You had the Oilers at "Reinhart". But yeah, this seems like something Edmonton would do: get a younger forward, get a defenceman who isn't made of glass... I wonder: would Sekera do it?

Why in the world would the sabres do that?

I am not a huge fan of Scandella but I think the Oilers pull the trigger on this deal for sure.

There is no part of me that wants to move Reinhart. Offensively having a career year and is probably our best all round forward at this point

IMO this trade greatly favors the Sabres. Nugent-Hopkins is the #2 center that the Sabres desperately need. Sekera while he may be made of glass, is vastly superior to Scandella. I love Reinhart but a center is much more valuable than a RW. A healthy Sekera gives the Sabres 3 good LHD and with Montour, they now have 3 good RHD.


Exactly why Edmonton would trade more talent then they get in return.

Because the Sabres need a #2 center and good puck moving defensive LHD. I think nearly every NHL GM would rather have Nugent-Hopkins over Reinhart. This is not to degrade Reinhart, only to emphasize the importance of Centers. The Sabres' prior to Eichel have not had a top center since LaFontaine, now with this trade the Sabres could look for another UFA winger and actually have a playoff contender.

TBH, this trade favors the Sabres' by a long margin, if Gretzky made this trade, he may find himself being compared to Chiarelli.

Yes he is having a great year and his hat trick was completed with out any help from Mr. Eichel. But this is a pure hockey trade RW for Center. The Oilers need a RW and the Sabres need a center. BTW Nugent-Hopkins is only a couple of years older than Reinhart, Ryan was a 1st over all pick and he is also having a career year. IMO both teams could win, Reinhart with McDavid and Draisaitl would be awesome, Scandella is a sturdy unspectacular LHD, just what Edmonton needs to replace Sekera. Nugent-Hopkins as a second line center would add significant offense to the team (he is playing second fiddle to McDavid. Finally, if Sekera stays healthy, he is a very solid #1 LHD playing behind Dahlin and ahead of the Sabres' #1 LHD from 2 years past. I think this trade could work out well for both the Sabres and Oilers. While Ryan does play with McDavid and Draisaitl, 45% of his even strength time on ice is with player as, Spooner, Lucic, PoolParty, Caggliula, Yamamoto, Gagner, Reider etc, not exactly hall of fame material.

Reinhart is younger, and less expensive than Nugent-Hopkins, but he’s not a centre, is less versatile, and is unlikely to provide an upgrade over RNH on the left wing with McDavid. On its own, this would be a bad move for Edmonton.

Saving cap space is good, but this kind of trade only makes sense if the Oilers are sure they are going to sign a legitimate scoring forward through the UFA market. In that way, the Oilers would effectively be moving RNH for two scoring forwards. However the UFA market doesn’t open until after the draft, and they are not able to negotiate with free-agents until July 1.

Adding Sekera to the deal kind of exacerbates the impact of moving Nugent-Hopkins. Sekera is one of, maybe, two defence in Edmonton who can consistently move the puck to the forwards. His presence, even as he is still working to regain form while playing bottom-pair minutes, has been very positive on the entire roster. Frankly, if Sekera regains just 85% of his game, moving Kris Russell may be a better option for Edmonton. Of course, moving Russell is a completely different discussion.

So, if Buffalo wants to acquire Nugent-Hopkins, and Sekera at the NHL draft, they will probably have to give up more. Edmonton needs scoring forwards, so expect the asking price to start with two scoring forwards, or a scoring forward and grade A prospect who is ready for the NHL. Adding Sekera won’t deminish the asking price for RNH. So, expect to add yet more.

I will start a riot if this trade is made.

I will start a good riot if you replace reinhart with ristolainen

Did you read my comment above, because I agree with you completely. This trade overwhelmingly favors the Sabres. The EDM contracts are for only 2 additional years, so if Sekera perform commensurate with his Salary, he can be released, Hopkins would require a raise at the end of his contract if he continue to produce well. As you indicated, even if Reinhart and Nugent-Hopkins were an even swap, Sekera is significantly better than Scandella. TBH, this trade would make Buffalo a play off team, solid #2 center really solid LHD. I think it is really humorous how many people think TML over value their players, read the replies from Sabre fans. When I suggest a trade as this which still favors the Sabres', it is not enough for the Blue and Gold loyalists.
Check out the post that I used as a framework for this trade https://www.capfriendly.com/armchair-gm/team/1074053, it was even worse for Edmonton:
EDM trades Nugent-Hopkins, Ryan and 2020 4th round pick (EDM) to MTL for Drouin, Jonathan
EDM trades Sekera, Andrej to OTT for Gáborík, Marián
So I combined them dropped the pick going to MTL, added a player with value going to EDM and retained salary.
If I posted what you suggested as fair can you imagine the outrage from the Sabre contingent.

Oilers accept

I read your comment regarding the imbalance in this deal, I am simply underscoring it with some of the reasons why it is so.

Both organizations should practice some patience. Buffalo will be more competitive as their young core matures. Edmonton has no choice other than being patient with developing prospects, continue to improve the drafting record, and luck with low-dollar free agents.

Thank you both for your comments. While I agree that this trade favors the Sabres, it is close, the two of you agree with me, while six feel the Oilers would accept the trade or feel I am crazy for proposing it (I get that often from Sabre fans). As I stated above, Nugent-Hopkins plays 45% of his even strength ice time without Draisaitl nor McDavid as a line mate. He would provide the Sabres with a solid #2 Center which is one of the areas the Sabres need improvement.



I do not think Betterall would add, but does adding Nylander to Reinhart and Scandella ($1,000,000 retained) for Nugent-Hopkins and Sekera seem about right for you?


You maybe correct about waiting for the prospects to develop, TBH, I like making trades that IMO greatly favor the Sabres, then read the usual Sabres AGM's rail against the trade. For example I suggested Ristolainen for Kadri and Zaitsev and as "littlejerryseinfeld" said, "I will start a riot if this trade is made."

On the other hand, I just keep quiet when I see a Sabre fan post Ristolainen to TBL for Goude, Sergachev and a first and they expect AGM's to give it a thumbs up.

The Oilers may have a new GM by the draft, so its entirely possible a player like Nugent-Hopkins might become available. I'm not sure the team would package him with Sekera, but I suppose that is possible too. Would Nylander, Reinhart, and Scandella make a deal happen? Hard to say. It really depends on:
1. Whether the new GM in Edmonton wants to build from the current core of the team, or take the organization in another direction;
2. Whether Sekera agrees to a trade; and,
3. How many other teams might be interested in acquiring Nugent-Hopkins and Sekera, rather than testing the free-agent market for similar talent.

Personally, I think a bidding war would ensue if Nugent-Hopkins was shopped on the draft floor. It is almost certain that Carolina would be in, and its quite possible that the Islanders, Montreal, Minnesota, Florida, maybe Boston, and possibly Nashville, Columbus, Dallas, Arizona, Anaheim, and even Vancouver might bid as well. Across the league, Sekera's perceived value is not commensurate with his contributions on the ice (when healthy). His $5.5-million salary may be irksome to Oiler fans, but their team will not be able to replace him for less. His injuries have exposed the lack of organizational depth in Edmonton, not a deficiency in Sekera's ability. The Oilers have some promising prospects, but they can't really afford to move Sekera until some of those young guys are ready for full-time NHL action. And even then, it will likely make more sense to move Russell, since a player like Caleb Jones is just about an upgrade over Russell right now.