Avs decline, for the 100th time they aren’t trading anyone before the XD, they can’t and it doesn’t help them

maybe, maybe not.
Look Avs gonna have a lot of cap on that blueline. Too much they just got to many players back there. Someone is gonna go.
Even if they don't trade him, Maybe he's the piece coming back from Seattle at this point.
The only thing COL can do is make a deal. But that doesn't really help them as the blueline is packed with bigger contracts. You got Makar gonna get paid, Toews, Girard you got Byram coming in and Timmins.
They are packed on the LD, someone's gonna get moved. They can't protect forwards as they are already at 4 and 4 and got no room. It just looks like a good move.

Trading anyone before the XD means they lose another good player

So what’s worse losing graves only or losing donskoi and trading away graves for nothing that helps their roster

So now they created 2 holes in their roster. Like I said they are not moving anyone before the XD, plus there are exposure requirements and they need graves for that

Avs are going 7-3-1, not 4-4

I don't see this as true. Some loses are not as bad as others. I also see them going 4-4. I mean if they took Jost and a 2nd I don't think COL cares. Which is better than, say losing anyone you can't protect. So you aren't losing 2 guys, you are gaining the ability to control your loses.
I see them protecting Donskoi for the record.
COL is deep, and truth is, it might be they give up the pick they get back on moving Graves to make sure they lose the guy they want as opposed to just letting SEA have at it and pick a guy they would have rather kept but couldn't. The pick plus the guy they take isn't nearly as bad as them just going at it. .Or as I said, maybe he goes to Seattle, the penguins keep their pick, and Seattle sends him over to the penguins.
As I said at the beginning of the post, this is a rough idea.
But I'm not sure I agree with you that trading him doesn't happen. It might be the equivalent of what you have to do anyway. Pay something + lose something, to make sure you don't lose the guy's you want to keep. It's not a clean cut, lose 1 or lose 2 situation for COL. You are most likely losing 2 of something. It's just what two and how do you control that loss.

0 chance hextall trades his second this year. they need to slowly start building for the future

A second isn't going to "save the team" you can just forget that. If they get a younger defenseman with size to win now, that's just fine.
That 2nd round pick is 2-3 years a way. Team will be not be saved by them. It's win now.

I highly doubt that Seattle would want to unload 9.5m from us, let alone send something back.

good point. i should have added, if its for an impact player. graves is good and i asked an avs fan if a trade for graves started it'd start with mccann

I don't think they can protect McCann if it's before the ED, and if it's after, to be honest, I'm fine with that. I'm shipping him out anyway. We need space to bring in 3 bigger forwards with skill.
Honestly I pegged them both at the same value, 2nd and 2nd. So to me that's just a lateral move.

that assumption starts with the fact you think they keep both. Seattle will be trading defensemen after the expansion draft or even during it. Because they will create holes on teams on defense, and other teams are already in need of defense and might not like the market or the cost o what will be a pretty large shortage of defensemen.
I'm about certain they take and trade defense this offseason. And Zucker is fine, he's not overly paid for what you get, he's a good guy to have in the locker room etc... I don't see SEA having an issue taking him.
I think the ED is going to look different than other people think. You are going to see SEA making moves to help other people out. You see a team like BOS who has issues on DEF, a team like SEA getting to pick and choose a lot of defensemen, I can see DeBrusk and a prospect or pick heading to SEA for a defensemen. Etc.....
They can help move guys around where the other teams need them to go, that typically wouldn't be on the market.
So be it MP going from PIT to SEA to somewhere else, or Graves going from COL to SEA to PIT, or Kreider going from NY to SEA to PIT or whatever, SEA can influence a lot of moves and I see that happening for a lot of reasons. Especially on guys that don't have long contracts like Zucker, who has 2 years left and SEA might be willing to retain for 1 or 2 years if it helps them with their build.

ya good point. mccann is good player but he just isn't the type of player thats useful to the pens at this point. instead of kreider tho i'd go after a guy like coleman or to fulfill the top 6 role beside sid or geno. another idea would be to do zuck for brown with some possible retention. he had a decent year in LA and i think he could have a carter like resurgence playing with jeff or sid.

I mean the problem with coleman is it's lateral. He's gonna be 30, He's 5'11, and a 20 goal scorer. You have that in Zucker. I would argue Zucker is probably the better of those two players to be honest.
That's just not the point of getting Kreider. You get Kreider for what he brings to the team in attitude, in leadership, and being able to throw his weight around.

i think they'll try and flip mccann for "their" type of winger (big and tough). mccann has tons of potential but he just isn't right in this lineup

McCann has had tons of potential for like 3-4 years now. His issue is he's never really figured out how to put it together. The more I watch him play the more that becomes apparent. He just lacks the "it" factor. He has the speed, he has a nice shot, he can even play defense fairly well, and at times is a bit scrappy. But he just can't break through that ceiling and really be an impact guy.
At 6 years in, it is what it is. He's a decent enough player but never really gonna be a guy to put a team over the top.
That's all there is to say on him. They should move him because they need guys who can get in the mud come playoff time. They don't have it. They need it. But they can't just be an old slow goon. They need guys who are fast and contribute. That's a harder thing to come up with.

a guy like greenway comes to mind in terms of age and impact. we'll see what hextall has up his sleeve

Rangers say yes only bc when they signed Kreider they didnt' expect to get Lafraniere or covid to hit. They also likely use that cap for Buchnevich.

yes greenway could be a guy, but I don't see why MIN moves him.
I can't come up with a scenario where they say, hey, lets dump this 24 year old player that costs like nothing but helps us come playoff time and he's not an anchor. Like I don't see how that matches up.
Especially on a team where Zuccarello is gonna be 34 and ZP is gonna be 37. It just doesn't make much sense to move the younger players you do have.