Really not a fan of giving up Toews he has been our best defenseman since Makar has been missing. Trading him would cause more problems then Forsberg can solve

Yep, I get this and it's also why I did this as current. The back end looks really weak here so would be a huge gamble. (I'd disagree on the best D atm though, for me that's been Sammy G, but he, Toews and Graves have all actually been pretty solid). However, I'm thinking more towards when the D being healed happens (I hope). Here's my thinking on this one....Sakic took advantage of the Isles in the Toews trade and acquired a great asset and in any normal year was probably an unnecessary move (Covid, Exp Draft coming, horrible spate of injuries, though the latter is always an unknown). The Avs can still do what everyone suggests for the expansion with EJ waiving and protect Graves instead of Toews. Whilst I think Toews is great he's also more valuable in the trade aspect compared to Graves. Graves also gives better balance to the D than Toews does when it's at full strength - size, a certain amount of 'meanness', shut down ability, can still move the puck and get up ice (we saw that last season), arguably the better PK D, hitting et al. Sometimes it's not about the best player but the team balance. The hidden gem in this trade for me is Sissons. On here it lists him as RW first but almost everywhere else lists him as C or C first. His stats seem to bear that out though I've seen him play both. For sure, I get the worry at this point in the season though with how it would weaken the back end even more.

I'll post a full strength version now for comparison.

im all for seeing forsberg on the back of an avs jersey again but i think the avs give up too much

Would be fun wouldn't it? Even a few reverse hits as well, as Filip seems to enjoy making those almost as much as his namesake did, though it won't top Foppa for me.

I think at full strength it's fine, but as we stand now with the weakened back end it would be a real gamble. Not sure about too much but certainly it may be a bit of an overpay but that's likely necessary to a degree with a non-covid division rival. There was also the element of making it work cap-wise and the Sissons element which is almost as much to like as the Forsberg part. Firstly he won't be annoying us on the Preds any more lol. Secondly and more seriously I really do see him as a genuinely solid answer to the #3C issue, and locked up long term on a really team friendly contract. If the Preds would take it without the 1st and 4th involved though I'd say do it now, and weak back end be damned.