Would fill a need at RHD and give us some much needed youth on the backend.
What are you guys thoughts here?
I want to preface this by mentioning that Bill Zito has already cemented himself in the hall of fame as a GM and will go down as a franchise legend in his own right. In that regard, he has nothing to prove. But judging how he handles the upcoming offseason, has the potential to land him in GOAT conversations amongst GMs.
With Bob starting to show his age and with the likes of Montreal and Buffalo ascending the ranks with young and very talented rosters, Toronto landing the 1OA, and Tampa still being a strong team, Zito will have his work cut out for him. There is a lot he’s going to have to take into consideration here:
At full health, not much is different with this roster vs the one that won it all in 2025. We have our core locked up for the long haul and most of our depth is there too. But there are also concerns. The roster is getting older, with guys like Barkov, Reinhart, Jones, Ekblad, Bennett, and Verhaeghe all on the other side of 30 years. Against some of these teams with tons of youth and speed, it could be problematic. Also, how much does Marchand still have left? Can he continue to play at this level going into next season? And finally, what do we do at goaltender? Do we roll with Bobrovsky again with Tarasov, or do we make a play at one of Gustavsson, Cooley or Wedgewood? Or do we potentially try and take a swing at landing Hellebuyck or Shesterkin?
If Zito plays his cards right, it could extend our championship window significantly.
I’m interested in hearing whatever everyone here thinks we might do. In terms of prospects and picks, the 9th overall pick for this year, Mackie, Vilmanis and maybe Studnicka are potential bargaining chips for a trade. In terms of cap space, we have just over $15.5 million in available space with Bob’s hit coming off the books. This leaves us some space to sign goaltenders plus sign depth or potentially make a splash signing.
What do you all think?
Can’t wait for the Cap to return next year.