stanley cup champions

I don't intend to give the impression that I'm overvaluing picks or prospects, but Carrick isn't worth the 3rd alone. He's a quintessential 4th line/tweener that should return at most a 5th or 6th. With retention, you can argue he'd be worth a 4th, but no more.

I completely agree with you that Carrick is a typical 4th line center. But the fact is that this is a deadline, not an off-season, and the market is overheated, I can assume that his price could well be the 4th round. And we must not forget that there is a deduction of half the salary, this also has its price. In general, I admit that a fair price for Carrick with retention would be the 3rd round without additions.