Kutznesov is good don't get me wrong, but with is loocker and coke problem even if a team come get him, the capital ain't getting full value for the player. Don't try to get to much espacily MTL

Montreal is not paying that 7 8 mil hit for a cap dump.
Kutzy is nothing but a 7.8 mil anchor around your cap.
Definitely not worth the $$$$ he is being paid.
Washington retains 2-3 mil.

Yeah this is an interesting thought and there's certainly a lot of unfair Kuznetsov bashing on this here website but I don't think MTL parts with Kotkaniemi for a 29-year-old

As a Sabre fan I'd do that - the Sabres should be using their cap like Ari - especially if the term is 1-2 years - I tried to explain this to fellow Sabre fans at a Sabres site but sad to say most of them are stupid AF

That Sabres deal is one of the smartest moves I've ever seen on CF. This is exactly the type of move both teams should do, as a Sabres fan you hit the nail on the head that we want to pick up cap, but not salary and we want to get paid to help your team out.

I wish I had 1 free call to GMKA just to tell him to do this.

I hate our fans.

Well I'm glad you are a Sabre fan who doesn't have a room temperature IQ

KK, Danault, and Eller? I love the Caps, but that would be painful.

That's fair. I think Kuznetsov's cocaine use issue is not as big as some make it out to be. Yes, it's bad but it happened multiple years ago now and there have been no signs it's still an issue. He got Covid last year and made some dumb decisions that led to getting Covid but Ovechkin broke the same rule and didn't get Covid and no one talks about that. So I'm not terribly concerned a player got Covid because he was hanging out in a teammate's hotel room on the road the first week of the season. Is he worth $7.8 million cap hit in a flat cap? You could argue either way, I think, based on comparable players and his age. I can understand not wanting to give up a younger player and draft picks for someone who is 29.

The Caps won't be trading him unless they get a good return and they only do it if they are in a position to fill the 2C position either through the trade or by signing a free agent. So if Kuznetsov isn't moved by noon Wednesday, the start of free agency, the only way I see him getting traded is if a second-line center comes back for him. I think that's less likely (Rangers perhaps with Strome is the one possibility I could see. Columbus needs a center but don't see what they have to offer back because Domi is not healthy).

I'd be curious what Montreal fans consider a fair deal for Kuznetsov (without salary retention).

Thanks! I would say it is unlikely because the Capitals GM hasn't really shown a history of making such moves but it would satisfy a huge relief of cap space for the team that he has to at least consider a move. There are probably other more viable options that return more such as moving Schultz or Kuznetsov but my idea here was a fairly big overhaul of the team. I'd say Schultz or Jensen are more likely trade candidates than Kempny this summer.

Oiler fans had such utter disdain for Schultz that he was run out of Edmonton. Although that was a while ago, it would simply be cruel to send him back to the Oilers.

I knew it didn't end great for him there but wasn't sure how bad it was. I was trying to figure out another team that's a playoff contender who could use a RHD. I'm sure there are others and would be curious to know what other teams might be interested. I know Vancouver wants to beef up on D but they need to move contracts to do that (coincidentally ex-Capitals Holtby and Schmidt), but Capitals can't take back more salary this year than they send out so I don't think that's an option. Calgary seems to need LHD not RHD. I'm sure there are others that could use someone like Schultz - I thought he'd be a perfect fit for Seattle in the expansion draft as a reasonable cap hit for a top-four offensive defenseman who could easily be moved for picks at the deadline if Seattle wasn't in playoff contention. But I can't figure out what Seattle's plan is at all after the expansion draft unless they are making a run at Landeskog and Hamilton tomorrow.

Schultz was sought after by quite a few teams once Anaheim's rights to him expired. I'm not sure, but it is rumored that he was guaranteed top-4 minutes when he signed with the Oilers and perhaps that is why he chose Edmonton over numerous other options that were available to him. IIRC his first season was interrupted by a lock out, and so he played in the AHL and was dominant, along with Hall, RNH, and Eberle. That raised expectations, and although he looked capable of meeting those expectations during his first few NHL games, his defensive deficiencies became rather glaring soon after. Oiler fans had/have no patience, and Schultz, like Tom Gilbert, Jeff Petry, and others, suffered punishing scrutiny. When he was traded, I'm sure he was very happy to be done with Edmonton.

Maybe Oiler fans have tempered their expectations. Many were quite happy with Tyson Barrie, although it seems most would prefer his time in Edmonton to be over. Like Barrie, Justin Schultz makes no pretensions to be anything other than what he is. He brings value to teams looking for a more offensively oriented d-man. Edmonton is not a good destination for him though. His history there is not positive, and the team already has a couple of young RHD capable of providing what Schultz provides. What they need is a big, physical, and nasty top 4 RHD.