Florida declines because they need D way more than a winger

Their best defence are;
RD Ekblad
RD Weegar
RD Montour
LD Forsling
RD Gudas

Why would Ottowa make this trade though? They need Tkachuk. They don't need Ekblad... like at all.

It’s a trend

And Florida has at winger Huberdeau, Verhaeghe, Reinhart (if you count him), Tippet, Duclair, Hornqvist.

And where does Tkachuk rank in that list?

Well, 2nd behind Huberdeau, but Ekblad is just more important to them right now, Weegar is great but I don't see him being able to carry that group by himself.

I'd add that Ekblad has an NMC and he ain't waiving it for a place where he can't even get his car out of the driveway for most of the winter

Weegar is great, and they are RD heavy. Mete could be good, many think he’s top4 capable, and some don’t. This is just a thought exercise, a starting point. Sens fans hate Zaitsev, want a good RD, Tkachuk being traded is trending, I’m just having some fun with it. It’s not going to happen, but the foundation is there.

BTW, my starting point was, find a team furthest from St. Louis and Calgary.

I feel like you just answered your own question here

I forgot about the Montour hate

What? The part you answered is that in your scenario both Forsling and Gudas are top 4 defensemen.

FYI Weegar plays LD and Montour plays both

The point I countered was that Florida needed defence, they have very good defence, nothing about the trade is in my response. Now add in Mete in place of Ekblad, and Gudas isn’t top4, and the defence is still good.

Before the trade
RD Ekblad
RD Weegar
RD Montour
LD Forsling
RD Gudas
LD Nutivaara
RD Juulsen

This is after their trade
RD Weegar
RD Montour
LD Forsling
LD Mete
RD Gudas
LD Nutivaara
RD Juulsen

A lot of defenders can play both sides, including Mete.

Forsling was already top4.

Again, it’s just a thought exercise where reducing the defence is offset by increasing the offence by more. 23 year old Mete with 199 NHL games is a decent defender. Not to ignore Vatrano, who is a shoot first winger with a G:A ratio of 6:4.

It might not be a finished trade, but it has merits in its foundation. It doesn’t decimate the Florida defence, and adds a huge dimension to the offence.

You are still labelling Weegar as a RD though? He has quite clearly played strictly LD for the last 2 seasons

And you still don't get that I'm listing them by their handedness.

As I've stated already, a lot of defencemen can play both sides.

Check this page
https://www.capfriendly.com/teams/panthers
And see how Weegar is listed

If you were using handedness weegar would be a RHD (right handed defenseman) which he is. Using RD would mean someone who plays the right side. Thats just generally how its written.

Seriously? You need me to put that H in for you?

I dont really care tbh, but thats just how its written. I saw it was a point of confusion for people so i just tried to help out.

If anything, we need to get more defenders, not get rid of our best one for another winger

If Florida was interested in doing that, I'd do it in a heartbeat

They would need a great RD a lot more than a great LW

Artem Zub is signed for 2 more years, JBD has very good potential but far from guaranteed he can be top pairing RD. After that, some interesting guys but no top pair potential (IMO for now)

Zaitsev is a veteran stop gap that is played in a top role because lack of options. Ottawa really need a top pairing RD to play with Chabot and unleash the beast.

I feel Zub would have to go back the other way in a deal for Ekblad, but I didn't want to distract from the basics of the idea with a Zub sub conversation.

Ottowa is young. They're a few years away from actually being a cup contender. By then, Ekblad will be in his prime and on the verge of exiting. You'll get one, maybe two, worthwhile years out of him when you need it. Tkachuk is going to be an elite winger, and a really scrappy one at that. He is absolutely worth keeping around. There are better, younger options than Ekblad.

lol Ekblad is only 3 years older than Brady and D-men peaks/primes last longer than forwards OR start at an older age.

Ottawa is not like 5-6 years away from being good, it will happen sooner than you think. But that's IF money is following

Uhh.. no he's not. Ekblad is 25(Drafted in 2014) Tkachuk is 22(drafted in 2017)

He meant it the other way, switched names by accident.

But I agree, Ekblad is 25, and if Ottawa is seriously contending in two years, that’s 27. Elite players stay in their prime longer, have less severe declines, and since defenders prime years are 1-2 years after forwards, Ekblad fits extremely well with this group. Ekblad is one year older than Chabot.