4 team trade -- Two retainers, Ottawa, and NYR. Simple, really.

Tarasenko cannot be retained at all by anyone and traded to the rangers

He has to be at full cap or not at all

Interesting. It’s been a full year since last trade, he is on a new contract….I figured it would have been allowed.

I think it’s because he was on the ranger’s reserve list until 6/30 then walked at free agency

The CBA wording seems like it pertains to the player, and not the contract itself. So in other words, it doesn’t matter that it’s a new contract because it’s a the same player who was on the Rangers roster until 6/30 and obviously hasn’t been 365 days

They can still trade for him at full cap hit but then they cannot do anything else.

Exactly why I don’t think they’ll do it. Drury definitely wants to add 2-3 players and Tarasenko would ruin that

Yeah, the only center they could add if they got Tarasenko at $5M AAV would be Novak and that will not happen as Nashville is currently in a playoff position.

The wording in the CBA is calendar year, which the nhl considers to end right before free agency, so you are correct.

It is something with the potential for abuse even if the intent isn't there in this situation.
You can't "keep" your own UFA's at less than market value this way.

In spirit, it is fine. There was obviously no intent to circumvent the cap here. Ottawa expected to contend and NY didn't expect Tarasenko to be available.
The problem is that the rules have to apply regardless of whether the motives were pure, otherwise other teams can use it as precedent for "shadier" transactions.

I think it’s also the reason why the rangers didn’t add Motte again last year and was the whole Canes/Deangelo debacle