More than this. Kapanen Or Nylander would have to be included as would Sandin or Lilgren.

Swap Holl for Sandin and Bracco for Nylander and then maybe.

For a 20 point defenceman? Hall for Larsson taught people nothing.

A top 4 RHD for 2 million bucks for 6 years is different plus a top 6 winger.

You’re asking the Hurricanes to play with a 2 million dollar disadvantage and give up a key player. The return better be worth that.

Is a 20 point defensive defenceman worth a top 6 forward, a potential top 6 playmaker (Bracco is lighting it up in the AHL this year), a solid middle 6 winger (Brown isn't far off from Ferland) and a 1st round pick? I certainly don't think so. I wouldn't give up half that for Pesce. He's not that good.

I must be missing something...who's the top 6 forward?

Johnson has scored something like 15 points in 20 games since moving into a top 6 role. He would for sure be a top 6 forward in the offense starved Hurricane lineup.

Scorching hot-take: Andreas Johnnson, based on his last 20 games, is a much better player than Patrick Laine, who is now a 4th liner again in Winnipeg. Therefore, a Laine for Connor Brown/Zaitsev trade should be imminent.

Edit: Sorry, that was a bit of an uncalled for jab. Just saying though, you're the guy who's always saying "Just because a guy is playing top 4 minutes, doesn't make him a top 4 dman!"

Or you could, you know, stay reasonable. My point here is Pesce is completely overrated. 90% of the people on here treat him like he's Ray Bourque and he's not even close. He's a fine player but he isn't an elite stud dman that people make him out to be. He's a defensive defenceman and perhaps one of the best ones in the league but still, there is a reason he only makes 4 million a year. Its not a great contract, its a fair contract, perhaps even a bit much for a guy who only gets around 20 points a year. He's 3rd or 4th best on his team and his team can't make the playoffs. They are not negotiating from a position of strength and their new owner who wants to make splashing is going to put even more pressure on the GM to make a deal that helps bring them closer to being a legitimate team.

TO on the other hand is the 2nd best team in the NHL, they haven't had a full lineup yet this season. They are top 5 defensively and top 2 offensively. They also have one of the best goalies in the league and a great coach.

Which of these two franchises appears to be in a strength position when it comes to make a trade?

Probably the one that, if they're not a playoff team, can have their pick of the litter when it comes to offers, because it's not a make or break season?

Every time you talk about a trade on here, for some reason you think that there are only two options: Trade the player to Toronto, or keep him until the end of time. There's always a 3rd option.

Do you really think that there aren't 29 other teams out there that would love to have him? Nobody on here compared him to Ray Bourque, but you're out here on a daily basis trying to convince people that Zaitsev, Brown and Johnnson are elite players, when they aren't even close. Every team in the league has guys like them. They aren't special.

Do you see anywhere on here in where I say that the only option is to trade players to TO? I certainly don't see that anywhere. In fact, if you read what I say, I am not at all a proponent of TO make any of the trades on here. If Carolina can go out and get a kings ransom for Pesce, good for them. I really hope that isn't TO paying that price because its not worth it. If I was a GM, I'd never overpay in a trade or in a contract. There are situations where you can make a trade and win, and that generally happens when one of the GM's is desperate. TO is not at all desperate. They are not in a make it or break it year. Most of their core is 22 and under, they have a long window and this year shouldn't be blown out of proportion.

Which is why I say this trade is just dumb, it moves several controllable and cheaper depth players out of the system to fix a perceived flaw with a player that wouldn't live up to the high expectations the cost would bring. It'd be like when the Leafs brought in another really good defensive defenceman named Mike Komisarek. Pesce would feel like he needs to put up way more points and his whole game would suffer until he lost his confidence. Or he'd be great but the risk is very real and way too high for my tastes. Which again, is why I am against this trade.