Addressing Offseason Needs: Free Agency Thread

[UTMCretin]

A year ago at this time, we had come off a season where we underperformed and barely squeaked into the playoffs. The year ended up being a colossal success due to a miracle playoff run, which ended up raising expectations for the 2006-2007 season. Under those developments, the year has been a horrible failure; from a couple goals away from the Stanley Cup to losing nearly all of our best players and being demoted to the 6th worst record in the league. We even failed in picking up a higher spot in the draft, so putting a positive spin on the past 7 months would be hard. The point then becomes: How do we rebuild this team back to a stage where we can contend again for the playoffs next year? Or would it just be better to undergo a long and possibly more 'rewarding in the long run' type rebuild of this team?

Well, regardless of better, Lowe will no doubt move for the former as nearly any GM would and should in the NHL. Preceding the lockout season, we missed the playoffs for the second time in three years. A change was inevitable, and Lowe shook up the entire roster. The result, as mentioned earlier, was eventually successful once Lowe addressed our needs at goaltender.

So, after a season in which both Lowe and MacTavish's jobs are both in jeopardy, what moves can/will Lowe make to improve this team for the short term? What moves should he make? Lowe has stated that he is looking for a top offensive forward to pair with Hemsky on the top line, so who might that be? Finally, what are our most trying needs on this team, and who should we go after?

We need a great deal of defensive depth and scoring punch, which would probably be best added through FA (provided we don't pay too much), but more likely added through trade. With that in mind, fire away with suggestions, wet dreams, and hopefuls alike. This team has a lot of needs and that cannot be understated. Free agency opens July 1st

[UTMCretin]

Worth noting that MacT has been spotted scouting the Nashville-San Jose series. Notable because Nashville is a prime candidate to move someone in the offseason due to cap restraints, plus they have a lot of good talent that I'm sure Lowe is interested in