We are not going to trade the future for Karlsson. It’s pretty well known that he wants to sign in Tampa and we can move Callahan/Johnson instead.

Duchene for Parayko?? ???? And I thought I had seen the worst trades ever. Not in a million years would Blues accept that.

You're going to trade a **** ton of futures for Karlsson. That's the value of Karlsson right there. Don't like it? Let's see Koekkoek take you to the cup..

The Mark Stone trade is ridiculous. He'd instantly be there second best player and as an RFA you should be able to get a boat load.

Absolutely you are. Don't want Karlsson for this year? No Cup this year with the back end Tampa currently has. Think you can sign him next Off-season? That's a big risk considering he will likely have been traded to another team this year (who would also be pushing for an extension at the time of the trade). Even if he doesn't sign an extension with that team, think of the offers he gets next summer. Drives up his price and could potentially make him unaffordable for TBL.

Even if you think you don't want to give up young talent for a rental and should just sign Karlsson next offseason, think of this. Assume Karlsson takes a Doughty deal (7 yrs, 11mil/season). That means you're spending the money of Stralman, Coburn and Girardi (coming off the books next summer) all on Karlsson. That makes only 4 d-men under contract. Maybe Cal Foote gives you 5 with Dotchin and Koekkoek left to sign.Yikes.

Up front, Gourde, Paquette, Erne, and Point all need new contracts after next season. If Point has a year like this past one, he will take up all available cap and then some. That leaves 3 solid roster players (albeit bottom six) with no room left. Yikes.

Two years down the road, you've got a 25-year old Vezina nominated Goalie up for contract. He may even have won a Vezina by then, if he can keep up his ways for an entire season. Might not sound like a problem, but think of that contract. Yikes.

Ultimately Tampa has a problem most teams would love to have. They are littered with young talent, both in the NHL and in the minors. However, with that talent comes bigger contracts. Yes, the cap will be expanding, but not as much as the amount these guys will require. Also don't forget that everything is relative; when the cap goes up, so does the $$$ demanded by players.

Callahan and Killorn contracts are killers. You're going to be losing value hands down when you're desperate to move players like that. Even Palat and TJ making 10.3 mil a year between the two of them. I like them as players, but I don't like them at that price, especially not when I might have young talent to replace them for pennies on the dollar in a year or two.

No matter how you look at it, TBL is going to be in a crunch in the next year or two. Every team in the league knows that, and will be negotiating from a position of power. So yes, you're absolutely giving up that kind of value for Karlsson, because if you don't someone else will.

Sorry for offending you, your highness. Tell me how that trade is any different from Johansen for Jones?
Duchene is 2 years older and more established, like Johansen. He also has known chemistry with St. Louis’s newest add, Ryan O’Reilly. Parayko, like Jones, hasn’t been a top pair defenseman yet, but may have the potential to be one. Elliott Freidman is also on record as saying Armstrong could test the market on Parayko, as Pietrangelo’s contract is coming up and he may find it more beneficial to spread his spending to positions other than the right side of his blue line.

Am I the only one that thinks Karlsson still won't guarantee Tampa a cup?

I agree he won't guarantee them a cup, but will definitely improve their chances, if not make them a favourite (at least in the East). With Karlsson, I don't see a team like WSH, TOR, PIT or BOS being able to beat them in a 7 game series.

I would bet on WPG, NSH and STL out of the west. I don't see VGK making it as far as they did next year. Between those three, I'd take TBL probably over any of them, depending on the year Rinne has. Obviously, Karlsson doesn't guarantee anybody a cup, but it would likely make Tampa the team to beat.