up the projected bump of $4 mill or whatever in the cap. Seeing Wash and Pitt slide out of the contender status as Sid and Ovy age, but they will get replaced by other teams like NJ, Det, Buf, and whomever else is able to build a team. Always going to be competition to win. Like the NFL right now in the AFC who have the majority of the top QBs in the league. Just the way it goes. Maybe being patient works out, but maybe giving your current roster a shot could have worked out.