Detroit won't move that 2nd but maybe Washington's which they own.

I don't see Yzerman trading any picks in this years draft.

VGK should not move Tuch he has an incredible contract; even for Trouba.
Do not think ANH moves Kase without a Strome extension in place (otherwise Strome arbitrates for 1 year and then walks), and the trade itself makes little sense for ANH. They have centers in the pipeline coming up they need more wingers (specifically RWs).
Doubt Steen waives just because he has a better chance at winning next year in STL, and Staal might not even want to waive because he's comfortable here.
Fast probably will not get that 4th rounder tacked on but close enough.
That's a really high asking price for Kreider.

I'd consider Karlsson as well if you prefer. But I think we really only will consider Tuch's contract as "amazing" if he's at a 60+ point pace consistently... Right now he's played 2.5 full seasons. Season 1 he's at a 39 point pace over 82 games. Season 2 he's at a 57 point pace. Season 3, and he's at a 30 point pace this year over 82 games. His career average is 45 points over a 82 game span on a very high scoring team. The notion that his contract is amazing is based on a narrative of him piggy backing off of last year onto something great. That's not what has happened... he's regressed a bit. He's only 2 years younger than Trouba. The contract seems fair...And consider the positional depth that Vegas has at F and their dearth of D combined with the lack of top 4 D on the UFA market, I think they certainly consider the deal.


Strome's extension could certainly happen, but that's for Anaheim to negotiate. I have no problem putting that in place as part of the deal....Strome is also very comfortable at RW (I talked about his positional flexibility in the rationale). I think they certainly consider this deal as well.

Can't speak to Steen or Staal waiving. But I don't think Staal or Steen actually play much for their own teams next year. There's really no place for them. Rangers are going to try to bring players like Rykov/Miller/Robertson up to LHD, and Blues have Kyrou and Kostin to get in the lineup. Whether they want to be "comfortable" is up to them. But i think if they want to actually be on the ice, they make the deal.

I'd say it's an appropriate asking price for Kreider. He's been a pt/game player over the last 20+ games. No conditional picks if you want to resign. Just a solid prospect and a 1st. Hallander probably is about 4th in the Penguins organization behind Addison/Poulin/Legare right now. So to go to a division rival the price might be a tick higher.

Tuch is top 9 forward on a sub 5 million dollar deal for 7 years. If the cap continues to increase, it's going to look really good in 3-4 years from now. I just think VGK are smart enough to keep him, given the team friendly aspect of his deal and his upside.

Strome is going to want a lot of money if he continues to put these points up, so NYR moving him would be a prudent decision. But GMs are smart enough to know that his success is byproduct of playing with Panarin, so I think he would be traded for a 2nd and 3rd in consecutive years, similar to Zuccarello. But I do not think NYR have the wherewithal or guts to move him right now.

I think it's a good place to start with Kreider, but I do not think a team would acquiesce to that price. Thinking as of now, it would be a first and a B prospect (which is still worth it to NYR).

I guess so, but Vegas is in a super tough spot positionally...Again, if not Tuch then it's probably Karlsson. The only other way around it is building a package around prospects and 1sts (most likely Elvenes + 1st +, but that would mean taking on much more cap...)

I think your Strome comparison is WAYYYY off. He's on pace for 74 points and is an RFA. You want to compare him to a 30 year old UFA??? His production is definitely all thanks to an Elite Top Line player. Jeez who can we say that about: Jake Guentzel lol. Seriously. Last year Guentzel scored 76 points, Crosby contributed on 62% of them. This year Strome is on pace for 74 points. Panarin has contributed on 58% of them. It's the same thing. And Strome is probably going to look at Guentzel's 6 mil contract as a model.

How much value does Guentzel have on the open market? It's probably a lot. But let's look at maybe an easier comparison. Last year a top 6 Winger who kinda plays C was traded after putting up a 52 point pace, but many thought that his production was heavily aided by being around Elite Scorers fitting a similar profile and being a similar age as Strome. He got traded for a 1st and 3rd Round pick. That was JT Miller...

It doesn't matter who you're playing with, scoring 70+ takes a lot of skill...I mean we can go on. Elias Lindholm doesn't break 45 points for 4.5 seasons and yet, when he's with Johnny Hockey suddenly he's a 78 point player....Same thing.

Strome's most likely going to finish with 70+ points and that should most likely net you a 1st ++.

-VGK has a decent chunk of money coming off the books, so I think they'll be fine.
-$6 million is a lot for Strome, and NYR can probably find players at cheaper rates to produce at high levels offensively when playing with Panarin. They also can find better defensive forwards than Strome, who is one of the league leaders in penalties taken, and advanced metrics suggest his defensive is poor. I just think NYR can spend the money better, and pick up more assets in the process. I am just a little pessimistic on the return compared to you (although a 2nd and a 3rd is not terrible). If Panarin is out a few games, let's see is Strome produces the same as before. I still think NYR should trade him, and just take the best deal offered.
-JT Miller and Guentzel are distinguishable from Strome because they are signed to term. Strome is a pending RFA and could arbitrate for a one year deal and then walk to UFA next offseason. I think this deflates teams' willingness to pay.
-In the following tweet, if you look at the graph, you can see that Strome significantly benefit from playing with Panarin and Fast. I am certainly not taking anything away from Strome. I believe he's a top 6 forward. But playing with one of the best offensive players in the world and a great defensive forward does help him look good. Also, doesn't you Lindholm example prove that playing with better people inflates your stats?

Here is the link. pic.twitter.com/VQs7Rcm4RD[/quote]

1) Yeah less of a cap concern and more positional: Basically does Vegas want to pay 8 mil+ for a top pair Dman on the UFA market that's going to be in his 30's for the majority if not the entirety of the contract: Barrie/Krug/Pietrangelo. Even the 2nd tier options are going to be in their 30's for the majority if not entirety of the contract and going to cost 5 mil AAV at least for long term: Muzzin/Brodie/Schultz/Vatanen/Tanev/Hamonic/Gudas/Dillon....

As opposed to Trouba who's 25 and who's off contract by 32. It's really an investment choice, and you'd think a smart team wouldn't want to have Tyson Barrie or Torrey Krug making 8 mil at age 34 with 2 years left to go on their deal...

2) I agree. And I can't think of a scenario in which the Rangers pay Strome. I don't think the contract situation is a huge issue, and Strome playing for 3 teams already is a good incentive for him to ink a long term deal. I think he realizes this is his chance to cash in. So if a long term deal is what it takes to get a trade done, I think it'll happen.

3) Yes playing with one of the best offensive players in the world does help him look good.....like Guentzel lol
https://hockeyviz.com/fixedImg/replacements/1819/PIT/crosbsi87/wrap

The point about Lindholm and Guentzel and Miller is that yes playing with better people does inflate your stats. And when it comes to trade value for Forwards - Points directly correlates to trade value on the open market regardless of context.....Thus you can say that Strome would only be worth a 2nd/3rd ONLY if you also say that Lindholm and Guentzel are also worth the same. Both of them Need Elite players to rack up point totals.
It's also interesting, because it seems to take a particular skill to actually compliment a player in such a way.
Examples: Andreas Johnsson spends 80+% of his TOI with Auston Matthews and hasn't sniffed above a 50 point pace
Alex Iafallo Spends 80% of his TOI with Anze Kopitar and he hasn't touched a 45 point pace
Zach Kassian spends 71% of his TOI with Connor friggin McDavid and he's at a 52 point pace.
Sam Reinhart spends 90%! of his TOI with Jack Eichel and he hasn't cleared a 70 point pace (though he's close)

Do you know what these players all have in common? They spend a greater portion of their Ice Time with an Elite player and they all have a lower scoring pace than Strome....
Assuming a contract is in a place, I can't think of a rational reason for him to go for less than JT Miller went for (1st + 3rd) and more likely MORE....

Hard to put a value on Lindholm but I think Strome and Lindholm are good comparisons. Hard to compare them to Guentzel, who has produced consistently since the start of his career, even before playing with Sid and Malkin (I believe for a short time he played 3rd line and was producing). I do not think it's out of the question that Strome could get a first; I am saying that there are red flags about him (unsure whether he can sustain this level of production, defensively irresponsible). I would not be surprised if he yields a 1st, or a [2nd and a 3rd]. But I think this exercise is going to be useless, as I actually think NYR are going to keep him and sign him to a big deal (not that I would).

Ooof that would be pretty terrible since it would block Chytil from the top 6 and probably prevent a re-signing of Deangelo. Glad we could eventually see eye to eye

Haha I didn't think we were differing about what NYR should do. I think I am just a little more pessimistic about Strome's return.