Quoting: OldNYIfan
You wanna suggest trading Sandin for Ryan Pulock or Brandon Carlo, okay, that has merit although it's reaching too far. Trading Sandin for Scott Mayfield or Connor Clifton (who are actually already in the NHL) would be a short-sighted move and, in my opinion, a real howler; but trading Sandin for a defensive prospect is just cuckoo. Is there any reason to believe that Sandin won't be as good as Cale Makar? If you are seriously thinking about trading Sandin, may I point out that Olli Juolevi was considered just as highly as Jamie Drysdale?
I'm just exploring the possibilities here, knowing too well this would be a serious move. But there are real concerns behind it.
My concerns are twofold:
1) I think our team still struggles defensively, and that it will come back to haunt us in the future. We have many defensemen with a similar style (modern-style, offensive-oriented, not the robust type that will do the heavy lifting in our own zone). 2) Next year in particular, we lose three UFAs, and we just can't afford to bid for players on the UFA market to fill in these spots, due to cap concerns.
Suppose Sandin makes it into the lineup next year. An almost sure bet. He could be as good as Makar (or close to it, though not quite, I would think). Then we have Rielly-Sandin-Dermott on the LHD. Three players not really minded on the defensive side of the game. None of them really suited to block shots or do the dirty work on the PK.
Take Makar or Girard with Colorado. They're doing really well. But they have a Zadorov and Johnson behind them. It gives balance to their lineup.
(BTW, Carlo or Mayfield would be perfect on our team next year. But I wouldn't trade Sandin for them - a forward, instead. He has more value than that to me.)
Finally, Drysdale is already above 1 PPG at 17 in the OHL. Juolevi never was. Point taken, there's a big risk. Although he is a legit prospect, I think, and the kind who would fit well for the team's future.