I really like the name of this post lol although you didn't put any notes with your thoughts...

I guess I'll just start with what I see first: it's already been announced that the league cap won't be $83MM so this roster already doesn't make sense.
I think Blueger might command a bit more given his production this past offseason.
Pettersson likely gets a much bigger raise than this.
GMJR said he thinks this is the best defense they've had (with Maatta scratched) so sending him out I get & moving Phil for a D I get.
Why does Vancouver want another LD when they have Hutton, Edler, and Hughes? Juolevi is also waiting in the wings. So VanCity passes.
Keith elects not to waive his NMC for Pitt. Subban would make more sense.
I think Ottawa would want more to take on JJ if they even took him at all. Rumor has it they want to re-sign Ceci. Look for them to take on Hossa's contract from AZ should they decide to buy.
I think your cap hits for Gus and Zucc are in the right ballpark (maybe they get a bit more?) . Zucc will be 32 at the start of next season
What happens the next season when Murray wants 6.5 and Schultz wants 6+? What if McCann puts up 25-30 goals? Y'all just walk away from 2 of the 3?

Where was this announced? link please

none of this works. First you are over the cap. Second a lot of those trades just don't make sense. They don't need to give up much to get rid of JJ. Maatta brings back a 2nd, and only a second.
That chicago trade is awful. There is no way in hell they are moving 2 of their top 3 RW, especially for that return. Nor are they going to play Jake on his off wing all season.

-Fair enough on Vancouver, but I'm sure they can find a similar move on another team.

-For a team like Ottawa going through a major rebuild and needing to fill out roster spots, paying JJ $2.75Mish isn't that bad. A rebuild like what they're doing is going to last at least three years before they starting trying to realistically make the playoffs. Adding ZAR and the 2nd rounder while retaining cash I think is enough to make it happen, but who the heck really knows.

-Blueger's sample-size is very small and I think a two-year bridge deal like that is fair.

-Pettersson? I mean how much more could he really command? For all intents and purposes he's really just finished his rookie year. If it was more, I couldn't imagine it being much more than a few hundredK.

-We don't know what Keith would do, but I have to think if he waived his NMC he wouldn't mind going to a team like the Pens. I'd love Subban and I definitely think that's a possibility, but I was trying to look at more financially feasible options so the Pens can spend on replacements.

-Yes, the McCann and Murray issues are coming down the pike. It will be easier to move Gudbranson a year from now, especially if he picks up where he left off and the Pens can try to free up some space by moving him. Hornqvist, if he goes back to normal, will also be more moveable.

Overall the Pens are looking at two to three year window right now, adding guys like Zucc and Gus may actually extend that. Also, I appreciate you disagreeing like a normal person. People who just say, "wrong!" "NOPE!" etc... I don't even bother responding to. None of us here are GMs, so we are all going to be off on something.

I don't think it was officially announced, but I do remember reading they said it's possible the original projection may be less.

No on all except JJ trade. Plus u only have 20 roster spots and at cap = dont work

if I’m Stan Bowman I decline that trade. I’m not trying to give up Joki for a guy who is already over 30. Joki and Keith are the hawks top pair. How is it smart for a team to trade both players from their top pairing?

Ahhh, I missed that. Good catch.

Kessel isn’t getting that big of a return and is useless for Chicago.

I'm not sure if you're a hawks fan, but those two are not their top pair. First, they're both LDs. Yes, Keith is on the top pair, but not Jokiharju. The hawks get a massive upgrade in their offense and have the money to go out get another LD.

Adding an 80 point guy is useless?

At 32 year old who had some of the worst possession stats in the league and an overpaid 3rd liner for one of the best D prospects in hockey, 2 seconds that will be high, all the while making said team’s cap situation worse


Yeah that deal is pretty awful. Kessel is liability away from the power play and no one is trading a top prospect for him let alone do the obscene adds you put

What's really obscene is your lack of knowledge of how good Kessel is. I don't want Kessel moved and I pray it doesn't happen, but he's absolutely worth Keith+.

He really isn’t anywhere close to as good as you think he was. He can’t carry posssession, struggles on 5 on 5, he is nothing more than a power play specialist that is one of the worst players in the league when the puck isn’t on his stick. Kessel and an overpaid rust don’t get you two seconds, Jokiharju, Keith, and Caggiula.

You are asking for an even bigger return than what he got as he was with Boston and ten years younger. 32 year olds who drop off offensively don’t get half of that return

SEE IMAGES BELOW

You look at Kessel compared to Kane and you don't want that? Yeah, he's 32 and younger than Keith and will likely fall off much sooner than Kessel. For the Pens, they can absorb that contract due to the shorter window.

Yeah, Kessel isn't great defensively, but he's not nearly as bad as people think. He drives offense and such a ridiculous rate.

I'm trying to upload screen shots, but I can't figure it out. Kessel drives offense at an elite level and has not even started to fall off. Yeah, he's not great defensively, but he doesn't have to be. Not every player has to be a two-way player.

Yea there is a quite the gap lol @ even putting Phil in the same sentence as Kane. One player lead the league in even strength scoring and the other wasn’t even in the top 50..

D and forwards do not follow the same tragectory Phil already is a net negative in terms of the impact he has on the ice. You somehow think Phil would be good for this team when he would be on the third line here and not even in the top power play unit (isn’t knocking any of DeBrincat, Kane, Gustafsson, along with Toews and Strome off due to how they play and that they provide a net front presence)

You're obviously extrapolating what you want to vs. what actually is, so we're going to have to agree to disagree here.

Only team that needs Kessel is Az rip off their team

Yes, I am a hawks fan. And I can tell you that they are both on the top pair. Any hawks fan will tell you Joki should have stayed the entire season with the hawks but when we started to struggle the new coach sent him down for better development. Look at hawks Arm chairs on this site, 95% have Keith and joki as the top pair. Also, this site does have him listed as a LD but he is actually a RD, he has a right handed shot.

Kessel is not worth giving up your top pair for. No team in the NHL should be trading their top pair in a single trade. And you through in 2 seconds and Caggiula too? This is just not an ideal trade for the hawks.

Sportsnet announced it after the first round stating that too many of the big markets got out too early and it would likely lead to a loss of revenue which leads to a lower salary cap for all

Nashville had an awful powerplay this year. You don't think Kessel would help them out? Laughable. A guy that would really help is Hornqvist since they need a net-front, middle 6 guy but Kessel would likely be a huge boost as well. It's not like he's awful at ES either.

What of other teams that miss out in free agency, you don't think they would want Kessel at the right price? Montreal, Columbus, COLORADO, Minnesota, St.Louis, LA. All of these teams would take Kessel for the right price. That price is not a top pairing defender, but it's not a 3rd round pick either