I don't really know if that helps the Blues at all or not. Our 4th line of Walker - Sunny - Toropchenko has been pretty good. I guess if we felt Toropchenko needed moved up to the 3rd line it could work. I get that the idea is to cut bait on some term on the contracts. Hayes has been fine, Saad is what he is. Very streaky, but will get to 20 goals and 40 points or so. I have no reason to care to keep either player that the Blues would move here, but i don't really see where the two returning would fit either too much.

Dubas rejects and asks why he is assuming such great risk without much immediate upside gain?

I'd definitely not be mad at this, but I'd rather just swap Hayes for Cookie, bump Torp up to 3rd and either drop Schenn to 3C or get a stopgap middle 6 C.

I must be missing something... what's the great risk?

Pens get slightly better players, Blues get cap sooner is how I see it

Pens' best chance of being competitive is finding better fits for similar players

Blues could probably dump those two easier than Saad and Hayes given NTCs

Maybe to fans that think of cap hit as monopoly money. Dubas is taking on 6 years and $24m for two 3rd line players while giving up three years and $9m on a 3rd liner and 4th liner. If he wants to get fired, this would be a good start. It makes little to no difference on the roster and massive difference on the balance sheet. Which is almost a guaranteed bad decision in the cap era of roster management.

Swapping players for better fits is how they won under GMJR

6 years?

Would be interested in Hayes for Cookie too

Yes, swapping similar risk. This is way more risk to PIT for very minimal upside. Or cap construction roster management 101.

I don't see those two as any more risk than keeping Acciari and Smith, who they already know don't fit

Hayes has three years at $3.5m. Saad has three years at $4.5m. Smith has one year at $5m. Acciari two years at $2m. The marginal on ice benefit does not come close to the cap structure implications.

Ummm your math is way off. And even if it wasn't, the way you're adding it up is incredibly misleading.

Hayes and Saad both are signed through 2026, two years

Pens basically extend Smith by a year here (Saad) and that's it, Hayes and Acciari have the same term

...and Hayes and Saad are younger, so less age related risk

Yeah it's not the worst thing in the world. Certainly not necessary or really beneficial, just moves things around. I'd venture Walker - Acciari - Sunny would be a pretty solid 4th line as well

Cookie was a beast for us. I'd even trust him at 3C with the right wingers. Bolduc would be excellent to pair with him for a season.