You forgot to add Rossi and a first...

This is the LEAST likely scenario...zero prospects and no first rounder? Just makes no sense at all for Buffalo

Cbj would just offer our 1st, Domi and texier and that's a better offer than this

You’ll get killed by BUF fans but I think this is probably one of the more realistic scenarios given Eichel health, flat cap and potentially what other teams are willing to offer. They could flip Dumba for a first or high prospect, flip Fiala for some really good futures and you would probably have to add another first. But I don’t think Boldy or Rossi would realistically be included.

These big time trades rarely net the return that most ppl expect them to. I anticipate BUF fans being fairly underwhelmed with the return they get for JE.

BUF will want futures not mid 20's players who will be old by the time they are ready to compete (haha).

I see this as collateral for Buffalo to get what they want for Fiala and Dumba, the market for these two is much larger than the 4 teams that 'could' afford Eichel

I agree. Buffalo doesn't want Dumba or Fiala. Both are great players, but Buffalo is looking to the future and they want prospects...one or two of Addison or Boldy or Rossi need to come back the other way, along with a draft pick or two. Minnesota didn't eat crap on the buyouts of Suter and Parise just to trade away quality players to play with Eichel.

While I agree they can still get decent returns for those guys, I just dont see Buffalo doing ANY Eichel trades without guaranteeing themselves a prospect and a pick the moment he leaves the squad. Maybe a 3 team trade makes more sense here; maybe Philly? They could definitely use Dumba and Buffalo needs prospects/picks

IMO a prospect and a first HAS to be part of this deal or you immediately lose the trade.

I hear you, but I think another team beats that easily even if Jack misses an entire season for them due to spinal transplant surgery.

Man... that's just crazy. Think about what you actually said for a min. First of all, you wrote that "big time trades never net the return most people expect them to." Let me know the last time a 24 year old, 1st line center, top 10 player in the league, at over a ppg player, who is cost controlled in the future, was traded. I'm not sure that's ever happened. If it has, it would be extremely, extremely rare. Comparing 24 year old "prospects" at wing or center who havent accomplished much in the league yet is not a comparison.

These players are never available. The team trading the player holds an extremely valuable asset. You think its appropriate for someone offering a trade to just say "here's all my crap, you turn around and sell it for the funds if you want to, its not my problem." That's insane. That's like going to a car dealership and instead of paying the cash they need, telling them here's all my junk that you could sell to get the cash you need. No one is accepting that. If you want the player, you get the assets yourself and make an offer. I'm not doing the work for you

So no Rossi or boldy or 1st??? yeah makes sense

Problem is they’ll have to trade away quality players to be able to fit a player like Eichel in

While it’s true players of this caliber are rarely if ever available, you can’t completely discount the serious health concerns or the state of economics in the nhl impacting the flat cap and teams financials either. Those types of things definitely factor into the return of any player, even one of the potential caliber of JE.

In terms of big time trades generally not netting outlandish returns - off the top of my head I’d think Karlsson, ROR, Seguin are probably the bigger ones. I’d think there are a few others that I’m not thinking of now but if I did some research there are likely additional examples. Not to say those players or situations are the same as JE, but conceptually those were big time players and at the time of the trades had extremely high value and didn’t get the returns that most expected.

I get your point about MIN should be doing the flipping of their own players for assets and then using those to acquire JE. That’s fair, I was more so coming from the standpoint that those players do have quite a bit of value and could easily be turned into an attractive repackage of futures. This being an AGM post, it was more a comment about the value of those players versus who should be doing the legwork.

Yah, this will be a problem for any contending team looking at Eichel. I could see Buffalo potentially retaining $2M/yr in order to help Minnesota make it work and to sweeten the deal.

Feels like the Wild are even more constrained than most other interested teams b/c of their dead cap hit in 22-25

No, not at all. Tampa showed us all how to get around this issue. Zucc will just go on LTIR until the playoffs begin.