You're not allowed to have that many retained salary transactions.

Carolina deal looks fair.

Other ones get done without a salary cap, but something tells me you have heard of the cap.

Under the cap, decent players on ELCs or cheap RFA deals are incredibly valuable. Take out Dahlin, Kotkaniemi, and Virtanen, and the value gets closer.

This team is below the floor.

Take on some bad contracts, from each trade partner, and yes, you can turn the old champs into picks.

So Buffalo has to give up 2 firsts and Dahlin for Kane while MTL only has to give a 1st and 2nd and Kotkaniemi, Jesperi for Toews?
BTW Saad and Anisimov for a 1st would be a perfect fit for Buffalo but I assure you Dahlin will not be traded for a 29 yo Kane.

Buffalo deal doesn't happen, no reason to give up Dahlin, a top 15 pick and another 1st for Kane, Buffalo screws up their future.

No point in Montreal trying to win now by getting Toews, he's out of his prime and no point for Montreal to take his contract, especially not at the expense of Kotaniemi and 2 high round picks.

Carolina isn't giving up their first for 2 overpaid middle 6 players.

Vancouver isn't giving up two high end picks for a goalie that can't stay healthy, and an aging defender who has a bad contract.

Colorado isn't giving up that Ottawa pick for anything. Especially not for that awful return.

And if these deals were to happen (huge if), you have too many retained salaries, the max is 3

There goes my last 3 brain cells

What in the holy hell is this?