Canadiens Trade:

RW   $1.0m (2024)   Filip Mesar             
C   $0.9m (2024)   Owen Beck

for

Kraken Trade:
C   $5.0m (2026)   Jared McCann      

I swapped some good prospects for an NHL contributor as a I need a fair number of them still. 
     

Canadiens are interested in your RFAs.  If you cannot afford a dude let me know and maybe I can offer you something before you drop em.

Canadiens Trade:
C   $7.9m (2027)   Nick Suzuki      
LW   $7.9m (2028)   Cole Caufield      
1st round pick 25 in 2024

for

Devils Trade:
C   $8.0m (2028)   Jack Hughes
D   $0.9m (2024)   Luke Hughes   
D   P-n/a   Seamus Casey   

I am slowly trying to collect all the Hughes family.  Quinn Hughes is up next.  Just really swapping good young NHLers for good young NHLers.  Production is similar, so this was mostly a preference trade for me.       

Released Players
C Christian Dvorak
C Jake Evans
C Alex Newhook
C Lucas Condotta
RW Josh Anderson
RW Joel Armia
RW Brendan Gallagher
LW Rafael Harvey-Pinard
LW Emil Heineman
LW Tanner Pearson
LW Filip Cederqvist      
D David Savard
D Jayden Struble
RW Nathan Legare
D Mattias Norlinder      
D Nicolas Beaudin      

Resign
C Sean Monahan  40th C in 23-24  $4.3m for 2 years
RW Juraj Slafkovsky 74th RW in 23-24 $4m for 3 years
D Justin Barron 175th D in 23-24 $0.5m for 2 years
D Kaiden Guhle 93rd D in 23-24 $4.1m for 3 years
D Arber Xhekaj 99th D in 23-24 $4m for 3 years
G Cayden Primeau 33rd G in 23-24 $3m for 3 years
G Sam Montembeault 20th G in 23-24 $5.5m for 2 years
C Lias Andersson $0.5m for 2 years
LW Jan Mysak $0.5m for 2 years
RW Jesse Ylonen $0.5m for 2 years

Call Ups to NHL
D Logan Mailloux
G Cayden Primeau
C Nick Suzuki

Looking back at our league's champs no team has won because of their hometown draft picks.  The Ducks teams won because of their own great drafting and smart signings.  The Blues/Shooter won because he is awesome at everything and caught on before everyone else that prospect extensions were the best value.  The Coyotes/Slack will continue to be great because they must have some kind of sports almanac from the future that told them who the next NHL superstars were going to be.

There has been no one way to win.  You just gotta be a good GM and put it all together.

Having said that I am actually in support of removing the 3 home team keepers and expanding our draft.  But, I have a bridge idea that maybe lets us keep the hometown feel while getting at my hatred towards the 5 year prospect extension.

What if we:
1. Remove the 3 keeper picks. 
2. Expand our normal draft (drafting is the funnest part). 
3. Then reduce prospect extensions to 3 years, but if the prospect is on your NHL team you can sign them to 5.  That way it gives an incentive to keep players from your NHL team while also not making you beholden to the terrible choices of NHL GMs.
4. Could also do what Snug mentioned and give a discount on signing players on your NHL team.