Why does Vegas trade maybe their best Dman, and pick for UFA? Certainly Vegas isn't going to offer that before he's signed.

Hard pass from Chicago. Same for Ottawa, and Vegas.

That Ottawa trade is amazing idk what you’re smoking

Valuewise, it's more than the Caps should remotely consider offering, even if Karlsson hadn't been kind of injured and underperforming all year, and if Niskanen didn't have one more even strength goal and a plus minus that's 49 better than EK's.

Other than that, I think those are all trades that, on-ice-playing value, work for the Caps. Don't want Kane's drinking problem, cap hit, or biennial scandal. But he skates like everybody else is in slow motion, so I don't blame you for being interested. DeBrincat is going to be good.

Okay, I'd want another little asset for Holtby. Because he's really, really good.

Nate Schmidt plays three more minutes a night and has 14 more even strength points. Miller is their best power play point man, so trading him is questionable.

John Carlson is outscoring Miller 66 to 41, playing five more minutes a night, has five more goals, has about five times as many career points, and is only three years older. You wouldn't often trade a UFA for an RFA, sure, but Vegas would be pretty excited to announce they traded for Carlson at the awards night, and then hear whether he won the Norris.

Well I guess you did just want us to comment......

I seem to agree with your comments more than any one else on this site.

Vagas says no, they can sign Carlson on their own, unless, Washington wants to trade the rights for a pick (not a 1st)
OVI is a the best goal scorer and he shows not sign of slowing down. But DeBrincat makes the trade favor the Caps.
WAY too much for Backstrom, I wonder how many assists he would have if he were not playing with OVI.
Probably a good value for Holtby
Seems like a lot of above average NHL players for Karlsson, but maybe OTT takes it.

Well thanks. I think you're pretty logical, too.

Washington can change the equation by signing Carlson now, at a big cap hit, with no NTC. Then he's worth Miller and picks. CCG didn't type that out above, but it's a possibility.

Backstrom plays about half of each season with Ovechkin. He's assisted on something like 2/5 Ovechkin goals, career. So how good would Ovechkin be if he weren't playing with Backstrom? maybe just a Pacioretty. Or maybe it's all Ovechkin. If I'm the Caps, I don't want to find out by trading one and not the other. If one goes, both go. Caps can certainly haggle and throw in a pick or substutute DeBrincat out with someone the Hawks value a bit less, but I like that CCG is going full rebuild if he's rebuilding at all. I'd rather not get Kane because he gets drunk and arrested every few summers, and was once an alleged rapist.

I fixed my typo on Nisk's plus minus. It's 49 better than Karlsson's, and counting. Niskanen's career high of 46 points is still pretty recent. He's not Karlsson, but he's a defenseman, so it's not a fair comparison.

uhhhhhhh

Don't tell me that seven rookies (counting Samsonov) make this team depressingly bad, like, worse than Buffalo? That just means they get one more top prospect before they sign Seguin and deus ex machina their way back to contention!