Barrie and Schwartz coming off IR, What moves should I make

[pdel21]

Hi all

Team is in signature file. With Schwartz and Barrie coming of IR very shortly I need to make some cuts to my roster to save 7.676 million. I know everyone's view on Ekblad, but I am keeping him for the foreseeable future unless I can find a trade partner, which there is none right now. Given that I am not going to drop Ekblad, what moves should I make. I was thinking of dropping Johansson ($4.583), Heed ($0.650), then for my last drop, either Silfverberg ($3.75)or C. Smith (($4.25). Aside from dropping Ekblad which I know some of you will say, who would you drop? Am I correct in either Silfverberg or C.Smith? If so which would you drop? Should it be someone else (other than Ekblad)?

[GSD]

At quick glance you start 6 D, yet have 9 on your roster. Too me that is too many to hold on your bench.I would look at He'd and Vechionne

[lucafen4]

wouldn't moving Ekblad to get BOTH back in the line up be worth it?

[pdel21]

wouldn't moving Ekblad to get BOTH back in the line up be worth it?

IF I could move him to another team for something, I would, but I can't. I can cut him, but here is the thing, with 10 teams in this league, and each team starting 6 D, that takes 60 D spots. Ekblad right now is 65th overall in defencemen scoring, using just goals and assists. I get that salary is high, but when you consider the teams have 84 total defencemen currently sitting on rosters in our league, he fits based on scoring alone. Dropping a number 1 overall draft pick when he might mature into something better is a risk on my part (I understand the word might here). I invested in him with my first overall pick the year he came in and I don't want to drop him now for nothing. On my roster, right now with the players who can play multiple positions, I have 9 eligible LW (Giroux, Neal, Gaudreau, Pearson, Johansson, Schwartz, Hartnell, Vesey, Perron), 8 eligible RW (Silfverberg, Smith, Zuccarello, Tuch, Wheeler, Vrana, Granlund, Neal) and 5 eligible C (Granlund, Vrana, Giroux, Monahan, Trocheck). I have 10 eligible D (Montour, Ekblad, Ekholm, Ellis, Barrie, Chabot, Heed, Sergachev, Theodore, Byfuglien). I figure Heed can go for sure, but that doesn't save much, putting me at 9 D. Looking at my LW, in my opinion, Johansson hasn't amounted to much. I think we know what he is as player, so if I drop him, that leaves 2.443 to cut. Hartnell would save me another million, but still need another player to cut, hence the thought of either Silfverberg or Smith being dropped. Right now, with everyone healthy, I line my team up this way (not accounting for number of games played through the week:

Gaudreau-Giroux-Wheeler

Perron-Trocheck-Granlund

Schwartz-Monahan-Zuccarello

Neal-Smith-Pearson

The next guy in would be Silfverberg. I could drop another defenceman, but the only ones with enough salary are Ekholm, Ekblad, Ellis, Barrie, Sergachev and Byfuglien and I am not particularly interested in parting with them, with the exception of maybe Ekholm if push came to shove.

[stevegamer]

I think the sig isn't updated, as the # of eligible centers in the post doesn't jive with the sig.The issue is that 65th place in defenseman scoring comes with a very high price tag. Heed's 98th, and has a low price tag. Many of us would cut Ekblad, but Ekblad's your guy, and I get that - so you have to make the other salaries work.

Johansson is at your deepest positon, and he has a significant salary, so he can go. I like Smith, so I guess that Leaves Silvferberg.