This could be the top 9 for the ‘26 season if that trade occurred.
Zegras – MacTavish – Michkov
Tippett – Coots – Martone
Luchenko – Cates – Foerster
Brink becomes expendable. This is also if we fail to get Shabanov. Shabanov could replace Jett and make the bottom 6 something like
Shabanov – Cates – Foerster
Hathaway – Luchenko – Brink.
Eventually Coots falls down the depth chart and Cates/Luchenko move up.
Just spitballin’. I like TK, but I think this rounds out the scoring more and it could give us caps room to focus on defense.
Obviously there will be changes between now and then. Plus Barkey may be an NHLer by the that time.
