Quoting: Trickster
I like this a lot.
Thoughts on expanding it to include Gardinder to Wild and Brodin to Leafs???
I've thought about this a lot actually. I do like the idea of it. Here's what I've come up with for pros and cons. There are probably more I can't think of off the top of my head, though.
Pros:
1. Gardiner gives us much more firepower from the blue line. "Replacing" Spurgeon with Pateryn (if you get what I mean, basically Pateryn would step up into a top 4 role with Spurgeon being traded) would be a big downgrade in offensive production. Adding Gardiner helps balance that immensely.
1.5 Gardiner gives us an offensive LHD on the PP. Suter has played that role in the past and likely still would, but Gardiner gives us another option in that regard.
2. Gardiner is from MN. I think this could be a big influence for an extension and it's possible he'd take a "hometown discount" if it came with a NTC.
3. This could be a huge motivator for a Nylander trade on the Leafs side for the Wild. As I have laid out, Nylander is perfect for this team so anything that helps us land him is a big plus. Gardiner is a UFA and a lot of people aren't sure if he's in the Leafs long-term plans when his contract expires next year.
4. We have the perfect defense partner for Gardiner: Greg Pateryn. Pateryn is a rock defensively, but the point production just is not there. I think Pateryn is the perfect defense partner for Gardiner since Pateryn can take care of the defensive responsibilities and Gardiner can do his thing. Sort of an "opposites attract" type scenario (defensive D with offensive D pairing).
Cons:
1. We'd be taking a huge risk changing up our top 4 from Suter, Dumba, Brodin, and Spurgeon to Suter, Dumba, Gardiner, Pateryn. It could work out, but it could also have a pretty catastrophic effect in the event it did not.
2. Gardiner will probably get a decent upgrade in pay, we may or may not be able to afford that if we paid Nylander $8M per year. Maybe the Wild and Gardiner's camp have a handshake deal in place (since he can't actually sign a deal on pen and paper until later this year).
3. Gardiner is older, although as I've said many times with Sprugeon 28 year olds still have plenty of hockey left in their career (barring career ending injury).
4. We have no clear top 4 LHD in our prospect system to be Gardiner's eventual replacement. It would be imperative that we drafted one in the next 2 years (this years draft looks BAD for defenseman thus far).