I hope I'm wrong

I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think it's likely Cale is back next year. At a minimum, I expect some NHL team(s) will get him into a developmental camp this summer for a tryout. But I wouldn't be surprised if he signs somewhere before then. At 22 yo, he's already on the older end for a prospect so if he has hopes of a professional career he needs to move on. There is far more risk than reward to coming back to ND for another season. It'll be near impossible to improve (and even hard to match) the season he had this year (especially with the players leaving on the blue line). So his he's probably at his peak leverage for contract negotiations. If he gets any ELC offer(s), I suspect he'll take it.

I don't know what NHL scouts think of him, but I know Avs fans want them to take a chance on Cale since he's from Colorado and the Avs need another goalie or 2 in their system.

Losing Cale would hurt, but I think St. Cyr is a good replacement. While I doubt he'll win the Richter next year, I also don't expect a giant dropoff in goaltending. And unless he grows another couple inches, I expect he'll be our goalie for the next 3 years.

I expect ND's biggest growing pains next year will be along the blue line. Gilbert leaving hurt the depth and leaves only 4 guys returning (and I still wonder if Peeke might leave too). In comparison, we didn't have any D-men leave/graduate following 2016-17 and I think only 1 left after 2015-16. IMO there are some big holes to fill here for the incoming freshmen.

While we'll need some contributions from freshmen at the forward spots, I still think there's a solid group returning that I'm not really worried there.

It's tough to make predictions without knowing the impact of the freshman class, but I think the team should be in the tournament next year. Unfortunately the realist in me says I should put off aspirations for a return to the Frozen Four until 2020.

It's frustrating as a fan to see good players leave, but I always remind myself that it's a sign of a great program. And while back-to-back Frozen Fours are nice, I suspect "Come to ND and we'll get you an ELC" is probably a far stronger recruiting pitch for the program.