Quoting: justaBoss
While it may be true that these players would fill some needs, they aren't valuable enough for us to trade Faksa for them. You can get equivalents of those assets in level from free agency, but it's very hard to find another Faksa for that matter.
Our wingers are pretty versatile and able to play both wings with no problems.
I also don't think Puljujärvi is returning to NHL any time soon. He feels home in Finland and doesn't seem that eager to return to NA. He seems happy with being able to be one of the best in the Finnish league.
Gotta disagree. At 21-years old Puljujarvi absolutely torched the top men’s league in Finland this year, and if any of the reports that came out do Edmonton are true the main reason he left the NHL was because of the poor management from Edmonton. It’s the same issue that’s happened with Honka. Given the opportunity to get a fresh start on a new team, he’d be foolish not to jump at the chance to come back to the NHL, and I have to believe that he and his agent know that. He’s really gone as far as he can go with the game outside of North America.
If Dallas were able to land him, he instantly becomes their highest ceiling “prospect”, and he’s already NHL ready.
In regards to Faksa, Dallas already has his replacement in-house. In the short term, Dickinson takes over Faksa’s role and Dallas sees similar (potentially better) overall production from him. With Dellandrea also being a near lock for the NHL within the next year, they have 3 centers that all play a solid defensive game. I 100% look to move Faksa’s rights this offseason. Love the player, but he’s replaceable with what they currently have, and fetches a good return.
Benning may not be a NEED, but he gives Dallas a good depth option at RD (and a MASSIVE improvement over Polak) should Dallas elect to give Harley a bit more time to develop. Personally, Harley should make the roster out of camp, but given Nill’s desire to let his players develop for long periods of time, Benning would be a cheap depth option to bridge the gap until Harley is ready.
Overall, if Edmonton were to offer this deal, Dallas should take it and run with it.