Quoting Mr. Costanza from the Festivus episode

U’ll need to add to the Sabres’ side in the Pens’ trade that prob wouldnt even happen anyway cause Letang wouldnt want to go to Buffalo.

Only modifies no trade and he knows botterill

Any post that gets rid of O'Reilly gets five stars from me.

I could really see the Caps wanting O'Reilly for depth at center in case of injuries.

As a Caps fan who has traded for Beaulieu a few times on here, I don't see the Caps wanting another left defenseman. They've got five of them on their roster right now, and three more in Hershey who are better than Beaulieu. The only way they take his contract is in a dead-salary exchange for Orpik, who has more hits this year than Beaulieu has in his career. This year Orpik skates three more minutes a night than Beulieu, is fourteen less bad at plus/minus, but admittedly has one less point (8 vs 9), and has a higher cap hit.

This benefits Buffalo next year because they have Orpik, and it benefits them the year after that because they don't have Beaulieu, which I think is what you were going for, anyway. So, yes, washington can help you with that, but Carlson or not it'll cost you.

Now, if you seriously are considering moving Risto???

You couldnt smooth a silk sheet if you had a hot date with a babe...I lost my train of thought

I'd love to get Risto for the pens...

Would be to see Maatta - Ristolainen pairing. It could be either a jackpot for GMJR or lead to disaster. But yeap not happening.



You know smth about Botterill - Letang? oO

1.) I traded O'Reilly to Calgary, not Washington. I doubt they could fit his salary
2.) Beaulieu can play RHD. He put up 28 points in Montreal last year. Not saying he is great, but should Washington lose Carlson, Beaulieu is a poor mans replacement. A 6th rounder is nothing. We could buy him out instead of taking Orpik.
3.) Yes, I am moving Ristolainen, for a guy like Letang

You lost me at Risto for Letang

My point was Letang could feel some comfort in heading to buffalo, if they are on his list, because he knows our GM.

Thanks for context

Letang is 7 years older, makes $2 mill more per year and only had six more points than Risto this year. Not saying that Letang is not the better player today, just saying in 2 years he won't be, will be more expensive and declining in talent.

defensemen have their peak longer. ristolainen needs a change of scenery and buffalo needs better players who have won something

1. Yes. And Calgary seems really excited about it, based on the total lack of response.
2. Beaulieu scored points on the left point of the Habs' power play. Ovechkin does okay there, still, I think? Orpik also has 200 more hits than Beaulieu, this year, and most Caps ACGM builds have him at #7 or traded. Beaulieu won't fit. he's just a cap hit in Washington, and a delay on Lucas Johansen's development. Sort of like how, if you think Mittelstadt is an instant second line center, you want to move O'Reilly. Orpik is already blocking Johansen. Adding Beaulieu turns a 5M speed bump into 8.
3. Yes. And Pittsburgh seems really excited about it.



Oh wait. They're not.


I have three new points, that I'll try to make again, with less sarcasm:
1a. Calgary doesn't need three centers unless Emonton can make the playoffs with theirs.
2a. Washington does need three #1 centers because Pittsburgh.
3a. Keep Ristolainen. He's your best player and he's young and cheap.

Back to sarcasm, though, you can trade all your best players to Washington because Phil Housley played there in the '90s.

Jack Eichel is far and away our best player. Thanks for the laugh

Well my think is why not. Actually there're as many as 18 teams in a list he could go to. I'd pick MTL VGK FLA TBL LAK SJS ANA DAL as preferred distinations and all of NYR NYI NJD PHI WSH CBJ as destinations he obviously is not going to just to narrow the list and exclude his unpreferred orgs.

Anytime. While we're at it, though, they're both -25. Risto is higher on the leaderboard at his position for points, and plays almost even zone starts. Eichel starts 60% of his shifts in the offensive zone. Risto plays six more minutes a night and next year will have half the cap hit. So, really, thank you for the laugh.

Risto also has 80 more hits this year than Eichel has in his career. But you knew that...

I know when I am measuring the player, I look at hits.

Jack Eichel has 120 points in his last 127 games.

which is 77.5 points per 82 games.

Eichel is 54th in points. If all the teams are equal, he should be a team's 2nd best player. He's two years younger and may have a higher ceiling?

Ristolainen is 28th in points by defensemen. He should be some team's best offensive defenseman. And at 23 he is. If you set it to just centers, Eichel is 28th in points among centers. Since teams play two defensemen at once and the leaderboard doesn't differentiate, I'd say Ristolainen is doing twice as well, offensively, relative to his position. Like, if the teams aren't evenly distributed, and they're not, because some teams build for right away while others build for the future, he could play first pairing on a playoff team. Since hits, minutes, and zone starts are three ways of looking at defense, it's worth noting that those are more areas where Ristolainen is more valuable.

Eichel has a very high ceiling, but he's the 28th best center in the league offensively, starts 3/5 shifts in ahead of the red line, and is outscored by 25 goals at even strength this year. Whether or not he's your most valuable trade chip, or brightest future star, Ristolainen, O'Reilly, and maybe even Scandella and Lehner played better hockey this year. Throwing away three of your top five guys in an ACGM to bring back two defensemen who are less tough and score slightly more points playing on much better teams?

Anyway... if the Caps lose Carlson, they'd be interested in Ristolainen. They'd already be interested in O'reillly if they could dump Orpik's cap hit to fit his. They're probably offering picks, prospects, and wingers. Maybe a goalie, but Buffalo fans pretty emphatically don't want those.

Buffalo fans seem divided evenly between those who want to blow it up to win bigger in three or four years and those who want to judiciously add cheap veterans and try to make the playoffs faster. You seem to be on both sides, here. Maybe try picking one. I don't think that O'Reilly and Ristolainen for Hamilton and Letang is necessarily an improvement. Keep Ristolainen. He's way younger and if he were playing with Crosby, he'd have 60 points next year. Letang doesn't. Bring in cheap veterans to mentor him and get him to not be -25. Orpik is yours for free if you want him.

I guess you missed where Eichel missed a month of the season with injury.