Although I'm not a huge fan of rentals and using picks, but if this team is comfortably in 4-6th place in the league, I think I'd be okay moving it.
Order of preference:
- If the Flyers fall out, Claude Giroux
- If Dallas doesn't improve, Joe Pavelski
- If he doesn't sign longterm, because that's all this team knows how to do, Tomas Hertl.
I think all three guys slot into that 2C role that would make Calgary infinitely deeper, and much harder to match-up with. All three guys are 'Sutter' mold players; 200-foot guys that you can in theory play in each zone.
I think outside of Hertl, the other two you have a chance to keep a bit longer too if that's what they want to do (like, for example, if Calgary went to the finals, I think G and Pavelski would be open to staying for a couple more seasons).
Lines things up a bit better, and makes things a lot messier to deal with.
Gaudreau - Lindholm - Tkachuk
- Can continue to be a line that dominates play and controls the puck all night.
Mangiapane - Giroux/Pavelski/Hertl - Coleman
- Giroux and Mangiapane would be a first line on 50% of the teams in the NHL, G's had 40+ (pro-rated in some cases) assists since 2010. Think about that. Think about one of our best scorers with a nose for the net, and a guy who can just get him the puck. Coleman provides the juice on the line.
Dube - Backlund - Pitlick
- Match'em up anywhere, against anyone, play them 17 minutes a night, can maybe even chip in a bit; this has a big playoff goal written on it to be honest.
Lucic - Richardson/Monahan - Lewis
- Preference would be to find Monahan a new home somewhere. That cap needs to open up, and he's going to lose his PP time to the guy we bring in anyway. Richardson is a perfectly capable fourth line centre. And if the line above it had 'playoff heroics' kind of feel to it, this one has that character feel; like someone's going to do something important if they go on a run.