regardless of if we get weber or not we should make the playoffs this year. the lines look much different with jagr and others gone. my guess on the lines.
hartnell-giroux-briere
fedetenko-schenn-simmonds
vorachek-couterier-read
rinaldo-wellwood-talbot
shelley/sestito
timo-coburn
grossman-schenn
gervais-mezaros
lilja
bryz
leighton
where things will get interesting is after this season. we have over 15mil coming off the books as UFA (hartnell, fedetenko, shelley, timmonen, lilja, leighton) simmonds, wellwood and rinaldo are the onlyRFA we would need to resign.
this is where i really like the weber offer. IF we do get him, the cap hit will be much easier to deal with after next year. I honestly think timo is done after next year which gives us over 6mil in cap space and i know some of you might disagree here but if the young kids have a great season, hartnell is let go after the season too. that would be another 4mil.
another twist for after next season could be
corey perry and
ryan getzlaf. both are UFA and i think either of them would look really good next to giroux on the top line. Fuk
rick nash and
bobby ryan, wait a little, keep the young guys together and pay a ****load for 1 of them.
now look at my line up again and put weber where timo is and perry/getzlaf where hartnell is. i know there will be some tinkering to that cause homer always is trying to make the team better but i think a core group of giroux, weber, perry or getzlaf plus the kids is gonna be a really good team and a force in the east for years to come.