Few days past free agency and many are starting to wonder about the status of Nazem Kadri. More and more reporters theorizing Kadri will return to the Avs, and all parties involved will have to create some cap space. This is why Colorado gets on the phone, starts talking to MTL and NYR and creates some cap space
COL - Jonathan Drouin ($1,375,000 Cap Hit)
NYR - Ryan Poehling, Danila Zhuravlyov & $1,375,000 retained on Drouin
MTL - Samuel Girard, Julien Gauthier & $2,750,000 retained on Drouin
Why I think this works:
COL - Gets their depth chart replacement for Burakovsky, another middle 6 winger who can play frequent minutes with MacKinnon due to chemistry. Also helps incentivise a MacKinnon extension
NYR - Rangers trade disgruntled forward Gauthier to what is likely his preferred destination, receives a center prospect in return, also gets paid a C level prospect from COL to retain salary for 1 year
MTL - Montreal picks up top 4, french Canadian defenceman Girard in this deal, in addition to french Canadian forward Julien Gauthier. With a lot of money coming in on MTL's part, money will have to go out (Dadanov and/or Petry, Price LTIR?)
Another trade here as COL sheds the salary of JT Compher to the Coyotes. In what seems like a steep price to pay, the Yotes pick up Compher alongside 2 assets in exchange for former Avs defencemen Conor Timmins. Timmins was limited to only 6 games this year for ARZ, and with the signings of Stecher, Brown, and the emergence of Mayo & Soderstrom, Timmins, unfortunately, played himself out of the lineup. Like we've seen ARZ do with EDM & NYR for Nemeth & Kassian respectively, they drive a hard bargain for dumping salary.
The Avs don't just sign Kadri here as they also pick up 2 other forwards. Stastny returns to COL and Jaskin comes in. Like Timmins, Jaskin didn't get many games in for AZ. Came over from the KHL last offseason, he can get another shot here.
Looking at this lineup, this team can go 82-0 IMO. 3rd pair LD is my only concern, but again that can be rectified. If MacDermid struggles, it can be fixed via comity. Hunt just signed, MacDonald has great analytics, shouldn't be too much of a worry. There's enough talent on this team that anybody within the top 9 can play first line minutes, and also to have shutdown forwards like Jaskin & Sedlak coming off the bench, not to mention plenty more in the minors.
Rangers currently have 12 F / 5 D / 2 G signed for 2022-23 and about $3M in cap space with Kappo Kakko's RFA rights not settled yet. No room for them to do the second retention on Drouin for this deal.
Foppa21 a aimé ceci.
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