Joined: Dec. 2022
Posts: 2,870
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Vancouver isn’t moving both in a deal for Buch, nor should they.
If I were Armstrong I wouldn’t move Buch without a prospect of that caliber being included especially from a team like Vancouver who most likely will have a very late 1st.
My ask would be Willander + 1st + a 2nd next year. If it’s not met so be it keep Buch and try to extend him in the offseason. He fits extremely well with Thomas and is an extremely good player. A collection of normal rental return assets is not sufficient, it can be had next deadline. No reason to settle.
Also, the comment above that Lekkerimaki may be as good as Buch in 2-3 years is a wildishly optimistic view. I understand being excited about prospects, but we are talking about a bonafide 1st line 200 ft player here. The likelihood of any prospect even those drafted in the top 5 are slim.