A Second Attempt

Wings will hold onto Nyquist and he will not be traded until the deadline and not for a career backup goalie.

They should hold onto him, if they can afford to. They do have some key RFA’s in need of extension, and some declining veterans eating up quite a bit of salary cap space. Perhaps, if they let their UFA’s walk and fill gaps with ELC’s they might be able to buy time with bridge contracts, but that strategy won’t work with all of their RFA’s. Nyquist is their best chance to clear salary cap space, if they find they need the room. Other teams might offer a better package, the Oilers don’t have the depth of prospects to give up 1st and 2nd round picks for a 28-year-old who will be a UFA at the end of next season. Montoya is a toss-in with the 3rd round pick. He is a reasonably inexpensive back-up who can help to stop gap while the Wings search for a stronger option. The value proposition for the Wings is cap space, a proven back-up to help out right now, and a 3rd round selection to help stock the prospect pool. Bonus is that Nyquist would play in the Western Conference, where he is not likely to haunt, or hurt, them next year. Value proposition for the Oilers is a career top six wing to play with either Mcdavid or Draisaitl next season. For Nyquist it’s an opportunity to boost his value in a contract year; certainly can’t hurt his value if he plays with Draisaitl, and should be a big boost if he plays with McDavid.