This is a better team than what left the ice this postseason

Yeah I can’t see a bottom pairing D man a meh prospect and a 4th interesting the canes for Necas

You have 4 RWs under contract and only two LHD unless you plan on playing Gardiner, which would be a big mistake

Would it? Team has won less rounds in the playoffs without him than with him since he signed. He's a great fit on the 2nd PP unit too. This just isn't close for value either.

Oh, and you're right Carolina have 4 signed RWs. Go and watch Necas' end of season media availability. He wants to play center. And he'll make more than 2.75... you really undershot his value, ignored Carolina's positional needs and didn't give up enough for the Canes to consider this

Assumming CBJ are sellers (I hope not), accepted.

Man, I mean, we would've done this move last week, retained more, and ask for less. RIP Bjorky,

I actually could see this happening for CBJ; it's one of the few things making me OK with the Bjorky trade, because now CBJ are likely to gain assets when trading Gus (at the TDL), rather than giving them away (in the offseason).

So who moves down? Staal 4th line centre?

If that's a deadline deal, you are overpaying like crazy for Nyquist.

A late 1st is overpaying like crazy for a guy that good? Look at what a guy like Copp got

You realize Trocheck is now a New York Ranger right?

Kylington isn't a bottom pairing D. He played on the flames top 4 all season.

With that said I do agree that the value isn't perfect

Overpay on nyquist. I think if they could of moved him for free they would of. Instead they had to move biorkstrand for pennies.

On Carolina he is

Yes I do. Isn’t KK your 2nd line centre now?

They’ll get a big return for Nyquist at the deadline from someone who wants to win a cup

Yeah and necas is playing in the 3rd line. Doesn't change the fact that kylington is a capable top 4 defender

Places in Carolina aren't just handed out. Players have to earn them. KK and Necas are the two with the best shot, but if Jack Drury comes into camp and blows everyone away, he'll be the 2C. It's whoever earns it. You can't make the call before the season starts. It's why if you go through any Canes ACGM right now, the center will be different almost every time. Necas has the more explosive talent now, but KK's played C his entire career. Necas is the better fit to replace Trocheck as a righty, but Kotkaniemi had a 1.5 PPG pace last year when he played in the top six. It's why the decision will be made at camp. Necas and KK right now are both going to be considered as 2C until we know which one of them it is.

Hard pass on the CBJ and ARI deals. I wouldn't want Ladd, and would prefer to keep Monahan. A 1st for Nyquist is steep given CBJs cap issues.

No argument on the assessment of Gardiner at 3-LHD, but we're supposed to trade Necas to fix that? First, we have to get rid of Gardiner. Then we have quite a few options. Heck, we could get Soucy for a lot less than this. Just sayin.

I still think the net return would have been better paying to dump Nyquist.

Let's compare, then:

Option 1: "Dump Nyquist"
Keep Bjorkstrand (at least until this offseason or next, when we have to dump more cap)
Lose Nyquist, plus 2023 1st and additional asset (let's say Foudy)
Total asset difference: -Nyquist, -2023 1st, -Foudy
End result: Likely miss playoffs, no 1st rounder in deep draft

Option 2: "Bite the Bullet"
Keep Nyquist (and trade him at the TDL for a 1st a la Foligno/Savard if we are not strongly in the mix), add 3rd/4th from Seattle
Lose Bjorkstrand now
Total asset difference: -Bjorkstrand, +3rd, +4th, +1st at TDL
End result: Miss playoffs, have 2 1st rounders in deep first round, and room to sign critical extensions and make necessary additions over the next two offseasons

It sucks to lose Bjorkstrand, but he (more accurately, his salary cap hit relative to his place in the lineup) no longer fit in with the team's timeline (i.e. competing for deep runs in 24-25 and beyond). So I think this really was the right decision, even if I freaking hate losing Ollie.

Of course. All I’m saying is I hope we’re doing well enough to not need to sell 😂

I just look at our blue line and shiver, and think, "Yeah, Gus is gone at the TDL."

I'm frankly not impressed by bonus discount lottery tickets. I'd rather have proven players, myself.

We wouldn't have needed to move Bjorkstrand after this season or next. Only FA's of note after this season are Vlad, Peeke, and Tex, and our cap space (adding Bjorkstrand and accounting for a 23-man roster) would probably be in the $12M range - more than enough to extend those guys. Jake comes off the books the year after.

Frankly, once we are under for Laine, we are set for the near term, absent sizeable cap added in UFA or trade.

And I mean, if the cost to move Gus is Foudy, then OK. We're already wondering whether he makes the team this year anyway. Add, say, a play-off protected 1st, and, while not good, it's not monstrously horrible.

It's also difficult to project to the TDL this year and say with confidence Gus is going to get a 1st - he'd definitely need to be having a career year; and, in flat cap environment, even mid-season, taking on cap is a difficult ask.

That being said, there really wasn't a good solution here, I get it. I'd rather have Bjorkstrand back, and while I'm not ready to defend the move, so to speak, I understand Jarmo's incentive to have done it. We'll never know what offers were on the table for CBJ to have to consider.

I feel bad for the teams still needing to move cap, because every day that goes by and we get closer to the start of the season, the more it is going to cost to move money - particularly bad money.

I'd rather have proven players, too, when we're ready to compete for a Cup. We aren't yet. And when we are ready to be, he'll be starting his decline. Again: I LOVE BJORKSTRAND. He was one of my favorite Blue Jackets ever. But as you look into the next two or three years, especially when the bill comes due for KJ/Silly/Marchenko, that $5.4M is gonna come in REALLY handy.



I think the cost to move Gus is a 2023 1st AND a secondary asset like Foudy, which is too high a price for my blood. And you missed Chinakhov, whose deal is up at the end of this year.