No. KK's not a negative asset, and I will stand on this until the end of time. Necas is not going to be on the table for a rental. This might work if the return is someone like Kyrou or Thomas, but Buch doesn't work

>adds slightly
>Necas

I don't think that's a slight add. Now maybe a couple of higher round picks can count as a slight add, but the Canes aren't likely trading Necas for a rental.

Not saying Necas is the add in this situation at all if that's what you're interpreting

KK has been a healthy scratch, and at that cap hit, no one is paying for him. Would need to pay to get rid of him. That would be a negative asset. Especially if you're needing the cap flexibility this offseason, getting rid of KK would be a help

I probably interpreted it differently, yeah. Thing is, I don't see the Canes offering Necas for anyone unless it's for big names (Petterson, Tkachuk, etc.). Only players that could even come close to something like that on the Blues roster would be Kyrou or Thomas, and that'd be a completely different discussion.

Thomas won't be available. Kyrou most likely isn't available but would be more open to listening on him than Thomas. I imagine if this were a scenario to happen, Buch would have an extension in place already. KK is just a negative asset so packaging with a higher end asset in Necas for a top line guy in Buch still shouldn't be out of the question. It's not often a guy like Buch is available and it won't be cheap. Just been seeing a Necas for Buch swap before numerous times and wondered about KK since I feel he needs a change of scenery and could fill the Blues void in a decent 3C role (possibly move to 2C if desperate enough before Dvorsky is ready).

No, it wouldn't. Getting rid of STAAL would help, and when we get a new coach that actually knows how to put players in a positon to succeed this summer, KK will be fine. He's not a negative asset. They're not paying to get rid of him, you want him, you're paying for him

So getting rid of Brind'Amour is the best move? And how would getting rid of Staal help at all? Not a big cap hit so doesn't create much flexibility and just move him down the lineup instead if you want to move KK up. Just him being a healthy scratch is a major red flag. No one is going to willingly PAY for that. Look at other ACGMs. They're attaching picks to just get rid of KK for FC

Brind'amour's deal is up. Simply don't extend him. Staal's been a ghost, and he's got a 2.9m cap hit. He's 36, and there is no reason to keep him anymore. Aho's become captain in all but name, and he just takes up a roster spot that Kotkaniemi (or even Drury) could fill in while being more than a decade younger. Look at other ACGM's, they're PAYING for KK. He's a buylow candidate, not a negative asset.

Just to preface, I'm not talking about the trade specifically. So... I understand the thinking on KK and it's true that the Blues have gotten millions of miles out of players who weren't clicking until they got to STL. The list of guys who played the best hockey of their career in the Note is long and distinguished.

However... he scares me with that contract. If we were so fortunate to have Carolina offer Necas for Buch, I think it would be best to not haggle or add anything. Just take it and say thank you. 😀

To be fair, his value is on a sliding scale, depending on the team. To the Blues specifically, he'd be closer to buy low than negative, but as the moniker lets on, it would need to be a low buy. In theory, Carolina gets something out of him leaving, too, and teams know this.

I didn’t realize that getting scratched is now a red flag. Gee, I wonder how that is going to affect someone like Couturier, who got scratched multiple times this season. Guess he is just another bum with a couple of red flags all because he got scratched.

I've seen a few already that are just dumping him for late round picks. Another was KK + 2nd for FC. Soooo there ya go. Just a negative asset now

Agreed I'm not sure on the contract, but if we could snag Necas with him for Buch (since it sounds like if it were Buch for Necas, we add) then I'm all for the risk of it to get a 3C. Besides, he's better than Hayes imo and is a lot younger and fits the core age we'd be looking for. If we were to buy KK alone, I wouldn't offer anything more than say a 6th just because of that contract alone.

Not the same situation there. Torts is just a guy that holds everyone accountable Courturier had a few bad games. Wake up call. KK has been poor all year. There's a difference there

So, yes and no. You're right, Carolina would get cap space. but the problem is that he's just better than guys like Drury or the relic of Jordan Staal. It makes more sense to move Staal on, give Aho the captaincy since he already deserves it, and let Kotkaniemi play in a consistent third line role that he really has not been able to play in since he arrived in Carolina. That was the plan when he signed the offer sheet. Let him take the Staal spot. But Rod threw a tantrum about not having Staal around like he did for Martinook years ago, and now it's biting the front office in the backside. I think in an ideal world, Staal retires after the Canes win the cup, and the Canes have 0 issues keeping Kotkaniemi.

Let me put this a different way. Carolina have no reason to be looking to move him. Getting Jarvis and Necas done will be easy since they are RFA's, and Aho was locked up before the season started. Everything else can be done with KK on the roster and it's not worth losing him to bring back someone like Teuvo, or Pesce. Guentzel depends on term because I don't want to see him here until he's 37. But everyone else, I'd just rather have Kotkaniemi, purely on the age basis

Montreal fans dumping him is not his value, come on

Look at any of the last 3-5 ACGMs that include KK. They all have him as a dump and the few that have him as a buy, the comments suggest otherwise. He's a dump right now whether you'd like to admit it or not. No one WANTS him. They see him as a reclamation project that is either a buy super low or a dump to get assets. Especially if you're wanting to resign guys like Turbo, Necas, Jarvis and Drury, that nearly 5mil in cap would go a long way.

I could agree on that, Buch would definitely need an extension for that kind of trade. I'm probably just looking at things a bit differently. Then again, I guess it's all just how GMDW does his trades.

I do like his mindset of trying to keep things within a budget and all that, but to this point it hasn't resulted in much success aside from making the playoffs. Signing an older guy to help win now could be the move that puts him over the top. Sometimes if what you're doing isn't working towards the end goal, a shakeup from that plan is needed.