Caps match, unless you trade for Carlson's rights, which they have no interest in doing, unless you offer Severson or Vatanen.

Islanders match and I doubt they're so merciful.

Assuming each player wants to stay

You're betting on a bubble playoff team against a reigning Cup champ and your avatar?

Who’s betting anything? Devils are a rising team. Different than a bubble team. Caps are gonna go back to being first round losers. Ovi is going back to Russia. Islanders don’t have a single defender. Or even an arena to call home. Even for Lou that’s tough and for each player to say “yea I’ll stay because the future is bright here”... tough also.

1. The Caps have won two of the last three President's Trophies, and while Carlson was fourth in scoring on the team, he was 1st in scoring among defensemen in the whole league, because of chemistry with Ovechkin and Backstrom. Each time he repeats that, he'll probably win the Norris trophy. Does he have a better chance of that on a team with three other guys in the league's top forty in points, or just one? http://www.nhl.com/stats/player?reportType=season&seasonFrom=20172018&seasonTo=20172018&gameType=2&filter=gamesPlayed,gte,1&sort=points,goals,assists

2. Each playoff series is basically a coin flip, unless you have Niskanen and Orpik who share a streak of six straight years of winning the first round, during which they left Pittsburgh as free agents to join a Caps team that had just barely missed the playoffs for the first time in the mid-Ovechkin era. The Penguins, after losing them, missed the playoffs and rebuilt their defense almost entirely over the next two years. First round losers? It figures that a fan of a team that barely even makes the playoffs this millenium wouldn't know who goes how deep anymore.

3. Kovalchuk retired to go back to Russia because the KHL was booming and offered him a huge raise. The KHL is contracting two teams this summer. No one but you thinks any players are trying to leave the NHL to go there.

4. True. The Isles continue to be a non-playoff team even with Tavares, and he'd be signing on to be a 2nd line center on a non-playoff team. If Tavares wants to join a slightly better team, without having to pack up and move, the Devils just have to outbid the Rangers in free agency, which should be easy, because it has happened zero times. Ever. Out of a dozen high profile attempts. Yes, he'd have a better left wing in New Jersey this year, unless the rumors are true about Kovalchuk signing with the Rangers.

I'm a Caps fan. Not an Isles fan. I would love to see the Devils poach JT off the Isles, but with an offer at 77M, total, the Isles can outbid with 8x10, and the Rags will find a way to outbid at 7x12. If the Devils can't match currency against their neighbors, they're hoping Tavares either stays put or heads back home to Toronto and out of the division, to be mostly the Lightning's problem. Caps can't afford him, so either of those outcomes help my favorite team more. Just thought I'd politely help you see that you haven't made a strong offer. You responded with baseless insults and delusional nonsense, and I have corrected you. We can repeat that dance if you enjoyed it the first time.

ok