Quoting: OrganizedConfusion55
Lmao off. Condition on the picks. You ain't getting those conditions, so your not giving anything of value if those picks aren't in there.
McMichael would be in the trade
Lapierre>McMichael in terms of ceiling and youth. Lapierre was projected top-five, but was injured at the draft. Has been healthy for a year, now. Over a point a game. McMichael is NHL-ready, so he's less likely to be traded from a team that needs playoff depth. Lapierre is younger, so Buffalo gets more team control out of a similar level center.
A Caps thread yesterday offered McMichael, Alexeyev, and two unprotected 1st picks, plus Eller and Kuznetsov. Rags and Sabres fans thought it was an overpay. https://www.capfriendly.com/armchair-gm/team/2782463
I think Kuznetsov and Eller could be a decent #1 and #2 center for the Sabres, if they want to push for the playoffs this year, but if Buffalo prefers to rebuild through more drafts, and take another forward or two in the top five, they might see them as a waste of $10M and prefer a chance to get another 1st round pick for Eichel, instead.
At the same time, if Eichel wants surgery, and if his contract is only 80% insured, and if he never comes back, WSH risks giving two blue chip prospects and $10M cash for Victor Olofsson. I like Olofsson's shot, but I wouldn't trade Lapierre for him, one for one. Alexeyev? Maybe.
Quoting: Shibbal18
Washington could make a legitimate offer, instead of giving up and dumping a bunch of picks in there
Thanks. Please check out my explanation to OC above, and/or suggest/post your own.
When the Caps got five late 1st round picks for their young franchise defenseman Scott Stevens, that turned into Sergei Gonchar and Brendan Witt, who helped Washington win its first President's Trophy and make its first trip to the Cup Finals. Gonchar was eventually traded for Shaone Morrisonn, who helped the Caps win their second President's Trophy, before the Sabres signed him. So two top prospects and three conditional first picks for an injured franchise player seems fair to me. Incidentally, Stevens didn't accomplish anything in St. Louis.
Quoting: Ledge_And_Dairy
Yeah Eichel's not skipping the Olympics just to sit on LTIR until the playoffs
If his neck is okay, sure. But I thought he just fired his agent to try to push for neck surgery? Did that all go out the window when the NHL announced they're playing in the Olympics? Does Eichel think he and Matthews together can guarantee gold?
It'd take another miracle.
The Caps, plus Eichel and minus nobody important, might have better odds at the '22 Stanley Cup than Team USA has at the '22 Gold. And Eichel, on a contender, finally gets the supporting cast to help him try to outscore Matthews in a regular season next year. Although how the Caps get under the cap to make that happen, I'm not quite sure.