couldnt afford 2nd t
Joined: Sep. 2021
Posts: 1,018
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The scenario
-Ottawa wants to re-sign Debrincat. He will cost 8M+ long term.
-Sogaard plays well leading into the trade deadline. They think he can be their 1B goalie next year. They no longer need another goalie.
-They still need a top 4D.
-In the mid term (2-4 years) they cannot afford Debrincat+Batherson+Top 4 D.
-Both Batherson and Weegar are having down years.
-Calgary and Ottawa do a change of scenery swap.
-In a loosely related deal, Ottawa dumps Zaitsev to Arizona for the rumoured cost of a 2nd round pick.
I think Ottawa would regret trading Batherson. It's pretty obvious why he might be having a down year. I don't think they can keep both Debrincat and Batherson and also address their defense, so if they have their sights on Weegar, this is an obvious trade. For Calgary, it gets them something tangible for Weegar, rather than selling him low for future assets. I don't think there will be a huge trade market for him, because an 8 year 6.25M is a huge commitment that will scare off most teams with how he has played this past season. The cap is very tight right now, and anybody with a huge money and term commitment who isn't having a good season is going to be difficult to move. Add in the dynamic of his NTC kicking in on July 1st, and it forces Calgary to make a move or be stuck with him.