I think the trade is fairly even but Carolina might want Jarry instead of Simon.

At that point, Pens should just go for Pacioretty who (besides last season) is a consistant 30 goal scorer.

Wouldn’t mind giving Jarry either tbh, only problem I have with Pacioretty is I don’t think he’d fit Mike Sullivan’s up tempo speed style of play where as Skinner is known to be a fast skater who can also put the puck in the net almost as good

Amazingly, this just fits under the cap, which proves that the Pens could make this kind of deal without giving up a major roster player.

Do we know how willing Carolina is to retain salary under the new ownership? Perhaps that would require more value going the other way in the trade (another pick or something).

the cap is extremely close and only 1 player is on a 2-Way deal so barring any non-LTIR injuries, it may be difficult to maneuver. Carolina doesn't have any notable RFAs/UFAs remaining, so it's a possibility that they could either eat some cap on Skinner or take back a contract like Hagelin's. In order for CAR to even think about that, we will have to give up another prospect/pick or somehow even up the value. If the Pens do intend to make a splash, I am hoping it is for a player like Skinner or Eberle (Simmonds or Zuccarello would be pipe dreams, but safe to assume neither wants to deal with Pittsburgh).

EDIT: Just realized you had already retained salary. It would more than likely cost the Penguins quite a bit for CAR to retain half. Would you trade Sprong & a pick for Skinner at $2.8 for a year? I probably would, but you never know what kind of production you may get out of rookies. I say they should go into camp with the roster they have, play out the first 3 or 4 weeks and see what can be tweaked and what can be sent off!

Actually, since the Rangers publicly declared to be rebuilding, I don't think this would be an issue with them. They had no issue trading Grabner to New Jersey last season. Why should they care if they aren't competing for a playoff spot the season?

Yeah, Simmons from Philly as an almost zero chance of happening. Though it's funny that these organizations have historically made some big trades with each other.