Buffalo declines imo
We don’t need an offensive minded guy,
that’s the wrong type of partner for Power

And you’re wrong about Asplund - We aren’t moving him
He’s a good defensive forward that can slide up & down the lineup, & has important value to us as our other good defensive forwards (Girgensons & Okposo) are both UFA after next season

We might possibly have interest in Barrie for the 3rd pair,
but doesn’t really seem like a fit there either
If we did have interest, i don’t think we’d give up more than a 4th for him

the thing you're not recognizing in the Ottawa trade is that Ottawa quite likes Kastelic and sees him as a good, young, cheap option on the 4th line that has good chemistry with his linemates already. He's not just a toss-in "some random dude that Ottawa won't miss". Sens aren't Arizona, they're not your designated cap dump anymore. There's a world where Ottawa takes on Kassian, but not while Watson is still in the lineup, since they fill the same role and the Sens really like Watson. If he were to go the other way instead of Kastelic, you'd still be asking the Sens to trade a guy that they like on a good contract for a guy that they like significantly less on a worse contract. Samorukov is a fine prospect but doesn't fit the Sens needs at all and the 2nd round pick doesn't get that done either.

Apslund actually got a couple Selke votes, Buffalo is not moving him for an overpaid third pair defenseman who can’t play defense. Such a move would be a huge mistake and a step backward.

Agree all points

If Mike Smith retires, does he not count against your cap? 35+ contract?

Not great value for Kahkonen but it’ll be Reimer or Hill going anyway, not him.

Rather retain on Kassian and not throw in picks. Also rather just get a goalie in free agency

Sabres laugh you out of the building, no way they consider that

Bryson and Barrie on the third pair would be a disaster. Barrie is just a bad fit for the Sabres. They need stay at home defenders to match their thier offensive minded guys.

If Barrie was traded for- which, to be clear, i am not advocating for- i wouldn’t want Bryson as his partner
I’d wanna bring in someone like Dumoulin as well to partner with him

The way the CBA reads from what I was able to gather is that if Smith retires the Oilers are clear of his cap hit. I think it has something to do with His salary being backloaded.

Previously, if any player on a multiyear 35+ contract retired, his cap hit remained. The 2020 changes to the CBA added conditions to the rule. Now, if a player who is on a 35+ contract retires, his cap hit will only remain in full if it is a multiyear deal, and:

1. The contract has signing bonuses beyond the first year, OR

2. The salary is front-loaded in the year-to-year breakdown

Interesting, as I thought it was odd the deal was actually BACKloaded.

Absolutely no interest in doing from Ottawa

Kastelic is not well known or a future star but a prototypical 4th line center with a lot of qualities for that role

They don't want/need or have a spot for Kassian. They don't care about Samorukov or the 2nd round pick

Stralman had one year left at 5.5m and got a 2nd along with Kolyachonok who was a 2019 2nd. The panthers also only received a 7th in return for the dump.

Kassian has 2 years left at 3.2m (5.8m in real money) but youre asking Ottawa to take a 2nd along with Samorukov (who is 2 years older and frankly not as good as Kolyachonok) and instead of getting a 7th back you want a 6th along with Ottawa adding an almost NHL ready bottom 6 prospect.

If the Stralman trade is the template then I think it's a little too far off for Ottawa to consider it. I'd pass.

sabres easily pass