Who adds what?
Joined: Jul. 2017
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I think overall this roster is pretty good. It sounds like neither side needs the Edmonton trade, especially if Strome 1 might be UFA and just show up to chill with Strome 2 all on his own.
I don't think the Caps should trade Nicklas Backstrom at all, and it sounds like Arizona would demand some cheap young talent coming back to balance the loss of their contributions, but Arizona's forward group looks fabulous with him. Ceci and Galchenyuk are pretty great additions.
The real question from Arizona's side isn't just whether they can massage the cap numbers a bit (skipping the Edm trade might save, what, 4M? So they need to cut 2M elsewhere?) but whether this team will win as much right away as they will win long term when their draft picks mature. I think that adding a #1 center, a 30 goal wing, and a top pair defenseman could do a lot for any team, so as much as the pieces they're giving up have value, I'd like to be the first in this thread to try to assess what they're getting back, and I think that it's a trip to the playoffs next Spring. The question is whether they keep enough young, developing talent around to make that into four or five such trips, and build up their following again. A lot of that depends on Backstrom's and Galchenyuk's long term salary demands on their next deal. Based on how underpaid they are on their current contracts, I don't see them demanding huge raises, especially if the team is doing well and they're having fun, being stars, and enjoying some warm weather.
So trying to take my own personal hope that Backstrom stays in Washington out of this, I think you've built a good team here.