NEVER once did I say or imply that JT would be a "magic cure". As a GM, you need to assess you your team and make the necessary adjustments to make your team a contender. IMO we have 3 major needs right now.
The first is we need an elite Center, by getting one we have the ability of moving Z to the 2C spot where he should be one of the best in the NHL, and by doing this it should make players like Nyquist, Tatar, AA etc. into very very good wingers. As we saw last year, they all excelled playing with Z, then struggled playing with whomever was our 2C.
Second is our D. Again, we have good depth, but no true #1 or #2. If we can make a trade, I think this helps a lot. I think Chowolski has potential, but that is a ways away.
Lastly i our coaching. We need Blashill to improve as a coach (it is possible) OR we need to replace him. It's clear as day that Blashill is not getting the most out of our players.
IF all 3 of these things can happen, I believe we go from being a fringe playoff team to a very good team. I get its easier said then done, but as a GM you have to try, and look at it piece by piece. There is no magic cure, extreme optimists like to think there is, extreme pessimists like to act as if nothing will work. The realistic approach is somewhere in between. You need to sit down, evaluate your team, and make the necessary moves in order to make this happen. Acquiring JT IMO is just 1 piece to solving this puzzle of making us contenders again.