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The C&B writers were chatting via email the other day and an interesting topic came up: the teams who are currently cap-locked and need to make a move to have flexibility. To wit:
DZ:Flyers: Braydon CoburnRangers: $3.3 million in space ($4.8 million if they send Krieder and John Moore to the AHL) to sign Derek Stepan and Mats Zuccarello.Hurricanes: Missing 2/3 of it's 3rd line and a 4th line fwd with only $5.4 million in space.Coyotes: missing a 1st LW and 3rd LW but will get Mikkel Boedker to sign RFA, leaving them ~$5.5 for 1LW and 2 press box fwds.Leafs: $9 million to sign Kadri, Komarov, and Franson with Gunnarson and Fraser in arbitration.
JP:Not to mention teams with their own internal budgets. I can't help thinking the Predators is going to have to shed money based on their history of spending in the low 50s. Probably other teams as well.
DZ:Consider those, does that make Braydon Coburn, Brian Boyle, Anton Stralman, Trevor Lewis, Joni Pitkanen, David Moss, and Nikolai Kulemin all available for non-roster things?
Which position should the Oilers address in this manner? Who else could be available for the Oilers in the coming weeks? What would you be comfortable moving to snag one of these players? Who would you target?