We'll have the futures to go forward (Tkachuk, Laine, etc etc etc). We'll have the defense to go forward (Mete, Juulsen, Theodore). We'll have the goalie to go forward (Lindgren, McNiven).

With Price, Weber and others, we'll be stuck in no man's land. Here, every trade offer helps both teams with their needs (MTL's being a full rebuild).

The 2018 draft is said to be one of the best ever. With the putrid defense and goaltending I've put up, we should have a great chance to land Dahlin! It'll be a top-8 pick guaranteed. We'll also have the Jets' 1st (though that might be a low-20s, considering they would get a true elite #1D in Weber [over Trouba who reportedly wants out WPG] and the best goalie in the league in Price).

- Jets become an instant major contender (and with some of their staple players getting old: Byfuglien, Wheeler, Little, etc, Price and Weber would fit in perfectly and bring some much-needed help). Habs get Trouba who wants out of WPG, Laine who Jets will never want to let go (even though Maurice, Jets' head coach isn't trusting him this season) - but hey, gotta pay the price for an elite 1D and the best goalie... they also get Gallagher, who's a solid RW in return - and Mason who will help us get Dahlin. That 1st is just extra gravy for this upcoming draft.

- Flames lose Tkachuk, but get a 30++ consistent goal scorer in Pacioretty who will take his spot. They also get Galchenyuk and a retained Shaw. Habs get Bennett who may or may not pan out as a center (though I have hopes for him).

- Wings need to get rid of some of their cap. They're in cap hell right now... With their shitty Abdelkader contract out the window (coming to MTL), and Athanasiou who's on his way out (he's worth like a 2nd rounder at this point), MTL gets Mantha the giant, in exchange for a much-needed defenseman that could help & stabilize their blue line in Petry (NMC, but he would definitely waive to go back home), and Scherbak a RW prospect who may or may not pan out (and take Mantha's spot).

- Oilers acquire a solid defenseman in Alzner (retained), a great young forward in Lehkonen who could help them now & Lehkonen's mentor, a retained Plekanec - one of the best defensive-minded centers in the league, in exchange for Nugent-Hopkins who's a very solid 2-way center (though overpaid), Nurse (who has top-4 potential), and a 1st round pick. This helps EDM for the next few years and could bring them ever so closer to that Stanley Cup (which MTL is nowhere near for the moment).

- Golden Knights get more draft picks (including a 1st round pick) for one of their defensemen (who's currently playing in the AHL) - it's worth noting that VGK have too many defenseman and need to let go of some - they're also stacked with LHD...

- Senators trade Ryan (half cap-dump) but much needed for MTL's new team's salary cap floor (which is 55.4m) for Hudon who's looking great as a LW, and a very low 2nd round pick in this upcoming deep draft.

Starting next year that will be like $22 million going to Winnipeg, No way can they afford to add that much to their payroll.

The Bobby Ryan for Hudon and a 2nd at the end killed me.

Trouba's gonna want minimum 6.5m from a new team (he wants out of WPG). Weber's at 7.8m.
Price at 10.5m will sting, but WPG gets the best goalie in the league. It's not like Laine's gonna do a bridge deal for his next contract. He'll want at least 10m by then.
Gallagher at 3.75m is a bargain for a RW like him. I agree that that's a lot of $ going WPG's way, but without a Price, they will never truly contend for the cup - and with Trouba soon to be on his way out, lol they're in deep trouble. If WPG wants to dump some crappy contracts along with the trade, they can.

Ryan's kind of a cap dump at this point. He's still good and all, but his contract is horrible. That 2nd would be a very very low 2nd - since there'll be no Price, no Weber, nothing haha. Also, Hudon's gonna be a good winger, yo. Only reason I did that was because the Salary Cap floor is 55.4m, and with Ryan on the team, the cap will be 55.4m lol.

This is hilariously terrible.

What you're not realizing is all of those teams you're taking young players off of are building around their young core. Why would they trade their future for a few players on a team that likely won't even make the playoffs?

Montreal needs to take what they can for Weber(probably not a lot), get Price a team while he's still worth a ton, get rid of Pacioretty before he's declining, and just build young through the draft for the next 3-5 years. thats just my opinion though.

Great analysis.

The problem is it's a never-ending cycle to build around a young core. WPG, EDM and CGY are all ready. They're all missing a piece or two. By adding some great veterans to their teams could be the push they need to win a cup. When players are threatening to leave your organization because you're too busy playing the waiting game (like COL did years ago), you end up losing a lot more than you gain. WPG needs to sort their **** out & stop offering pennies for nickels. They are 1 Carey Price away (and since Trouba wants out, 1 Weber away too) from becoming prime contenders. VGK gets futures, OTT gets a bad contract off (remember they are a budget team, and Karlsson's extension is just around the corner). DET is still in belief that they can "contend" lol, when in reality they have holes everywhere & horrible contracts all over. A very stable defenseman in Michigan's own Petry, and futures can help out. Sure, Mantha is a solid, solid piece from DET, but you need to give in order to get. Petry isn't some bottom-pairing defenseman (he's a #3 at worst - his advanced stats say he's a #1). Athanasiou is gone & DET fans agree that a 2nd is enough for him.

Also, may I ask: how is Pacioretty declining? He tied his career-high points last season, and had another 30++ goal season. Weber isn't worth "not a lot" - he's still an elite #1 defenseman who could and will help any contending team. MTL is just not the team, since they're in no man's land (that ugly place where you either barely make the playoffs and are out instantly or you narrowly miss them).

Yeah I get it. Its just that the trades you made were so highly lopsided that throwing the Ryan for Hudon at the end just seemed funny to me.

Winnipeg is in no rush. Laine is 19, Ehlers is 21, Trouba is 23, Morrissey is 22 and Scheifele is 24 I believe. They also have Hellebuyck who sure looks like he will be a top end goalie in the next few years. I am no Winnipeg fan, but that young core is scary, and possibly one of- if not the best in the entire league. Why they would dismantle that young core before its even been given a chance is beyond me. They still own the RFA rights to Trouba too, he can't just "Walk" even if he wanted to. He would sign a 1 year deal at the very worst, and if they were trading him they would with out a doubt get someone who could fit the Laine build back, not Weber.
I don't think Detroit has any issues realizing they're about to start a rebuild, they just need players like Zetterberg to retire before they can start. They are in the same position as Vancouver, they suck, they know they suck, but they are holding on to that last thread of hope. Doesn't mean they are confident enough in their abilities to trade away their best prospects for an overpaid 2nd line D-man.
Pacioretty is declining based off the fact that he turns 29 in November. Very few people put up career highs past the age of 30. Will he still be good, and a likely 30 goal-scorer for a few more years? obviously. But after this season it is likely all downhill for him.
Weber is getting paid just under 8 million... 10% of a teams cap, for the next 8 seasons. until he is 40. Can he still help out a contender? for sure, he is still a #1 d-man. But if a team is looking to contend, then hold a bad contract for 7 more seasons, he's their guy. He won't be a true #1 option for much longer.