avs decline, they arent trading graves for just draft picks bc "they will lose him for nothing"

I think the red wings take that, 1 year of 3m for a 2nd sounds good.

Looking forward to version 11 then where maybe for once a Vancouver post won't have Graves in it 'because expansion draft'?

Just spitballing ideas. What is it going to take to get something out of Colorado?

In most cases an overpay. The Avs don't actually need to trade anyone away cap-wise, and it appears that they're content to accept the fact they lose someone decent in the XD. Add to that they're a cup chasing team atm and it just makes sense to stick with what they have unless someone offers them a hockey deal that makes them even better.

If by 'something' you mean Graves specifically then it would need to be more than a second, and no, we're not saying he's worth a first, but think second plus a decent prospect in a position of need/another draft pick/maybe even a bottom 6 forward who works for the Avs on a cheap deal. Toews cost the Avs two seconds and was a steal by all accounts because NYI was in a bind. Graves isn't Toews but he's solid top 4 on most teams. The Avs also aren't in a cap bind like the Isles were. This also only works on the assumption the Avs decide to cash in on Graves rather than leave him exposed in the expansion draft.