Admittedly, I used a Die By The Blade podcast as reference and inspiration for some of these trades. Again, was super fun to make, and listed below is some of my thought process:
Toronto may be looking for a more controllable, right handed d man option with C. Ceci and T. Barrie possibly departing. Montour has offensive upside if used correctly, and has comparisons to a Will Butcher contract (3.7). In return, Kerfoot serves as a hard-working, reliable 2C to fill the gap for when Cozens is ready to progress up the lineup.
Calgary may be looking for a right handed d man due to the possible loss of a chunk of the defensive end, as Risto can then be a nice depth option behind Gio and Hanifin. I believe Risto can still be relevant, and can be quite effective if his minutes are managed correctly. He needs a change of scenery, and Calgary could be a nice fit for him. Asplund can be a nice middle or bottom 6 counterpart to a line combo. The question here is Bennett, as I'm under the impression Calgary fans are split on him. Some consider him a bust, and others love how he's transitioned his game to a more gritty/high energy style (as I do). The 3rd round pick is conditional, and would essentially just be swapping goalies, with the Sabres retaining some of Hutton's salary. Calgary fans, feel free to voice how you feel about Bennett, and possibly A. Mangipane because he would be my other option.
Lastly, the Sabres still own Pilut's rights, and I personally think the dude should be playing in the NHL and not in Russia. To give him a fresh start, Carolina can be a low key fun market for him, and possibly be a cost controllable, right handed, immediate part of that defense with J. Edmundson potentially out the door. The Sabres get a nice left handed defensive prospect who is close in comparison to Pilut on d man prospect rankings.
Offense:
Protecting the core of Eichel-Reinhart-Skinner-Olofsson is key. Kerfoot as 2C with M.Johansson and J.Skinner flanking, as they showed some nice chemistry last season. Cozens as 3C, but being protected by a fast, high energy Bennett who will stand up to any **** thrown Cozens' way, and Kahun as a very solid two-way counterpart. Then a highly effective shut down 4th line, with Lazar's spot being prone to substitution with Thompson being my first in line call-up. The ethos of the group is to be a nice mix of talented, defensively confident, high energy, relentless dogs after the puck; just the kind of lunch pail collection of guys the people of Buffalo can cheer for.
Defense:
DeMelo signs as a UFA if he can be wrestled away from the Jets, and TVR being signed to serve as a vet shut down 7th defensemen. Bryson's spot is prone to call-ups and downs for prospect competition. McCabe needs to be paired with Jokiharju for his lapses in defensive focus from time to time. Miller has an under appreciated slapshot, and Dalhin is Dalhin.
Goalies:
Talbot had a nice resurgence in Calgary, but Rittich likely has the foothold of starter there. Calgary has a clear 1-2 of Rittich and Hutton, while the Sabres split the tandem of Ullmark and Talbot like BOS and ARI does. At least until UPL is ready to move up with Ullmark in a couple years.
Hopes and dreams to be crushed t-minus 3...2....1.....
Not nearly enough value for Risto. No deal. No point in trading for Bean if we don't play him in the NHL and no chance Carolina even makes that trade. Bean >> Pilut
I don't see any reason why Toronto should want Montour. He is small, poor defensively, and most likely to again be an over-paid RHD on his next contract, who brings elements to the team that they are already over-flowing with, and brings nothing except further weakness for the areas where Toronto is already weak. Surely there are many other teams out there who could actually benefit from a D like Montour.
I could be wrong. After all Dubas built a bad, unbalanced, poor-defensively, soft D-core this year and it showed. Everyone who watches them should know that they are more in need of Muzzin-types than Barrie-types. But maybe he will double down on his direction. However, as there is no evidence that Dubas was interested in Montour a little over a year ago (especially as Toronto and Anaheim have had a good relationship trade-wise), I am hoping that he is still not interested.
You're undervaluing both montour and risto.
Team is largely the same maybe slightly better but that second line sucks. And the 3rs isnt much better. If you're trading both risto and montour I would imagine you get at least one player that makes the offense better. Bennett and kerfoot do not.
Cgy doesnt want Risto, again for the 400th time its been leaked by CGY management group that Risto was outed by amateur scouts around the time of the draft saying he doesnt fit the flames game plan/environment.
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