Honestly I have zero idea how that would turn out for either team.

1) Laine scores insane amounts of goals with McDavid while Draisaitl turns out to be a great centre on a line with actual good linemates not names McDavid.

2) Laine scores insane amounts of goals and Draisaitl still needs to play with an elite centre in Schiefele to put up a point a game pace and the added depth given to Edmonton all pan out. (Oilers Win trade)

3) Draisaitl forms instant chemistry with the 2nd line in Winnipeg and gives the gets the best 1-2 punch down centre in the west, Laine doesn't find chemistry with McDavid and ends up have a worse season than last year and the other guys coming over also don't impress (Jets win trade)

Any 3 of these scenarios could happen, it would be fun to watch it play out.

gotta pay to get rid of kulikov's $4,33M cap hit

This is interesting to me as a Jets fan. As much as you never want to see a generational goal scorer such as Laine leave, this is intriguing. This probably gets done even without Lowry added, maybe a pick.

His buyout is two seasons at 1.44 aav so pretty manageable.

I like your input, only comment I would say in regards for Laines chemistry is that as long as someone can put the puck on his stick and reduce some pressure on Laine from the opposition he will do what he does best. And there probably is not anyone better than that in the leauge the McDavid.

Very interesting trade as is highly unlikely.

Huge overpay by Jets. Straight up would be far more realistic! Laine wouldnt be able to skate with McDavid.

I wouldn’t do it for the simple fact that I’m not joking here I think laine could get 65 goals playing with McDavid. They would destroy the league and laine would develop into a game breaker

I am not sure that Laine's game would work as well as you'd think with McDavid. He's obviously the best player in the world but he's also so fast, you need people that can be prepared to move with the flow he creates and I am not sure Laine would be a great match for that. Probably he'd still score a pile of goals but if he didn't have good chemistry with McDavid, there is literally no one else worthy of playing with besides RNH, so there is a chance he would struggle in Edmonton. But who knows.

Ideally yeah a generational goal scorer for a number 1 centre but teams value top centres highly so doubt its a one for one.

That's my point, he wouldn't need to skate as much, just play a positional game that's sound and he would succeed. Top players make others better.

That was my thought too, although Laine isn't slow, he's big and has that long stride that makes him look slow. I think his problem is he's not the best with his edge work and I think an agile scorer would be better with McDavid. But still he'd score a pile of goals, or just be dangerous enough to open up more space for McDavid to dangle around.

Draisaitl is not a top centre, there is a reason everyone is calling him an elite winger these days, its because that is what he is with McDavid and without him he's a pretty good centre. He'd have to have a full season playing centre and putting up big points without McDavid to earn the #1 centre designation and so far that hasn't ever happened.

Also doesn't help that he plays on a team with a terrible track record for player development. Would be nice to see what he could do with proper guidance. Easy enough to use a top winger status as a fail safe to avoid the difficult task at hand in developing him as a top centre.

As you said he is faster than people think, he can move his feet when he chooses to do so. It is definitely a big unknown with regards to the certainty of the Chemistry between the two, but we can only imagine what could be if they played together and found it.

Personally I am not sure Laine is as good as people thought he was going to be. He's big and has a terrific shot but he's a tad lazy and needs to become a pro because getting by on his gifts isn't going to be enough in the NHL.

I hear that what you are saying but also think that is a very common and a rather easy opinion to hold because he had a down year. If you watch some games and watch his play you will see that it has become much more than just scoring goals, and to say 30 goals is a down year could be seen as a compliment.

Although his scoring may have dropped last season, he has become a better player overall and that will only serve him well throughout his development and career.

Watch out for him, he is going to come out hot in every aspect.

I have to agree with the title...Ottawa taking on Kulikov is one of the weirdest trades I've seen.

Laine for Draisaitl is one of the most intriguing trade ideas IMO.
Jets need a 2C and Leo is exactly that, plus he's under a pretty valuable contract considering the way the market is going (see Eichel at 10 and what a lot of these RFA's will get). Jets would be set down the middle for years to come...potentially the best 1-2 C punch in the league (Crosby and Malkin are getting older).
For EDM, they would get a legit RW for McDavid and Laine might score 70 haha. Plus you gotta love the Gretzky-Kurri throw back.
The jets would need to kick in some additional pieces, but I dont think it wuold have to be both Lowry and Roslovic.