Just spitballing:
Comtois - Matthews - Anderson
Bunting - Tavares - Marner
Holmberg - Nylander - Engvall
McMann - Kampf - Blackwell
Steeves, Kase (if healthy)
Rielly - Brodie
Giordano - Liljegren
Muzzin - Sandin
Rubins (whoever doesn't need dev time anymore)
Mrazek
UFA whoever/Kallgren
I have projected Maxime Comtois (
currently a Duck @ 2.03M with more dollars than cap hit for 1 year left) as a cheapo top-6 winger in a trade as a buy-low-make-good get. But it could be a higher profile LW to add to Matthews' wing (what's up, Taylor Hall?).
I've pushed Bunting and Marner down to maximize Tavares. Matthews isn't chasing individual records now, so the team depth performance takes higher priority. I'm grooming Nylander to take over 2C with a Swedish 3rd line.
I've graduated Holmberg, McMann and Anderson; nominally add Steeves and Rubins but these could easily be Robertson and Kral, but I prefer they get top minutes for development. If the team can see a role for him, Ho-Sang should get a look, but there isn't really a centre on the team that complements.
There should be money to accrue cap space for a bigger fish(es) at the deadline, but I ain't going to bother with the math.