Arizona Trade

Wouldn't Arizona prefer Smith over Lehtonen and Reider over Nemeth?

Bigger question first - Does Arizona prefer Domingue over Smith? With Smith's cap hit and Arizona's current team state, if they decide to protect Domingue for the upcoming expansion draft, then it would make sense to move Smith to a team looking to contend. If so, than Lehtonen is a good gamble, as even if they didn't lose him in the expansion draft he has 1 fewer year than Smith remaining on his contract. Nemeth has shown he can play at the NHL level, and Arizona could certainly use a staple in their developing defense. Rieder is a good forward, but given his reputation within the organization I wonder if they wouldn't consider the move to balance the deal. Not to mention a 2nd Rd pick is a high-value asset included in this deal going to Arizona. I believe Arizona is re-building, their new GM is pretty savvy with the cap, but he'll need young players & assets to get this team trending in the right direction. Dallas is more win-now, but needs to get creative to move this team back above the .500 mark. Intangibles of the offer could certainly adjust, but wondering if there isn't a similar deal that could be made between these 2 teams given the dynamics of each roster...

100% agree with everything you are saying. The Coyotes are still going to be rebuilding for another year or two, and they could really use another young defenseman or two. Smith is a better goaltender than Lehtonen, so he's an instant upgrade for the Stars. Maybe this trade also helps them with their first round pick this year so they can target Liljegren in the draft.

But is Smith the upgrade that they need in net? Could they make a trade to acquire a Ben Bishop or Marc-Andre Fleury? Smith isn't the long term solution in net they need, and his contract is almost as bad as Lehtonen's, if not worse because of term. In the short and long term, it makes sense for Arizona. Trade makes sense for Dallas short term, but doesn't do anything for them in the long run.

From my perspective, I like the short-term of Smith's contract. Provides 1 additional year beyond Niemi's, which allows to groom a new backup for a year before deciding if Smith would be extended or not, which right now would be good knowing Niemi likely won't be back + us not having a NHL ready prospect. I also don't believe Bishop or Fleury are the answer. Both have similar contracts, in Bishop's case it would cost even more to re-sign next year, and the way he's played this season I'm not sure it's worth the gamble. Both could be trending more down than up. You look around the league, there just aren't that many options where a team could take Lehtonen back in a deal, which is what the Stars need to happen. We're in a tough situation, hope is the 2 we have will pick up their play, and Lehtonen would get claimed in expansion. Considering other options makes more sense to me, as if I were Vegas I wouldn't want Lehtonen, so a deal like this could be our best bet IMO.