Ottawa lets the answering machine take the call, "we're not here right now, please don't leave a message, and we will not be calling back, thx"

also pass on Duclair, not worth it

I'm not against making the trade, but if they're going to do it they need to make it really worthwhile and make a couple more value one year signings. They could re-sign Virtanen and bring in a solid 3rd pair Dman for example. But if they're opening the window by trading another 1st rounder to dump Loui they have to capitalize and try to win now.

This deal makes a ton of sense for OTT, even if the Canucks have to sweeten it a little (Virtanen maybe?). Dumping a bad contract with this big of a cap hit is going to be expensive, but not many teams are giving away 1st round picks to do it right now either. For the $5m in real salary left owed to Loui this could be a really good deal for the Sens, who could do 3 or 4 of these types of deals and still not be anywhere close to the cap ceiling.

Explain how it's a good money play for Ottawa?

It's a dead contract, because the player isn't going to produce at the $5MM owed over those two years, but worse, Eriksson takes so many shifts off now that he's going to be a bad influence on the younger players. Ottawa is acquiring character guys, not lazy old guys. As for the $6MM cap, they don't need it, they'll be over the cap floor once the RFA's are signed. Even the 1st round pick doesn't help much. It's deferred until June 2022, and that player isn't likely to be NHL ready until at least 24/25, maybe.

Go check the other Van armchair GM posts with Senators listed as a trade partner, see how many times EriKsson is offered in a trade scenario and declined.

Ottawa can play a younger player on his ELC, or an energy vet at just above league minimum, and get more production than Eriksson, and save themselves over $3MM in salary. Ottawa doesn't buy draft picks.

Offer Eriksson to a team that needs cap (there are none) or just buy him out.

You think Melnyk is going to give $5MM for a draft pick? This is Ottawa you're dealing with.

I get he's cheap, no doubt. But what is a 1st round pick worth to a still-rebuilding NHL team? And like I said, VAN would probably need to add a secondary piece in the deal as well.

That's a 2022 draft pick, who's not going to be NHL ready until maybe 24/25. The rebuild is pretty much done, now they're fine tuning it now. This is a year the kids will get games, and next year the UFA acquisitions will be better quality. Go find a team that's just starting their rebuild, it will be cheaper to unload Eriksson there than Ottawa. Ottawa will require more to take him. It just doesn't make sense.

a 2022 first will be coming into the league on his ELC in 2024. That ECL could be very very valueable to OTT.

OTT adds a mid pick/roster depth, and VAN adds Virtanen --> I would accept in a heardbeat.

I wouldn’t say very very. That’s pretty much the earliest most 1st round picks are arriving, but it might be later, or never. There’s no anticipating the teams needs that far ahead. It’s a prospect in the system. No need handcuffing the team when they’re looking to challenge for the playoffs for some unknown value that far down the road. But that’s just one point, Eriksson is lazy, do you want the guys coming into the league to learn from that? He’s dead weight on too high a salary, on a contract that could hinder them in year 2.

If the team doesnt need the specific asset, then its just a trade piece to acquire what you need. Loui's cap hit will in no way handcuff the team when they’re looking to challenge for the playoffs. Were not gonna be competitive this year or next with or without Loui.

As for the nebulous impact of "being a bad influence", Loui is 100% a cautionary tale. None of the young kids wants to be the guy who gets memed and mocked for being bad and overpaid.