I love a little Tre bashing but this year he deserves credit for putting together a good regular season team. I don't blame him at all for the Toffoli deal, as it was relatively cheap. Where I blame him completely was last off-season. The core three of Monahan, Tkachuk, Gaudreau was clearly not sized for the playoffs, based on totally getting dominated each year before. It was clear as day. Having said that, Gaudreau's regular season really was special and came out of nowhere. And he's shown me he should be part of the core, but as your second option, much like Marner is for the Leafs. Can't expect a guy not particularly strong and undersized, to be your first option. So what's his appropriate cost given where he'll contribute in the future? I'd say ~$8.5M.
Tkachuk really does have a unique skillset, but at this point I'd dangle him at the draft in a sign and trade scenario. Would Ottawa like the guy to play with his brother? Perfect.
This team has a very average defence core and is limited on high end talent, and that high end talent and high end defence can really only be acquired through the draft. It's a very very tough place to be right now.
Additionally, how they move on from Monahan will be extraordinarily key for how they spend money in the future. They absolutely cannot be giving out crazy contracts so guys stay in the city. If Gaudreau wants the world ($11M+), let him walk.
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