Detroit will take the first and absorb Neal's contract in exchange, but we're not sending Svech back...

if Duclair was willing to accept a 2y 2.5M deal he'd already have been signed in Ottawa or given a qualifying offer at the very least.

So we trade a soon to be 24 year old Evgeny Svechnikov for a 33 year old James Neal making $5.75 mil for 3 more years along with a 1st round pick. I'd do Neal and the 1st but not for Svech.

Even with Svech removed, do we really want to take Neal for 3 more years at over $5M, just for a (likely) late 1st rounder? I don’t know where Neal would fit. PP obviously, but 3rd line at best assuming Mantha/Bert/Fabbri/Zadina/Raymond will need top 6 minutes to develop and produce over those years.

Agree with the consensus that more (probably a lot more) needs to go to Detroit for 3 years of Neal. NYR gave up a 2nd for just 1 year of Staal.

why not?

Yzerman is building a roster of nobodies for the next 2 years.

With all the prospects likely committed to overseas for the next year or two, why not take a 1st rounder for a body.

in 2 years, buy out the remaining 1 year for an additional prospect... not a terrible idea if the Illitch family is willing to spend cash in the short term.

Seriously? Svech is a nothing prospect at this point.

I strongly disagree. If he was a nothing prospect, they wouldn't have qualified him. He's finally over the knee issue that's hampered him the last 2 years and he was fantastic before the knee injury. Hockey smarts and hands don't just disappear... He might not be the top 3 guy they originally hoped, but I still think he can be a very valuable 3rd line winger that provides some scoring punch long term.

Meh. His production has always been pretty underwhelming. He certainly wouldn't make or break any deal for me.

It's about asset management. Taking on Neal is a cost, not an asset, so taking on his contract is worth the 1st itself, so why send back another asset, even if it's not a high-end asset? The fact is, that even with a first attached, taking on Neal is a hard sell with 3 years left.