It's unlikely you get the same price after a big down year.

It's not a "big down year" if he played a full 82 game season for the first time in his career.

Would you rather spend more than twice as much on Marner ?

Not even just from a down year. Even if he had a good

2.5 years of Chychrun vs rental.

Chychrun's selling point wasn't that he was some superstar. It was that he had cheap term. Now he is a rental

Preds were able to deal McDonagh because defense is often a place of strength for the team, which it still seems to be. With Del Gaizo and Stastney ready to make the leap to the NHL and Molendyk and Ufko hot on their heals to challenge for NHL roster spots the Preds would have little interest in trading 3 high round picks for a Dman that has an injury history so bad he's only played more than 60 game in 3 of his 8 seasons.

1. Defence being "a place of strength" had nothing to do with it.

Preds dealt McDonagh because he requested a trade back to Tampa.

No other reason.

https://www.tennessean.com/videos/sports/nhl/predators/2024/05/21/barry-trotz-explains-the-reason-why-he-traded-ryan-mcdonagh-to-tampa/73790259007/



2. The defencemen you listed will be cut at training camp and either placed on waivers or sent to the AHL at the start of next season.



3. When Chychrun was traded, he recently came off a lengthy absence due to injury and went for the #12 overall pick + two 2nds.

Now, he's coming off a full 82 game season.

If anything, he's worth more, not less.

Chychrun isn't worth the same return you gave out for him. He now has 1.5 years less of contract then when you traded for him and honestly didn't look great defensively this past season and having the worst production rates since 19-20.

Easy pass on Brannstrom as well.

The selling point this time around will be threefold:



1. Chychrun is fully healthy after playing a full 82 game season.


2. Ottawa will retain half of Chychrun's salary.


3. Chychrun will sign an extension with whichever team acquires him.



But you just had to sweep all of that under the rug ...

1. I'm not asking for the same return I gave out for him.

#12 overall pick in 2023 >>>>>> Top 10 Protected 1st from Tampa.



2. Chychrun just played a full 82 game season, Ottawa is retaining half of his salary and he'll sign an extension with whichever team acquires him.

His production rate is down because he's Ottawa's #3 left shot defenceman behind Sanderson and Chabot.



3. If it's an "easy pass" on Brannstrom, then why was it not an "easy pass" on Lauzon ?

And if you don't like the asking price on Chychrun, then I can't even begin to fathom how squeamish you'll be when you pay the asking price on Marner.

Okay, a couple things..

1. His production rates when down because he got exposed in his first full season. We see how great he looked in 30-50 game seasons in smaller smaple sizes but now in a full 82 game season he's posted abysmal defensive metrics. Him being the #3LD on the team has nothing to do with him just having a bad season.

2. As @dgibb10 pointed out which was a HUGE selling point in Chych's game was he was a cheap top 4 dman with term. Now, as a rental coming off a brutal season, teams are going to be hesitant ESPECIALLY now that he's playing bad in bigger sample sizes.

3. No idea why you brought up Marner. There's no legitimate sources on Trotz going after him AND he's openly stated that they are just rumours. It's just Toronto fans doing the same thing they did LAST season with Nylander. "Team moves cap must = they are trading for our player"

PS.. you can't just say the player will sign an extension to fit your narrative because that's not how that works. Chychrun can easily go to any team then walk if he doesn't want to extend.

Also, if anything, Chych being the 3 man behind Sanderson and Chabot should mean he produces better in a lesser demanding role. But... he didn't lol

Yes, McDonagh did ask to go back to Tampa, but that doesn't mean the Preds needed to do it but did it out of respect and the fact that they have D that is NHL ready. Both Stastney and Del Gaizo played NHL games this year but were stuck behind established Dmen in Josi, McDonagh, Barrie, Schenn, Fabbro, Lauzon, and Carrier. Carrier is the least experienced in that group with 217 NHL games. With McDonagh traded, Barrier and Carrier probably both gone as UFAs it opens up the opportunity to get Stastney and Del Gaizo in the lineup with regularity and yes I do think that Molendyk and Ufko will likely spend the bulk if not all of the season in the AHL. With Josi, Schenn, Fabbro, and Lauzon under contract I don't see the need for the Preds to shed 3 future assets for Chychrn. Your team's front office overpaying for an often injured asset does not mean that another team needs to do the same because that asset had one healthy year and especially not to pay the same with a year and a half less term on that asset.

1 healthy season does not skyrocket a players value.

2. So does every team every deadline on rentals

3. With extension is bull**** fans spew to pretend their rentals aren't rentals

Look at the Noah Hanifin return, and subtract

1) tampas 1st is a complete crapshoot and could end up being really nice if not next season then the one after.

2) nashville is under the cap floor. Expecting them to pay for retention isn't going to happen.

Call him whatever you want to but he had just 40 seconds less total TOI/game as your leading dman Sanderson, 2nd most EV strength TOI/game just behind Chabot, and 2nd most PP/game TOI for dmen. He would get much of the same treatment in Nashville being stuck behind Josi. So if we want to blame usage for his diminished production that isn't going to get better in Nashville.

3) Lauzon has size/physical play that Nashville wanted and was willing to pay for. Brannstrom doesn't provide that and Nashville has similar players like Stastney that are ready to play nhl next season and Molendyk who isn't far behind him.