What I think happens if Johnny walks is the team takes a big run at Forsberg and maybe has a shot there thanks to all the Swedish players on the roster. I think that is a downgrade and a mistake overall but I don’t know if they shift to rebuild just because Johnny leaves.
I think they should go full tear down if Johnny walks because they have some very valuable assets lead by Lindholm and Tkachuk. 2 years at $4.85M for a 27/28 year old number 1 C is a great value that many contenders will find a way to afford.
Markstrom would also have to move and I am not sure he would be interested in waiving but if the team strips it down he might be open to it.
Tkachuk is worth a ton in my opinion and would bring back several building block assets. I do the same with Mangiapane and if he is not interested in a long term fair deal for a 60pt player then see what you can get for him. Hanifin has a bunch of value and could be moved the same with Anderson.
I don’t think going after Bedard is easy but it is a direction and a choice the team could make and they could rebuild their prospect base quickly if they sell off the key pieces of the core.
If Johnny stays then the thought would be retooling this team and trying to win again next year. This is the more realistic option in my opinion but it is ultimately Johnny’s choice.
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