Joined: Jul. 2018
Posts: 82
Likes: 49
Ottawa is never doing this deal, and here is why:
- Kulikov would be a cap dump, so he actually subtracts value on WPG's trade
- Marko Dano isn't really much of anything, so that's very little value
- Bryan Little just had his extension kick in for 6 x 5.2 million, and while that the contract itself isn't terrible, he is 31 years old, and doesn't fit into Ottawa's rebuild mentality (should a trade like this take place).
As for the rest of the assets, they have the actual value in this trade.
- The 1st round pick is an essential piece, as Ottawa gave theirs to Colorado. Even though this would likely be a 25-31st pick, it at least gives them something in the first round.
- Sami Niku and Kristian Vesalainen are both top prospects in WPG's pool, and both would make sense for Ottawa to acquire.
Those three assets alone (and let's face it, the other three either have little to no value (Dano), a cap dump (Kulikov), or don't fit into a rebuild (Little)) will not land you Duchene and Stone, hell, they may not accept that for Stone as a three-for-one. I should add into this that I am not an Ottawa Senators fan, which I feel is worth saying due to the fact that fans seem to over-value players of their own team.
Those three pieces would likely be enough to land Duchene (maybe even one of them, the 1st and a lesser prospect).
From Ottawa's standpoint, it would make more sense to trade them to different places. For starter's, it is easier for team's to afford one of their salaries, rather than both, especially when you take into account how difficult it is to make these blockbuster-like moves in the season. Additionally, trading them to separate teams makes it easier for those teams to work on extensions before the trade, allowing Ottawa to maximize on their return. Speaking of maximizing on return, both players will no-doubt have an asset return of a 1st round pick, prospect and likely another piece, so by trading to two different teams, they could potentially get 2 1st round picks, which they could either use to move up if they have a guy they like, or just take two players in the first round, something that is sure to help with their rebuild.