I don't; How can we justify a core 5? Which two - to a certainty - are we moving out and what assets are returning for them that mirror Knies?
Knies is a perfect example of what we need; Cost-controlled, heart and soul player, big, physical winger who plugs in everywhere up and down the lineup, irrespective of the Core 3 forward he plays with.
Moreover, if chemistry means anything, the fact Rantanen isn't gelling in Carolina of all places, should be terrifying to GMs. It would be to me. And in our pressure-filled market with a wilting captain and two of the Core 4 pieces up for renewal, this reads like a situation we should NOT be involved in.
Here's a hypothetical: If you could have Rantanen for Knies or Tuch for Cowan who would you take? I would prefer that same energy going after Alex Tuch and using our primary assets to get there, and by there, I mean $4.5M x 2 for another Knies-type player. Cowan would be gone in a blink if I was GM and Tuch was available.
And what Tanev's absence has demonstrated is that what we need are defenseman who can play defense. They're not cheap, but Seeler, Oleksiak, Soucy types are not going to cost us Cowan. Then we're left with a 3C. I might err towards Laughton (Or Cates?) if priced under Minten or with Minten if RR accompanies; But if Pius Suter is available, heck, if Kevin Stenlund is available, I'd plug our hole and by committee, use what we got to make as sure as we could to start with the puck as often as possible.
Sir Alex Ferguson would move star after star if they but modestly transgressed against the club's architecture. Big names. And as an organization, we need to get to that mindset quick and the idea of moving Knies to complete the new Muskoka 5 just boils my blood.