Panthers Trying to Trade Bob

Even at 6.275m, the panthers are going to need to add a sweetener to move bob. He was good this year, but was very not good the two years prior, and there is a pretty high chance he will be bad for all four of the last years of his contract. He won the vezina twice, but Karlsson won two norris trophies and you don't see people lining up to trade for his contract, even retained. Holtby won a vezina and was a runner up, and he will probably get 2x2. In addition, everyone knows that FLA has to get rid of him and doing so would allow them to keep more important players and make additions to the roster.

While Duclair is a better player on a cheaper contract than Mantha, I really doubt that NHL GM's think that way. The Caps already attached assets to a similar type of player in Vrana to get Mantha, I don't see them flipping him again for that type of speedy shooting winger. The caps also have a ton of cap space and need to upgrade their top 6, so trading away a top 6 player for a different one doesn't make the most sense when they could keep both.

Finally, Hathaway will not be moved as just a throw in to some larger trade. The team and management love him, he's coming off a career year, and only has 1 year left on his contract. It would take a stupid overpay or a massive upgrade to move him, which this is not.

Thank you for a very well thought out reply and giving a different perspective. I think you are undervaluing what the Panthers are giving away and how badly the Caps need a goalie. Free agency is not offering an exceptional goalie. Kuemper may be worth a shot, but if he wins the Cup the Avs may pay up to keep him. If not them, someone else and over $6M I don't think that he is worth it for five years. The rest are all backups with the exception of Campbell who will likely re-sign with the Leafs. No goalie is really available on the trade market, at least at a worthwhile price.

So the Caps can address this glaring weakness by acquiring a goalie and getting extra in return because the Panthers really want to deal him (although I would keep him one more year). In return they also get a very good scoring winger, and a very good prospect that can blossom on that team, and they need some scoring youth.

In the end, they give up an expensive winger who did not really fit in, a back up which they don't need, and a depth player that by all means, as you said, is valuable but not irreplaceable. That for a very good prospect, a solid goalie, and a scoring winger with speed.

I think it's worth it.

I definitely get your point about the goalie market. I do think however that there is no guarantee duclair would fit in any better than Mantha, who hasn't been incredible but has been pretty solid in DC. Duclair played with Barkov the entire year and was a scratch and playing 12 mins a night in the playoffs -- he could easily be the next Vrana. I just think this version for the caps doesn't definitively solve any of their problems. There is no guarantee that they get good Bob for any of the four years despite theoretically paying him like a top 5 goalie in the league. The Caps need more top 6 players not different ones, and its unclear that Duclair is actually an upgrade on Mantha. Hathaway is by no means irreplacable but moving him does open up another hole in the roster that would need to be addressed in FA. And while Denisenko is a fine prospect, I don't think he is ready to make a big impact in the NHL next year and isn't a cant-miss guy that pushes the caps over the edge on this one.