This team HAS to be competitive next year. Another year with minor improvement is not going to cut it. I don't even understand how some people can be content with better goal differential and a few more points. Like woo, freaking, ho. The moment we landed McDavid the clock started ticking. As CupOfOil said, status quo is NOT an option.
Now, I'm not saying we have to blow the whole thing up, but there has to be some major changes. I'd prefer if two of RNH/Eberle/Hall was gone, but at the very least one of them should be moved. I actually think we have some good depth throughout the lineup now and a couple of good pieces in place. Talbot, Sekera and Maroon are all guys that help this team and the emergence of Davidson is helping too.
Klefbom/Sekera/Nurse/Davidson are 4 good d-men to build around but we need one top pairing guy and one middle pairing guy (preferably another top pairing but lets be realistic, thats not happening) to have a solid blueline. Up front we already have our two centres in McDavid and Drai. Insulating them with the right wingers should be the easy part. If you keep Hall, Pouliot and Maroon your left side is set. On the right side you could sign one of Eriksson/Okposo/Backes and Brouwer and you'd be set there too. Talbot seems to have emerged as our starting goaltender so that's already taken care of as well.
Hall-Draisaitl-Okposo
Pouliot-McDavid-Brouwer
Maroon-XXX-Korpi
Hendricks-Letestu-Pakarinen
Klefbom-YYY
Sekera-ZZZ
Davidson-Nurse
Talbot
Brossoit/Cheap backup
That's a pretty decent team if you can fill in the blanks with a legit #3C and find two top4 d-men. But between RNH, Eberle and our 2016 1st round pick you really should be able to add some quality pieces. For instance, with those pieces you should be able to add Hamonic and Trouba/Vatanen (or sign Demers in FA) to fill those two spots on the blueline. Suddenly you're a much better team.
Something along those lines is what I hope will (and think is necessary to) happen. Another year of just shuffling deck chairs won't cut it.