raddysh is good foote is probably a no from tampa

Eesh. That kind of feels pointless..Zucker is a solid player. 30 goalscorer even. Better off to simply sign him and then trade him after wards. You'll get a nice hual for him and you won't have to take on frigging Callahan. The only prospect really worth going for Zucker with Callahan coming back is Foote. the others are good but probably won;t reach what Zucker is now and plus you're taking on a cap dump to boot.....

Lets not forget Zucker is the best player in this deal right now and potentially in the future also. He's still youngish. Foote could be good but he could also be a Koekkoek or a Deangelo, etc. He's not a guaranteed superstar just yet.

Ryan Callahan is a big fat no. I don’t think losing Zucker, and taking on Callahan’s awful contract is worth any of these prospects. If we’re taking Callahan we’d better be getting Brayden Point back.

This is a move to make at the TDL if the Wild are missing the Playoffs,, not before the season. Taking a Callahan cap dump for 2 years hurts. I think Foote can be a really good player, but he's at least a year away from being NHL ready, and probably more like 2 years. The Wild look to have some stability for RD for the short and long term (depending how Belpedio, and Johansson x2 develop) and Dumba, Patyren, and Spurgeon for the next 2 years.

I'd rather use Zucker for a center prospect + cap dump if the Wild are going that route.

What if...this trade happens and the Wild get 2 of the prospects? Would it be worth it long-term?

Stephens is a right-shot center. Foote is big, do-it-all RHD. Raddysh is a right-shot scorer. All three are positions of need for the Wild. I know we agree about this - Spurgeon should not be in the long-term plans for the Wild...just don't trust his body holding up. Zucker is never going to have more trade value than right now...plus, I think he has a lot of holes in his game...so I think it's best to move him this summer. I don't trust the Wild having a bad enough season to justify trading assets at the deadline, so I want to be proactive and make them now...because...as we differ here too, I have no interest in "tweaking" this team. They simply are not a Cup contending team as currently built. I'm willing to endure a couple down years (they will still be competitive!) for a legitimate chance at contending for the Cup 3 or 4 years down the road. Any or all 3 of these prospects would be major assets down the road...

We agree on most things, player value aside. I don't mind trading Zucker for a prospect, the Callahan cap dump is what I don't like. The FWDs might be as good or better than Zucker is now, or they might not be. It's fine if you want to take that chance in a 1 for 1 trade, taking a two year cap dump just doesn't make sense to me. That's over $6m in wasted/misused cap between Callahan and Ennis for the next 2 years.

I agree Zucker should be a sell high guy right now, but this feels like a sell low trade, and the gamble is completely on the Wild's side of it.

I watched Callahan in the playoffs and he still has some value as a player...not $5.6 million worth, but he's still a legit NHLer...when healthy. My rationale here is that the two years left on his contract should just be years to put the 20-somethings in larger roles while Koivu, Parise, et al play fewer minutes and smaller roles. Meanwhile, the kids develop in the NHL or AHL (whichever is appropriate) and by the time Callahan's and Koivu's contracts are up, the Wild have the money to keep all they young kids happy. Kaprizov crosses the ocean, and all is good in Minnesota.

Anyway, this move is intended to keep the Wild competitive while also stockpiling talent for the future...and I think it does a good job of this. Value-wise, it might need some tweaking...which is why I did a second version of this trade where the Wild get 2 of the 3 prospects, plus Callahan in return for Zucker. I think that trade makes a ton of sense for both teams. Tampa adds Zucker - a big upgrade to Callahan for basically the same money - to help Tampa cash in on their current Cup window while the Wild stay competitive and stock the cupboard with prospects that have the potential to be big time players....or at a minimum, solid organizational depth...and right-handed shooters.

2 of the prospects makes more sense and sounds like a better deal for the Wild.