Uhhh. The rights to Carlson aren't worth the second best dman on the team. Pulock for Grub has the base for a trade.

Sign and trades assume the player is going anyway and you get picks and prospects + expiring contracts to make the money work. No team is going to gives assets for a guy they can just sign.

Pulock was the Isles best d-man for arguably half of the season. He still has room to grow. I wouldn't include him in any trade to be honest.

No team is going to sign and trade anyone. This just doesn't happen in the NHL.

For sure, but when hockey's best insiders are talking about it happening to both Tavares and Carlson, I wouldn't say it's impossible.

Yes his rights aren't worth that much but a sign and trade is.

Can you supply me with links to these insiders saying this?

https://theathletic.com/291406/2018/03/28/lebrun-notebook-why-a-sign-and-trade-makes-sense-for-john-carlson-under-the-radar-execs/

That is literally him just speculating that it is a possibility but highly unlikely. And this is literally just his opinion. That doesn't mean that he thinks it will happen, he is just laying out why it could. This has never been done in the cap era and I don't see any GM paying a price for a guy when they can get him as a UFA. If the player wants to go to that team then I am sure he will be perfectly fine waiting until that team offers him a contract. Why would Tavares or Carlson want to diminish the talent on the team they want to go to by agreeing to a sign and trade? Logically it makes zero sense.

So in this scenario Carlson signs with the Caps and then they ship off to another team. If that happens, I highly doubt any FA will ever sign with the Caps again.

I know there is this fascination about eight year deals. I just think any who holds his rights would be silly to offer Carlson an eight year whip would take him age 37 at the end of it. Maybe if a player demands top dollar at top term, maybe you don't want him anyway.
Let's imagine New Jersey signs Carlson. They may be doing to add to their team, not by giving away Severson in effect for nothing. And if Severson is redundant position wise, at least the Devils can get a return from some other team.

It's called a sign and trade. They happen WITH the players input. Caps will go to Carlson and say Team X wants you and will be willing to do the 8 year deal. If Carlson says yes then they signed Carlson to a 8 year deal (something no other team can do, which is why it's worth more than just player rights) then trade him to that team. It's not like it's a surprise. They don't just sign Carlson then are like "gotcha suck! We're trading you!" haha

And that's why I said they were just talking about it. Never said it was a definite. Is it unlikely? Sure, but not impossible. For instance, I could very well see FLA doing that deal in a heart beat, if Carlson wants to go there (supposedly his wife's family is there).

For sure. This is why I said the Severson deal is the least likely out of all of them, but just threw it out there. FLA deal would be the most likely.

Again, why would Carlson want his "new team" to give up assets for him when he can just go there for free?

Don't think he cares haha He'll be making $8M+ for the next 8 years. Don't think he'll think "But they'll be giving up Mark Pysyk!? No way will I let them cripple the team like that."

ok...well personally I think the Caps will re-sign him but if they don't I think you are dreaming thinking you will get something for him.

You're assuming he's going to a team he's a fan of in order to help them. That's best case for any team, sure. Best case for the Capitals is that he signs an extension right away and fans stop wondering.

Worst case for any team ending up with him is that his agent sits him down, points out this is the last big contract of his life, and will determine whether he retires with 40M or 70M in the bank, he sees some significant difference between the two (I can't imagine it, but I guess there are people for whom 1M isn't "wealthy" anymore, so who the heck knows?) and he pushes for 8.7x8, or more, with any team that will give it to him. That would then put leverage in the Caps' court, because several teams would be improved by adding Carlson, even at a ridiculous cap hit, and only Washington is allowed to ink that deal.

If a team has to trade a young player and a 1st round pick to get the defenseman who scored the most points through this regular season and the playoffs, they might. If Pulock is untradeable, fine. Whatever. I think NYI's #1 center next year is Barzaal, and they would be greatly improved if they traded Tavares for Carlson, but I don't think they're smart enough to get it done, or that Tavares would be willing to fit his salary into the Caps' budget.

The secretly fine replacement for John Carlson's offense is to put the superexpensive UFA right defenseman they signed four years ago on the power play: Matt Niskanen. He's never had a full season of top power play time, but has topped forty points a couple times. Let him get to know the offense and he'll get 50, easily. Sign Luke Schenn or somebody defensively solid to play third pair and replace Carlson's defense. Trading Carlson for Tavares and letting Niskanen and Bowey compete for power play time leaves the Capitals just as good, which, today at least, seems okay.

The other fine replacement is to sign a former Capital who owns a house in DC, plays the same position, and is the only active defenseman to post a 30 goal season: Mike Green. He's not as good defensively as Carlson, and had fewer points this year, but he's almost as good, and if you put him back with Ovechkin and Backstrom, he could put up some good numbers. So trading Carlson for Tavares and signing Green makes the Capitals better, overall.

The trouble with making the finals is that all the Caps' free agents will get offers, and Washington may have to decide whether to match a big offer to Carlson, or to give big raises and long term to a whole list of guys who stepped up: Kempny, Smith-Pelly, Beagle, and Wilson. If they decide the latter four represent more continuity and improvement than Carlson, they need a defensive, minute-eating right defenseman to replace Carlson's defense. Niskanen and Bowey can put up some points.

Honestly didn't read past paragraph 1 because of course I am assuming he is going to a team he wants to. Do you think that Carlson is going to agree to a sign and trade if he isn't going to the team of his choice?

Honestly, you didn't read the second paragraph, either.

There is zero need to read beyond the 1st. All this is moot because there is probably only a 0.0001% chance of this even happening so it isn't worth arguing over. If you think sign and trades happen then good for you but history shows otherwise.

https://psychcentral.com/blog/why-do-we-feel-the-need-to-argue/

Option A: Carlson wants to play with a good team, where he has friends. Then he stays in Washington.

Option B: Carlson wants to make 70M. Then he's got options, but only at a 10M cap hit unless it's on a trade through Washington, in which case MacLellan gets to pick cities for him, based on trade offers. Teams that pretend he isn't worth a John Carlson do not receive a John Carlson.

Is any team improved by adding Carlson at Toews money? Maybe at first, but it'll ultimately hurt them a lot more than losing Pulock or Pysyk.