bruh...if you want to call my opinions silly and insane...don't get so sensitive if I toss a very soft insult back. You seem the need to write plainly obvious comments like "don't overpay if you don't have to". Terrific insight. Thanks. I know the coffee is hot.

You and I don't know the asking price and yet you seem super confident that you know simply due to economics.

But you're not dealing with simple economics 101 here...there's a very real human factor involved.
a) after firing a coach like Babcock, how much excess pressure is there on Dubas to have playoff success this year?
b) how much more is that amplified because their path to the cup doesn't go thru Tampa and Boston the year?
c) how does the team you're trading with view their team? To squads like Columbus or Dallas who had playoff success in recent years let key pieces go this year? Or would they rather hang on, re-sign them, and see what comes of next year?
d) how much leadership does your captain provide to the locker room. what does it say to your fan base and current roster if you trade him away for a couple magic beans?
e) if there is a specific player you covet, the supply is 1. Punch that into your elasticity model
f) many teams likely know the leafs need to include kerfoot for cap purposes...they could attach negative trade value to him, insist he ins't included, or accept him but refuse to retain salary in the deal...how much does ownership weigh in on a team like Columbus trading away their captain, keeping and taking on salary...and getting a return that barely raises an eyebrow? What...because the economics says that's the average asking price? Eff that...you want something you believe can make your roster better or you're better off not making any deal.

So don't confuse any of the above with me thinking Kyle picks up the phone and immediately offers a king's ransom up front. The pieces I've included are more representative of the price I would personally be willing to go up to if the GM on the other line wasn't responding to lower offers.

Nope none of that is what I am saying. I fully understand that a top 10 pick is more valuable than the 30th pick. I also fully understand sometimes drafted players don't work out. Often they do and TO has done a good job developing players over the past several years.

What I am saying is there is no need to just say "f*CK it here is 2 1st rounders and guy who's having a similar season because I don't want to hear it from fans who have a ridiculous expectation that they are going to get massive hauls for all their players".

Supply and demand, most seasons at the trade deadline there are contenders and a bunch of teams that are fighting for a playoff spot that are buyers. That isn't the case this year. There are effectively 2 spots still up for grabs. 4th in the west and central and in both cases whoever gets in is going to get destroyed by a much better team. So really you have a maximum of 14 teams that could, or should be buyers. Doing quick math, that means there are 17 teams that are sellers. How many of the buyers even have cap space? How many sellers have multiple pending UFA's? The amount of players vs the number of spots teams would like to fill or can fill is heavily favoring the buyers.

If one guy wants to buy apples and there are 5 guys selling, the buyer will just wait for the best price to buy them. He doesn't spend way more than the Apple is worth because he doesn't want to hear it from the fans of that Apple cart.

I had more to say on this but I got busy there. My overall point is that regardless of all the points you made the biggest thing is a lack of demand right now. If Columbus wants a haul for Foligno, then just go a different route. And if these teams hold on to their players when they are clearly not close to being contenders, then they are missing out on improving down the road. I think it's a time to make a move but it's also a really great time to not overpay because you just don't need to. Someone is going to blink and with more sellers than buyers they are going to be the ones to blink first.

I get where you're coming from...but as a GM you have to identify if this playoff run is the one to push your chips into the middle of the table. If so, you overpay to get the specific guy you want, IMO,

Where we seem to differ the most, is that you seem to think there is a large supply of players that they leafs are willing to trade for, are available, and are affordable. My take is that, if you really believe you're a contender...you go after the top guy on your list....you don't just say "here's market value for your player, take it or I'll keep going down my list". It doesn't mean you pay whatever it takes...but it could very well mean you give up an asset you'd rather not.