You could remove Poehling or the 2nd. Minny still accepts.

Okay, but why

I doubt it

Ummm.... What?!?!?!?

I'm a Wild fan, and even I don't understand why the Habs would willingly let themselves be fleeced like this?

Rask is garbage, they want to get rid of him.

Very much not true. Guerin already said he's looking forward to getting Rask in a better position to succeed, and he's not nearly as bad as some make him out to be.

But the sticking point is that we're retaining 2M. If we weren't retaining anything? Sure, take out either and we accept. But we don't need Weal or Kulak either, so we're not gaining any cap space or roster flexibility here. We'd actually be losing both.

Why make that trade? Rask had 5 goals last season and 3 the year prior? a lot of money on your 4th line. I understand 4th line C's are not there to fill the net, but I thought Evans, that costs much less played well defensively.

I like the fact that the Wild definitely has a need at C and Peohling would have a shot. He's from Minnesota also. But aren't we sending too much salary to them ? How about : Byron (with retention) + Poehling + mid round pick for Rask (with retention). He can act as an insurance policy at 4C in case Evans isn't ready. Just a thought like that but otherwise I dont see this trade as far fetched.

Byron is a non-starter given his contract length.

And Poehling's value in this deal is a little overstated. He's a future 3C, maybe, if everything works out. Right now he's not on the NHL roster. Even without Rask or Poehling, the Wild still have Eriksson Ek, Bonino, Bjugstad, Johansson, Sturm, and probably Rossi who can all play center. Poehling isn't beating any of them out. Rask at least has a chance to beat out Sturm and Bjugstad.

Take out Poehling or the 2nd and it's much closer.

Rask servers a purpose in MN: to be an expansion draft eligible FWD and decent 10-13 FWD. He's just overpaid by a lot for that role.

Rask might beat out all but JEE and Bonino as centers. Poehling might beat out Strum and Rossi. I do think Poehling will be a solid bottom-6er in the future, this year he'd be AHL/taxi squad for MN though,

There's nothing about Poehling that Sturm doesn't do better at this point. Rossi is a different situation, because he's not going to be used in the same role that either Sturm or Poehling would be used in. If he can't make the team as an offensive center, he'll be back in Europe for this season. Rossi's competition is more along the lines of Rask, Bjugstad or Johansson than Sturm or Poehling in this case. Ek and Bonino are the only surefire guys of the bunch. (Johansson is surefire to be in the top 6/9, just not as a center).

I totally agree this isn't great value for Montreal, but I think if you take out either Poehling or the 2nd, Minnesota has little incentive to make this move. As you said, Rask is needed to meet the requirements for the expansion draft, and he's a very viable option to get time as an offensive center (something Weal or Poehling are not). Add to that the retention, meaning we actually lose cap space AND roster spot in this deal, compounded with the fact that we don't need and can't really use either Weal or Kulak this season?

A free 2nd would be nice, Poehling would be okay, but if you're only getting one of those pieces, it doesn't really move the needle at all.

Incorrect. Weal is on expiring contract. Weal replaces Rask this year and walks. Kulak can be used or flipped. Next year you are still retaining 2m in cap on Rask but you have gained 2m in cap space, dumped dead weight, and added a good young piece or pick. It is a win. A big one.

Weal is an upgrade to Rask for this year, it's the only reason I'm mildly interested.

Greenway and Hartman (RFA) are expansion draft eligible now for games and Strum needs 27 games (Rask needs 11 games). So MN can meet that requirement without too much issue. Rask just gives MN more options for who can be traded away at the TDL.

Kuluk doesn't interest me at all, but I think he'd get claimed off of waivers by someone. Worst case is he sits on the taxi squad until injuries happen.

Rossi belongs nowhere near the NHL this season, let him stay on the 2nd/3rd line in the Swiss league. It's too bad his World's team is just awful, he can't showcase anything with that group.

Kulak is on the 2nd year of a 3 year deal. Weal is a rental.

That’s why i said flip him.

Kulak isn't expiring, takes up almost 2M in space. Combined with Rasks's 2M, we're not actually saving any money at all, nor roster spots, we're just swapping Rask for Kulak at 4M.
That's next year.

This year we'd be taking on an additional 1.2M in space and an additional roster spot.

This trade does not represent a cash or cap savings, nor does it provide us any additional flexibility in roster spots.

I don't think Weal is better than Rask, at all. If anything, it's a wash, with Rask having the higher ceiling, and the size to play a more effective bottom six role. Once you consider the flexibility we get with the expansion draft, it's a no brainer that Rask is the better option for us. His 4M cap hit is inconsequential, because we don't need the cap space, and it's not going to hinder us at all. And again, once you consider that part of this deal is us retaining half of his contract, resulting in us having even less cap space after this deal, it becomes even more of a no brainer to keep what we have.

Kulak is worthless to us. AHL/Taxi squad/waiver fodder, whatever he ends up as, the fact that he's going to be under contract for money turns out to be a net negative for the Wild.

So once you add up that we lose cap space, we lose roster spots, we lose flexibility, we get the worse players, Poehling and a late 2nd might be a bit much in terms of value, but there's really no reason to do it for less. I mean, I'm not signing the checks, I'm not building the team, so if Guerin did it for a 2nd alone, I'm not going to lose sleep. We still ultimately get a, more or less, free 2nd out of the deal, but it's not like it's a no brainer.

That’s why i said flip him. Either immediately or use him then do it at deadline.

He's not worth anything. What are you going to flip him for? He's a 7/8D on Minnesota, so in order to even try to increase his value, we'd have to make our team worse. He has no value, and given that, he realistically has negative value to the Wild.

Minnesota fans saying Rask is too valuable. Love it.

Or possibly just waive him? Odds are a contending team takes him on for depth or Minnesota gains a mil in cap space next year.

I think there is more to Rask than we give him credit for but honestly this deal is a no brainer for the Wild, especially if it’s a 2nd and Poehling.

Feel free to talk to me about any disagreements you have with what I'm saying, rather than passive aggressively "subtweeting" me.

I never said Rask was too valuable, I said he's better than Weal, and with the retention and the contracts coming back, we're losing cap space and flexibility, while giving up the best player.

Care to disagree?

And I actually believe I said I would do this deal as it's proposed, but my point of contention was that it's still a no brainer if you take one of Poehling or the 2nd out.

I mean, this was in reference to the general idea that somehow this deal doesn’t solve the Rask “problem.”

And as a response, I agree Rask is better than Weal but taking on an extra couple mil this year and getting a mil back next year all while getting a pick and a prospect seems good to me.

I get Kulak has an extra year and doesn’t add any value but we just waive him and get back a minimum of 1.075 mil in cap. If there was any chance Seattle takes Rask then I’d be all for keeping him but it’s highly unlikely unless we give him top 9 minutes.

I guess I don’t see the downside here.

I mean, this was in reference to the general thread and idea that somehow this deal doesn’t solve the Rask “problem.”

And as a response, I agree Rask is better than Weal but taking on an extra couple mil this year and getting a mil back next year all while getting a pick and a prospect seems good to me.

I get Kulak has an extra year and doesn’t add any value but we just waive him and get back a minimum of 1.075 mil in cap. If there was any chance Seattle takes Rask then I’d be all for keeping him but it’s highly unlikely unless we give him top 9 minutes.

I guess I don’t see the downside here.