I think part of what you do is project ahead what your D starts to look like. The pipeline isn’t great right now, apart from Kylington. In fact, I don’t know if there is a single other legitimate D prospect in the system.
So what do we have
Gio: still playing at a very high level, and is a fitness fiend. Any drop off in the next 2-3 years probably means he’s still a top 4
Hanifin: young and immense upside. Long-term top 2
Valimaaki: long term top 4
Hamonic: Mid-term top 4, who settles into a #5 role ideally. Probably will be affordable and motivated to sign back in Calgary
Andersson: Looks good so far. Is he a top 4 guy or strong #5?
Brodie: Wild card. But perhaps the guy you move on from via trade to fill a gap elsewhere. But I share others’ vies that his warts are probably unknown
Kylington: Wild Card #2. Can this guy play in the NHL and if so how high in your lineup?
Stone: Guy you move on from
So in the long-run that leaves you with potentially something like (I’ve not looked at RHD/LHD here AT ALL)
Hanifin-Valimaaki
Gio-Andersson
Hamonic-Kylington
Means you probably can move on from a guy like Brodie, perhaps after this season
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