Simmonds is going to be overvalued at the TDL. Simmonds and Ferland me thinks.

Buying a one year rental at the deadline, by definition, is almost always a failure (only one team wins the stanley cup). I would be hesitant to make a pitch on the guy every team will want, and the gritty winger who can pot 20-30 on a good contract in his prime, will be the guy everyone wants. I don't think that is enough to get him, and I don't think I'd even want to pay that to get him.

I don't necessarily disagree, but you are also getting a dependable shut down guy for next year, and off loading Zaitsev's contract.

I like the offloading zaitzev's contract, I would agree.

I'm not sure that Gudas is actually a dependable shut down guy. I think he is a tough defenseman, which many people mistake to mean defensive.

There is no doubt a value to the intimidation factor that a tough defenseman provides, as well as likely an increase in efficiency in getting guys out of the crease for rebounds and tip ins. However, tough defenseman (in general, far from always), tend to be slower, and often are worse puck movers. People think of puck movement as an offensive defenseman skill but it isn't true.

The most important defensive characteristic of a defenseman is the ability to get the puck out of the defensive zone in your teams control. That is as much or more to do with ability to move the puck up the ice as it is anything else.