Quoting: NoVaSpartan
Interested to see if the Caps will do what's been insinuated by reports and use the Backstrom+Kuznetsov space to take on some bad contracts in return. In thoughts of a Dowd trade, maybe they take on Goodrow or Faksa as a dump? I personally don't really like the idea of it but I wonder if they go that direction with Dowd moving out and wanting a more experienced (though not great) center as a replacement for the time being.
I think the unfortunate reality is that unlike last year with Orlov/Eller/MoJo (and theoretically Strome/Wilson/Sheary/TvR/Jensen, who they decided to not move), they just don't have many good assets this year. Pacioretty and Edmundson were brought in with the idea of being moved but I don't see either of them bringing back more than a 3rd, Mantha has played really well and upped his value but once again don't see anything more than a second, TvR and Jensen have played themselves out of a good return. Lindgren has been great but the goalie market is always inscrutable.
That really leaves Dowd and their cap space as the only premium assets they have. I think if you can get a first for Dowd, you have to do it as much as I love him here -- he's getting up there in age and while an integral part of this team is not the difference between them competing or not (while he certainly could be for a top team with iffy depth at forward like EDM or NYR). BMac has proven time and time again that he's incredibly good at finding UFA bottom 6 forwards -- Dowd, Hathaway, NAK, Chiasson, Connolly, DSP, Milano, and others were all picked up off the scrap heap and turned into legitimate contributors, the only real miss he's had that I can think of is Panik (and Leipsic, but that was very much for off-ice issues that I don't blame management for).
Using the cap space to take back bad contracts is the only other way I see them getting back a first. Would it suck to have Goodrow/Faksa/Campbell on the books? Absolutely. Is this team, especially with Kuzy and Backy almost certainly done, in a position where they need to be maximizing every single ounce of cap space anymore? Absolutely not. Even if you want to go and make a big splash in FA (which I am less and less convinced is the right move, especially if Reinhart stays in FLA) they can pretty easily do that AND take back some bad money.
I think the bigger issue is honestly what Leonsis wants -- we know that he as a rule does not like buyouts and the team has been competing/spending to the cap for basically the entirety of the cap era. Is he willing to eat that money even when the team is bad? The Wiz had been floating at or near the luxury tax line for a while even though the team was dreadfully below average and with them FINALLY starting a real rebuild have been willing to take back iffy long term money for assets (Poole being the most obvious) which gives me some hope, but this is a different situation and Leonsis recently doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt.
TLDR: idk what else they have to give besides Dowd and bringing back cap dumps