Nino is definitely being protected. Choose from Skjei Foegele (if not traded prior) Fast Lorentz most likely.

Not sure why everyone thinks Montreal has to pay Seattle to select the best leftwinger likely to be available in the ED. Seattle takes him and his 2 remaining years for free and says thank you very much

Because Its not paying to get rid of Drouin, it's paying to take him instead of Allen or Chiarot. You're giving a 2nd to keep one of them which is fair.

DeBrusk will likely be protected.

I’d agree here assuming Seattle is trying to field a competitive team immediately. I don’t wonder if they are trying to tank and collect as many futures as they can by dealing cap space given how good the 22-24 draft classes are supposed to be.

Its not an easy choice in probably the worst division in hockey. Be quite hard to tank vs the likes of the Flames, Canucks, Sharks, Ducks and Kings.

Oilers decline
No chance Niederreiter is unprotected and if he was the Canes would move him for assets verse losing him for nothing.

If Drouin is left exposed then he is still the best player available from the Habs. So Seattle still selects him without incentive and says thank you.

Nah, he’s got a decent cap hit and could very reasonably decide to take a d or goalie.

His cap hit is average for a 25 y.o. 40-60 point top 6 winger though so nt really as horrible as most think.

Seattle will have a choice of Byron, Lehkonen's rights, Chariot, Kulak, Allen (most notably).

Drouin will not be given away for free. They'll either go for Allen or Lehkonen.

To expand on my earlier comment see Strome (NYR) or Schmaltz (Arz.) or Duchesne or Zucker. All in the 40-60 point range all suck defensively and all paid between 4.5 and 6 Mil (Duchesne is the exception)

C'mon now. Tampa is just buying Johnson out at that price.

LOL yep

Exactly, people just want to put value on everyone as ''cap dump'' even when they aren't. The fact that some think Montreal would have to pay for them to take a top 6 winger .... You real lol? They'll take him and say thank you.

Arvidsson just went for a 2nd and 3rd. Not sure how you can decline an expansion pick

They are 18 million over, they have to shed multiple players to fit. They cant afford to buy him out. Saying something in particular without actually thinking it through isnt a thing

This is as thoughtless as when the Ducks fans were saying Adam Henrique wasnt a cap dump when i made ACGMs on expansion ly yet he was out on waivers and no one did bite. Not many teams can fit Drouin's cap hit and the Habs need to shed to fit in danault, armia, lehkonen and KK, etc

You're not giving away Drouin, you are getting cap space which is an asset. This should be common knowledge by now yet many here cant grasp it

If only you did the same.

Tampa only has to clear ~$8 million cap space next season.

No I've already done the ACGM, you're forgetting the players they need to sign (Coleman, Goodrow, backup goalie). So youre theory is buy him out and go with what 15 players, brilliant.

Please dont continue moving the goal posts. It just looks worse

Okay, so you're writing your own narrative here. Goodrow, Coleman,and Savard are not being re-signed in case you did not know.

Lol ok

Putting things in bold doesnt make them official, but i'll try it

Stop drinking the kool aid bud. Tampa is not in that bad a of a situation next year in terms of being cap compliant.

I told you the reasons. They need to sign multiple payers. Your math doesnt work. Denying endlessly isnt a solution.

I can go back to this comment. Its wrong in so many ways.
So what youre saying is they are in a better position than last year despite players like Point having 1 year left on a sweetheart deal. Not only are you foolishly planning for a 1 year commitment that is wrong discounting all the players you need to resign or sign. You need to plan for the raises due to Point in 2022, Cirelli and Sergachev in 2023. Free agency to Killorn and Palat. On and on. Just a terrible denial. I'll bump the thread. This is an easy win for me