The main goal of all of my AGMs is to keep the Islanders competitive this season while saving cap room for next season when Mat Barzal, Ryan Pulock, and Devon Toews are all RFAs. These trades also help Buffalo and Calgary, two teams that need cap space going into this season, while also trying not to compromise the quality of their rosters.
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Buffalo acquires Nick Leddy, a top-4 (sometimes top-pairing) defenseman that can balance out their defense and give Brandon Montour a steady LHD partner. Buffalo mainly sheds some of their log-jam on defense and saves $3.275M in cap space. If Buffalo also trades Rasmus Ristolainen to Winnipeg for Jack Roslovic and a 2nd, this will give them about $4.87M in cap space for 2019-20. For the Islanders, Zemgus Girgensons plays 3C this season, while Marco Scandella and Matt Hunwick can rotate on the bottom pair. Isles also get Tage Thompson, who is the son of Bridgeport Sound Tigers coach Brent Thompson, and can battle for the 3C/RW spot with Otto Koivula and Oliver Wahlstrom going into next season. Isles have an organization weakness at Center, so bringing in Thompson would be a big boost.
BUF lines ($4.87M in cap space):
Skinner-Eichel-Reinhart
Sheary-Middelstadt-Johansson
Vesey-Roslovic-Rodrigues
Wilson-Larsson-Okposo
Sobotka
Dahlin-Miller
Leddy-Montour
McCabe-Jokiharju
Bogosian, Nelson
Hutton
Ullmark
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Calgary acquires two bottom-pairing defensemen on good contracts and a project offensive RW that would be a great fit if given the right opportunity. Scott Mayfield is on a very cheap contract and can replace Travis Hamonic in a top-4 role after his contract is up. Thomas Hickey is a good bottom-pairing guy that can easily be a reserve into this season. If Oliver Kylington struggles and Juuso Valimaki isn't fully ready, Hickey can take that place and play well there. If Josh Ho-Sang signs for $975K, this move saves Calgary $4.025M in cap space. This will help them sign Matt Tkachuk ($10M) and Anthony Mangiapane ($900K) while also receiving long-term and valuable assets for UFAs. Isles acquire a good defenseman that can replace Leddy's production and a two-way winger that should fit well in a combination of Girgensons, Michael Dal Colle, and Leo Komarov.
CGY lines ($1.78M in cap space):
Gaudreau-Monahan-Lindholm
Tkachuk-Backlund-Ho-Sang
Lucic-Jankowski-Bennett
Mangiapane-Ryan-Czarnik
Dube, Quine
For the Islanders in 2020-21, Brodie, Scandella, and Hunwick will be replaced internally with Sebastian Aho, Noah Dobson, and a free agent defenseman at less than $1M (could be Scandella or Hunwick). Girgensons and Frolik are replaced internally with a combination of Wahlstrom, Koivula, and Thompson. Ladd most likely starts the year on LTIR. Once he's deemed healthy he'll be waived and sent to Bridgeport, saving $1.075 in cap room and giving the Islanders $1.1M in cap space for this season. It's tight, but this team looks very competitive. After all of these moves, the Islanders save $9.45M in cap space, which should be enough room to sign all RFAs at reasonable contracts.
Really bad for the Isles. It seems like you want to take on lesser players with higher salaries but less term. I would not do either of these trades. It would be disgusting to have Scandella in the lineup and Girgensons as a 3c who has not played center in 3 years or scored more than 20 in 5.
Really bad for the Isles. It seems like you want to take on lesser players with higher salaries but less term. I would not do either of these trades. It would be disgusting to have Scandella in the lineup and Girgensons as a 3c who has not played center in 3 years or scored more than 20 in 5.
I do because of our cap situation. It may be easier to just do nothing, but we need cap space next year.
I have a feeling buffalo would not want to give up Thompson as he is still young and they probably have some hopes of him being a guy that can be a long time Sabre. Also, Brodie would be a top pair guy most likely
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