Lol cmon bud

Yeah im gonna say San Jose accepts that one

I wish this was the last Hertl AGM because 1) he has a NTC and 2) this title cant be beaten.

Only part I like, is the title of this thread xD

That’s too much for Hertl, + Caufield won’t be moved

Even if it's something around Hertl for Caufield + Byron, 2022-2023 will be a tough offseason. Hertl at 8m means 15.5m with a 13 men roster, and that's without Suzuki Romanov Evans and Lehko resigned

Thanks, I hate it

Why not go for Eichel if you’re willing to include Caufield? Hertl is a very good player but you can probably get Eichel without adding a ton to that trade

Caufield alone would get that trade done

I see what you did there!

General consensus seems to be too much, so perhaps reduce the 1st to a 2nd?
Personally, while I like Caufield and hope he will be a successful and prolific goal scorer, the reality is that he's not a sure thing yet. Hertl is, thus more valuable.

Cap space is always manageable with enough time and effort. We have the whole season to prepare, and without Caufield there is less required for the following year.

This only works if we go all in. If we do nothing, even keeping KK, we are expected to be around the bubble to make the playoffs.
We've added too much and idled too long to suggest we aren't going to do everything in our power to go deep in the playoffs. Otherwise I'd say keep Caufield and start the rebuild in earnest.



I've already suggested Caufield could be an option for Eichel, but it has to mean a lower expected return for Buffalo. Others expect him to be 25% of the package (roughly the equivalent of a 1st, and he's worth more than that).
Even if that point is conceded and the total package value comes down, I'm not touching Eichel until there's an assurance that he's 100%, unless the risk is limited to picks with conditions and unproven prospects.

I'm trying not to over value Caufield or under value Hertl here, so I erred on the side of caution. I realize it's blasphemy to consider, but sometimes these are the kinds of trades you need to make.

Glad everyone enjoyed the title!

simply no

I appreciate you putting a player like caufield in these offers, most MTL fans won’t touch him Suzuki or Romanov in deals for even eichel. I think you can get Hertl without losing any of those three but I think for Eichel you’d need to offer one of those three with a lesser package around them (caufield a first a second and some salary coming back for example). But totally agree and understand on not wanting to move one of those three guys with Eichel health still being a concern.

Suzuki is a proven commodity at this point. It doesn't make sense to use him to chase a player of the same position that we don't have enough of. If he were only a winger, and the expected difference is only around 20 points, then a one-for-one with a single add would make sense.
You trade your extra for needs. Our extra right now is wing, so like it or not Caufield is an option. It simply requires the right piece coming back, and I think that could be Hertl. From there it's about value.
Caufield (and Romanov) have shown NHL ability, but you can't evaluate a player based on such a small sample size.

Fans will value him as a perennial 30+ goal scorer, but what if he isn't? We know what Hertl is. So the trade has to cover that "what if" scenario enough to assure the Sharks that they aren't trading for magic beans.

Same as with Eichel. There's a "what if" factor that needs to be accounted for in any trade.

I mean it's cool that you're doing a hypothetical trade here instead of the usual trades by ACGM's with their own stubborn ideas of value.
Caufield is untouchable, and conversely, any trade with him leaving would be a real kick in the nuts to the fans. He's by far the most exciting player in years within the mould of Subban and Kovalev.

Think about that though.

Subban was moved in a large part because he was "exciting". Too much personality for MB to stomach.
Kovalev was often a target of criticism for being "lazy" from fans and media alike so not really the same thing.

The organization simply is not good at developing prospects. It's been that way for years. Those who succeed, almost succeed in spite of it. Everyone else drowns under the mismanagement and pressure.
Nothing can stop a guy like Gallagher, but it's far from a given that Caufield will be capable of overcoming those obstacles. Just look at how KK has been handled to realize that it is still an issue.
Those are question marks that can make moving Caulfield for someone established the safer thing to do.
I'm not saying to move him for someone like Dvorak. I'm saying it is at least a consideration for someone like Hertl.
For all we know, Caufield will be healthy scratched for a significant portion of the season or fall apart when he has a bad stretch of games. We have to know he's trusted, used properly, and able to withstand the obstacles before we can really deem him "untouchable".

Okay NOW we’re talking