[!Nhan]

Originally Posted by hotshot1

Apparently the cap is gonna be between "60.5 million and $63.5" according to Bill Daley, the Deputy Commissioner. I'm gonna go with 62m because it's the average. That's 2.6m increase.

Anyway, this is what it looks like next year: The total's 47.34 so there's flexibility.

Sedins (12.2) - Burrows (2)
Raymond (2.55) - Kesler (5) - Samuelsson (2.5)
Malholtra (2.5)
Hodgson (1.66)

Hamhuis (4.5) - Edler (3.25)
Ballard (4.2) - Rome (.75)

Luongo (5.33)
Schneider (.9)

For my first scenario, trade Ballard asap for picks because 4.2m for 10 mins a game and multiple healthy scratches is just terrible. Re-sign Hansen (1.5), Lapierre (1), Torres (1.5), Tambellini (1), Bieksa (4), and Ehrhoff (6) .If they can be signed for those numbers, that's 15m which would leave 62 - (47.34 + 15 - 4.2) = 3.86m free'd up space to get a real 2nd line player for Kesler to play with. So... the team basically stays the same, which might be good considering we just went to the finals or bad considering we lost. Anyway, feel free to grill me.

For my second scenario, resign Hansen, Lapierre, Torres, Tambellini, and Bieksa for those numbers (9m in total). Then I would try to trade Schneider, Hodgson, and picks for a legit 1st/2nd line player.

I got the numbers off capgeek.com btw. Again, feel free to grill me on my numbers or my thinking.

I don't think Ehrhoff is a 6 mill dman, and I think Juice is worth more than only 4 mill.

Realistically speaking these guys can fetch 5 mill on the free market easily. 6 is pushing it