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Trade wise I think this honestly benefits both teams. Good trade in my opinion.

first of welcome. 2nd thats a decent trade

Hah! Someone on CapFriendly older than me!! Great!!!

Welcome! Great trade imo. Helps Minnie shed cap to open up space for them to pursue a top line center via FA

I'm actually 60 years younger and hipper

That’s what I thought lol. People older than you don’t know how to make smiley emojis

Hard pass. No interest in having Stepan around long term and less than no interest in paying a 2nd for him. If Guerin really wants him, he'll sign him for free in the summer.

That's a good point but i think the points the creator of thread made makes more sense.

For Stepan and the Senators, sure. For the Wild, no.

Do you think Rask is a liability for the Wild? Are the Wild good enough to make the playoffs without this trade? Let me know what you think

Welcome to the group of the NHLs greatest group of GMs.
Stepan really hasn't been good for years...so Minni probably doesn't want any part of any extension talk.
Ottawa really doesn't need help to get to the cap by taking a bad 4m contract. In todays NHL they so many teams cap strapped, the Sens can sign players in the off season to up the cap if necessary.
I don't know why the Sens ever traded for Stepan. Maybe the best trade they can do is just hope some teams wants Stepan, and just give him away, but maybe your trade just might be the best they can do.

Do you think Rask is a liability for the Wild? Are the Wild good enough to make the playoffs without this trade? Let me know what you think.

This is a bad team. Rask isn't a top 6 center but neither is Stepan. This team isn't making the playoffs regardless, and we can't afford to trade 2nd round picks for bottom six players. We should be trading our rentals for more picks. Locking up a 31 year old Stepan doesn't help this team win now or in the future, but if Guerin really wants him here, it's a signing that'll happen in the summer when the Wild don't have to move assets to get him.

Welcome to Cap friendly!

I don't really see this making Sense for Ottawa. Rask is not good, and his contract is even worse. They're past the stage in the rebuild where they should be taking on bad money. They will look to improve and try to get back to the playoff hunt, and Rask doesn't help them do that. Just not really a worthwhile move for The Sens.

I thought Ottawa would improve from last season. But they didn't. I also thought when San Jose traded for EK65, it was like taking our first born child away from us for free So, you never know.

I will say this. If this trade did happen and Ottawa wanted to get rid of Rask, they could always waive him, trade him in a package or buy him out in the off season.

I am still trying to figure out why Ottawa paid a 2nd to get Stepan without Arizona retaining any salary.

According to money puck.com, Minnesota has a 45% chance of making the playoffs. So, you never know.

Yeah because there are only 3 good teams in our division. That doesn't mean we have a reasonable chance to win a round, let alone make a run, and we certainly shouldn't be trading futures to improve this years roster.

I don't know why Ottawa traded for Stepan either. I do think PD will do everything he can to not give Stepan away though. So, we'll see.

Well, that's better than my first trade 😂

Welcome to Capfriendly!

I'm pretty sure that even with you as GM of Tampa, they would still be cup contenders. Might even win back to back

So here’s where I’m at. Stepan wasn’t worth a 2nd to begin with and Rask, while a competent 4C, is over priced. The Wild would probably offer a 3rd to get OTT to take his salary next year, but everything I’ve heard is that money doesn’t flow in OTT. That ring true for you?

Also, not a bad first go.

Sens Owner Eugene Melnyk has been pretty thrifty since 2017 but this year, he's been spending a bit more (Matt Murray, Dadonov, etc), which is interesting.

I don't know why Ottawa would pay a 2nd for Stepan, so maybe GM PD and Uncle Euge were in way over their heads.

Ever since Rask had that accident with his fingers, he has never been the same player. So, by swapping him for somebody who might do pretty much anything to play for Minnesota, the Wild could have a better shot at the playoffs.

That's just my two cents. No trade is perfect.

I will say this. If this trade did happen and Ottawa wanted to get rid of Rask, they could always waive him, trade him in a package or buy him out in the off season.

I am still trying to figure out why Ottawa paid a 2nd to get Stepan without Arizona retaining any salary.

Lots of comments here. It’s easier to respond nicely when a friendly tone is set in the description, and without contentious opinions, so you should get good responses here.

I’m not a fan of Rask, and I thought Min got fleeced on the deal where they acquired him for Niederreiter. Rask is over paid for his production and on ice contributions. I’m wary of term in contracts for Ottawa because they want to continue adding their youth, and I personally prefer expiring contracts like Stepan than those with an extra season like Rask. I don’t have an issue with retaining money on Stepan. Ottawa has the cap space, and the prorated salary of the retained $1MM isn’t huge, but when added to the $4MM Rask makes, and the Sens are suddenly paying the remaining salary of $5MM for a 4th line guy, this season, and then $4MM next season. That requires a huge asset in return. The picks being 2022 complicates things further as it pushes the benefit of the pick one year further down the road. I would think the pick would have to be a 1st round immediately, without conditions, mostly because Rask is a good size cap dump ($8MM) for a 4th line player, and $6MM more in real salary, and the additional reason of the retained money.

It’s definitely a trade worth considering.

Decent first ACGM, and I hope my comments didn’t give any impression of negativity.

Cheers!

I'm very worried that if Stepan regresses while in Ottawa, his value worsens.

Also, I have a feeling none of the other 30 teams are going to allow Ottawa to recoup a 2nd round pick at full value, let alone want to give a roster spot to Stepan at the expense of a younger player.

I also don't think teams are calling GM PD and begging to acquire Stepan in a trade that either favours Ottawa or is remotely fair.

Ottawa will probably try to cut their losses from the Arizona trade and move on.

The Derek Stepan experiment in Ottawa has been a complete and total disaster. No sugarcoating it.

Just my two cents.