some players are going to teams for retained $, then onto new teams, try to follow the bouncing puck

Ottawa trades:
Erik Karlsson
Bobby Ryan (retain $1.25m)
Zach Smith
Craig Anderson (retain $2.25M)

Ottawa receives:
2019 Ottawa 1st rd pick
RFA rights to Kevin Hayes
Semeyon Varlarmov
Tyson Jost
Craig Anderson (retain $2.25M)
Bobby Ryan (retain $1.25m)

Colorado Trades:
Varlarmov / Jost / 2019 Ott 1st rd
Carl Soderberg (retain 2.25M)
2019 2nd rd pick

Colorado Receives:
Bobby Ryan $2.375 of retained salary
Zach Smith
Tyler Johnson
2019 Tampa Bay 1st rd pick

New York Rangers trade:
RFA rights to Kevin Hayes

NY Rangers Receive:
Taylor Raddish
Tampa Bay 202 1st rd pick
Colorado 2019 2nd round pick
Ryan Callahan
Carl Soderberg ($2.5M)
Craig Anderson ($2.5m)
Bobby Ryan ($3.625M)

Tampa Bay trades:
Taylor Raddish
2019 & 2020 First rd picks
Tyler Johnson
Anton Strahlman (separate deal to Leafs for J. Bracco and a 3rd)
Ryan Callahan

Tampa Bay Recieves:
Erik Karlsson (signed to 8 x 10.25M extension)
J. Bracco
Toronto 3rd in 2019

Colorado has zero interest in that deal.

Rangers are not giving up enough to be part of that sort of exchange (even retaining the salary).

Tampa doesn't have a for sure 1st in 2019.

Leafs gave up assets but by your list got nothing in return. I can't see Avs giving up Ottawa 1st round...maybe Jack Hughes pick.

Why stop at 5? Let’s get all 31 teams in on this deal while we’re at it

Ottawa trades:
Erik Karlsson

Ottawa Receives:
A terrible team

Tampa Bay Trades:
A team who always loses late in the playoffs

Tampa Bay Receives:
A Stanley Cup

New Jersey Trades:
Cap Space

New Jersey Receives:
...




...


Probably Mark Stone, because the Senators will decide to just give him up for nothing.

so COL downgrades from OTT 1st rounder to TBL 1st rounder then and has to give up jost, varly, 2nd rounder plus retaining almost $5M in salary? and all we get in return is johnson and smith? did you hold joe sakic hostage to get this deal done?

Why would Ottawa bother reducing their trade value by throwing Ryan into the mix? If anything, they will take other teams bad contracts to sweeten the deal, given they are going to be bottom feeders for awhile during a depressing rebuild. Here's my fantasy:

Ottawa gets:
Cal Foote
Alexander Volkov
Sam Steel
Maxime Comtois

Tampa Bay gets:
Erik Karlsson

Anaheim gets:
Mark Stone

THAT SEEMS LIKE A HORRENDOUSLY BAD PACKAGE TO GET IN RETURN FOR KARLSSON AND STONE.......

If Tampa's getting Karlsson you better expect Sergachev+, in regards to Anaheim the ask would probably be Lindholm+.