Quoting: palhal
I could should have stopped reading your trades when you traded Horton. Horton has no affect on the cap but again there is LTIR obsession thinking that it's a meaningful trade. Why would Sharks give up two players for a player Holl who can't make the lineup with the Leafs weak defence. Can't imagine why Carolina trades Pesce for so little. To think Kruger can even be NHLer now especially at 3rd line centre, wow that's too improbable.
Horton doesn't have to be placed on the LTIR, the Devils (or any team for that matter) can allow him to count against the cap to get to the floor. This all depends on what Shero has planned for July 1st. If he plans on being a big spender, then the Horton/Zaitsev trade is pointless. I'm going under the assumption the Devils won't be huge spenders, so they need that bump to get the floor. Horton is done at the end of the season and they re-allocate the cap space to sign Hall, Hischier, and Vatanen.
I included Holl in the deal because at the end of they day teams need defensive depth. Maybe I just simplify the trade and drop the two defenseman? The only reason why that trade exists because I think its the only place that Marleau would agree to go back to. Dell didn't have a great year so moving him would allow the Sharks to target an experienced NHL goaltender to help out Jones.
Yes, maybe the Pesce trade doesn't workout. Never said it was a slam dunk. Maybe the one-for-one concept works elsewhere involving different players.
As for Kruger, the reason why I picked him was because he'll be cheap. Has lots of playoff experience, has won Stanley Cups, and can kill penalties. Leafs don't have the luxury of being able to go after anyone else. They need to settle for bargain bin options in some cases. Maybe Petan or Gauthier get playing time on the 3rd line. Maybe Nylander gets shifted to center. Who really knows?