Quoting: Kato
There is zero difference in terms of a player who is a RFA and a year from UFA status and player who is under contract and a year away from UFA staus. Both can sign long term contracts. I gave you an example of each in Seth Jones and Matthew Tkachuk. One was a RFA with one year of control before free agency and the other was under contract for one season before free agency.
I don't see that return as being spectacular by any means. An older defenseman on the last year of his deal used to balance the cap number, two picks after 50 and a player in Wright who has severely disappointed thus far. For a player who a year ago put up 100 points as a defenseman.
People fall in love with prospects but the reality is by year 3 or 4 they don't really hold the amount of value most think they do. Ty Smith was a mid first round pick, was one of Pittsburgh's top prospects a year ago and was on waivers the next year and a throw in on a trade. Seattle can hold onto Wright but how does he fit with the team? They have two young centers they value more and he hasn't shown anything at the NHL level and pedestrian in the AHL. Francis isn't a fan of him since he's a one way player and he doesn't seem like a core piece to them. If they decide he isn't a core piece going forward it makes sense to move him now because a year from now he won't have much value.
Pittsburgh as a whole have struggled they are at the bottom of the powerplay rankings which cost them a playoff spot this year. The system was a mess but Karlsson still had a solid season. He's a first pairing right shot defenseman which is one of the hardest things to find in the NHL. Pittsburgh is a bad fit for him because it will never be his team and they are simply too slow. He can easily be a 70+ point guy next season. The only real issue with Karlsson is his contract. A lot of teams like him but can't fit him into their cap structure because of who they already have under contract. Seattle is a team that could absorb the entire cap hit without issue and still have money left over to round out the roster. He's also a superstar which the team needs.
Last year Karlsson, coming off a 100 point season, was acquired for a 1st, 2nd and dumping approximately 20 million or so in cap space. I’d wager his actual value was close to nothing when you consider the cap dumps.
Now you expect a 2nd, 3rd, cost controlled dman rental, and a top prospect in hockey, after a much worse season from Karlsson. Ideally you could get a team to take on Karlsson full contract for future considerations.
Comparing Ty smith as an asset to Shane Wright shows a significant lack of knowledge.
RFAs do not hold the same value as UFAs. This is an undeniable fact.
No team will pay a high 1st+top prospect for Pettersson. Look at the Hanifin return. 2026 1st, 25 year old 7th dman, 3rd.
Speaking of Hanifin, that fanbase was CONVINCED a magical extension would massively increase his value too. I told them time and again the same thing I’m telling you