That is actually a very decent trade, both guys are not playing, similar cap hits, 1 extra year on Sven... Both need a change. Good idea

i understand the thought process here but i think the flexibility cap wise losing manning after the year > baertschi.

If Edmonton's going to do this, they'd want at least the 7th Round Pick in 2021. It's nothing sure, but we're eating that cap hit into next season for little to no benefit.

No dice. Manning is gone after this season, no way Holland trades for a worse contract that has another year.

It would have to be more than a 7th, as it blocks Holland from making any free agent acquisitions in the summer with that cap hit. It'll set the team back a year, not something that Holland should even consider for just a 7th.

That move isn't nearly that prohibitive. There's $5.4M coming off the books that's tied up in Gagner and the buried amounts for Manning and Granlund alone. The Oilers save $3M by not giving Kassian any form of a raise.

I like Baertschi and think he's better than what we're seeing now. For a year, I'd consider it. Holland clearly doesn't have plans on winning in the near future. I believe if he was concerned about making the playoffs, we'd have seen an upgrade to the middle-six by now and Benson would have also been called up. If he's playing the long game and is more invested in graduating players through the AHL than going after big-fish signings (which has never worked for Holland historically), it's a roster spot I could live with. There's at minimum a third-line forward better than the ones we have there.

Would a 5th be more reasonable?

just because hes "better than what we have now" you want to trade for more cap? he could have been claimed for free. this would be an offseason acquisition where they take on his cap and move someone like russel out instead...

Your option: claim him for free, take the cap hit on

My option: take the cap hit in exchange for Manning's, pull an extra draft pick out of it

If you had any wherewithal of what Vancouver's cap situation is moving forward, you'll immediately understand that Russell is not an option in this situation. Vancouver can't afford to eat salary next season (Chiasson might be as far as they'll go), so in order to facilitate this move we're talking draft picks or prospects. Neither are a bad thing to have in excessive quantities. Your math doesn't hold up in the slightest. There are people willing to sign Hall at an $11M cap hit in their 20-21 Oilers AGMs: there isn't a substantial cap crisis next season. There's room to make some smaller moves that might benefit us now and later.

I did not say my option was to claim and give nothing back. since that puts the oilers over the cap. Im saying, even though not playing, the oilers would rather spend the extra cap money they are getting from mannings contract on a better player/more cost effective player than baertschi. I am saying, this trade will not work simply because the oilers will have 10 players under contract for with close to 24m cap room. they will need to sign bear, nurse, jones, and benning, as well as filling 6 offensive slots (closer to 20m and 5 offensive slots if they include baertschi) Dont sit there and tell me there isnt a substantial cap crisis. to fill the roster to 23 players they need to AVERAGE slightly under 2m given out on contracts to 13 players. if you bring baertschi in even for 1 year. you now have to fill 12 spots with an average of 1.667m How competitive do you think that team will be?

I'd rather spend the money in free agency.

https://www.capfriendly.com/armchair-gm/team/1556370

Took me 5 minutes, there isn't a cap crisis. Thanks for stopping by.

EDIT: the Oilers won't be competitive this season, and likely won't be next season either.

There's very little in free agency worth spending anything on this offseason. I don't believe Kreider's coming here unless it's for an egregious overpay, and very few names beyond his excite me.

All of them are better than Baertschi though.

So then why are they trading for depth forwards? if as you say they are going to suck for 2 years why take on this guys cap hit? like the whole goal is to get into the playoffs and build a contender. you either sell the baertschis of the world off for a draft pick or you go for it by acquiring a taylor hall. this move wouldnt put the oilers in the playoffs. this helps one team and thats vancouver.

And in that manner of thinking, they also don't come with free draft capital. For what it's worth, I'd argue that in that vein of third-line production that only Fast and Janmark are genuinely better than Baertschi. Galchenyuk and Granlund are likely to cost more than what Sven does today when they sign their next deals.

This comes down to philosophy about where the Oilers are in the standings now, how Sven may or may not affect that, and where they'll be next season.

I agree that Baertschi is not a name Edmonton should be looking at without exploring every other avenue first, but his historical production is that of a third-line left winger. Edmonton needs one of those right now. I'd take the bet on him bouncing back to his pre-injury performances. I don't think he ever lives up to his cap hit, but half of a Baertschi is better than an entire Khaira or a Nygard. Benson is unproven and I have a feeling that Holland doesn't want him on the roster this season (he made the most sense as a call-up now, not Yamamoto). If he returns to his pre-injury production, which would require Edmonton upgrading their 3rd line regardless, there's bound to be some results in the standings. The Oilers are no longer a one-line show.

I can't write next year's Oilers off (I want to, based on how little I've seen from Holland thus far), but I've alredy demonstrated there is no cap crisis. Depending on what the Oilers do with Russell, how they manage the cost of their bottom-6, or if the cap goes up even similarly to how it did this season, Baertschi can be fully absorbed into the Oilers' fold. They could bury him - it would eliminate what could have otherwise been a couple million in free space - but if the team isn't set up to be aiming beyond the second round of the playoffs anyways, why not acquire a player that should help this season and secure some extra draft pieces along the way?

I don't think Edmonton loses this deal in the slightest.

Baertschi helps them now, and they aren't in a position to acquire a Hall-esque level of player. They also manage a draft pick out of it for free.

NHL teams need depth forwards to win too, and if you haven't noticed, the Oilers' bottom-6 set of forwards is hardly above replacement level. You need four lines in hockey, and the presence of the salary cap keeps teams from running Olympic-calibre rosters. Edmonton does not lose this deal.

no but its not necessary for them to go out and trade some cap flexibility in the offseason for a guy thats played 32 games in 2 years... with a decent cap hit for 2 years.

I've discovered about 5 names between this thread and the one I made for you in free agency that would command a similar amount and would likely produce just the same as Baertschi would. The big difference is that they don't come with a free draft pick. The other bonus is that his "expensive" commitment would be for a season. What is the likelyhood of any third-line forward signing in Edmonton for a single season?

I low-balled the offer of a 7th Round Pick, and that seems to be what @CD282 was hung up on. If it's a 4th or a 5th Round Pick coming back, Holland's a lunatic for not pulling the trigger on this deal.

Yeah or what about adding Goldobin to this trade. Oilers get another fwd that helps them now to offset the extra year of Baertschi