I would look to trade Butler for a mid-round pick if possible. Otherwise, re-sign him to a one year contract for depth purposes. He's not a top 4 defenseman and really won't become one. He's a 6th/7th defenseman on a good team.
It's slim pickings this year as far as UFA defensemen are concerned. I would look into signing Ron Hainsey to a 2-3 year contract for $3-3.5M. He's a capable #4 defenseman who has really turned into a solid defenseman. Grant Clitsome would be a nice Butler replacement but no need to overpay. The other option is to explore the trade route. Maybe try to pick up a guy like Meszaros (2nd-3rd round pick) or Ballard (6th or 7th round pick) for cheap... guys who can play a top 4 role on this team and fit into Hartley's system.
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Originally Posted by moon
Wiseman has been awful this year in the first year of a long term huge money deal. If he isnt close to a good value in year one of his deal unlikely he will come close to good value as he ages.
He is pathetic in his own zone and not close to good enough to make up for it offensively. Time to dump his albatross contract as soon as possible so it doesn't drag us down when we are ready to compete.
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I think Wideman has pretty much come as advertised. He has 6 goals and 22 points including 4 PP goals. That's in line with the type of offensive production expected of him. Anybody who has seen Wideman play will tell you that he can be an absolute liability on the defense end. His defensive deficiencies is simply magnified by the fact that this team isn't good defensively and he plays so many minutes. Whether you think his offense makes up for his defensive struggles is debatable, but he's really been no worse than he has been throughout his career.