thats as hard a no as i can possibly give. faulk is a brutal top 2 dman and a very pedestrian top 4 guy - you trade a 1C and a 4C/3LW to get a #6RD that we already have in Benning, a decent #4D, an overpriced 3C (basically another strome), and a very good LW who we'd have to sign to too much money. IMO it would need to be Drai + Lucic for Faulk + Skinner + Bean (can add Rask if it was a cap dump?)

Faulk is a top pairing defenseman if he has a partner who can play defense. When he was with Sekera in Carolina, they were our best pairing. Faulk can also run a power play very well as a RHD which is something that Adam Larsson and Matt Benning cannot do. One of the main reasons Faulk sucked last year was because of his partners constantly changing (from Fleury to Hanifin). Neither of these players are as strong defensively as Sekera is. Faulk is the defenseman EDM needs, especially if he's with Sekera.

I have an idea, Edmonton will trade you Sekera and take back Hanifin.

I think you are drastically underselling the value of Driasaitl as a trade chip. 7 years of Driasaitl at $8.5M a year is a really good deal. Look at what Tavares just signed for per year and that is a contract that will take him well into his 30's. Couture and Johansen signed $8M a yr averages despite not putting up the production Driasaitl has the past two years (and Couture's deal could get pretty ugly at the end). This is a guy who has back-to-back 70+ point seasons at the age of 21 and 22.

Skinner is a really good winger and Faulk is a good defenseman, but that just isn't enough given the upside and contract value of LD. I also think you are underselling Lucic somewhat. I get it's not a pretty contract and he is 30 coming off a down year, but he has a really strong track record of averaging 20 goals and 50+ points prior to that. For at least the next 3 years that should be a reasonable production goal for him.

I agree that Draisaitl is under a great contract and all, but after all he's a 2C on EDM. Forever. I'm proposing that you trade a 2C, 4C, and cap dump in exchange for 1LW, 1RD, 3C, and 3RD. I know Draisaitl is really good for a 2C, probably one of the best in the league, but RNH can fill that hole and EDM really needs to address their blue line.

As much as I would love to land Draisaitl, Canes pass

not worth taking Lucic

Better off re-signing Skinner moving Faulk for a winger

You make it seem like having an elite center on the 2nd line is a bad thing? The Pens just won back-to-back cups having best 2C in the league. Caps just won this season by having Backstrom as their 2nd line center. Calling Draisaitl just a 2C is a gross undersell, when you say "2C, 4C, and cap dump (which again isn't really a cap dump)", would you call Malkin or Backstrom just a 2C? No of course not. Toronto just gave Tavares a ton of $ to either have him or Matthews center the 2nd line. No one is going to call either one of them just a 2C.

Speaking of 2C's Matt Duchene was traded for Kyle Turris, a pair of 1st round picks and a 3rd rd pick from Ottawa (obviously Turris went to Nashville so Colorado's return was more prospect/pick based). Turris is kind of similar to Skinner, 50+ point player in the last year of his contract looking for an extension. Turris was 2 years older at the time of the deal, but he's also a center so the value is probably even. Duchene only had 2 years remaining on his deal, is a couple years older than Draisaitl and only has one 70 point season in his career. Personally I don't see Faulk being worth 2 1sts and a 3rd rd pick to make up for the other part of the deal. So I'd consider this deal as probably lighter than the Duchene deal. Rask/McKeown = Lucic/Khaira in my book with a potential argument either way for who is getting the better end of that part of the deal.

"a top pairing RHD in Faulk"

LOL

No, it's a 1C, 4C/3LW, cap dump for 2LW, 2RD, 3RD, cap dump