Quoting: NJDevils1317
Yeah, but team matters more as we likely buy him out the final year, so dead money would be over soon. Need the money for the core.
eh I don't think they buy him out in the final year. The cap savings aren't that great.
If you are going to buy guys out, you would be better off taking a younger Rakell, retaining 50% and flipping him to a contender.
It's pretty hard to flip Palat right now, being he's 33 with 3 years left. But a guy who's only 31 you might be able to flip.
Palat's buyout in the final year is 2.7 and 1.7 where a retained Rakell at 50% would be 2.5, could probably move him at only 2 mil cap retention to be honest maybe less.
Someone would give a 31 year old 1 year out of a 60 point 28 goal season a shot at 3 mil cap hit.
But you seem to be worried about "winning" a trade. There are no winners in trades like these. Palat is a bad contract. Rakell as it stands right now is a bad contract. You have to stop thinking you can "win" in these moves and figure out a way to lesson the pain.
I threw Palat in there as a near comparable. Not because I think the penguins would actually make that move, but just to see what people thought.
I personally would not make that trade.
I tend to like the CBJ trade myself. Elvis can backup Blom for 3 years, or until SM is ready to come to the NHL level and PIT could retain on Elvis and flip him.
The other one I could see is possibly Burakovsky. He's young maybe he can turn it around. His style of play maybe a playoff contender would like a big physical forward 50% retained if it doesn't work out.
So I wouldn't worry too much on the NJ trade.