I beg to differ.

Dickinson - $2.65mil cap hit w/ $5.95mil in actual cash salary owed over a period of 2 years
42.6% at the dot - 11 points in 62games - all of that makes him a way too expensive 4th line/thirteenth forward. He has negative value and is a cap dump.

Poolman - $2.5mil cap hit w/ $8.25mil in actual cash salary owed over a period of 3 years
Never played a full season in the NHL. 3 points in 40 games in the 21-22 season averaging only 15 minutes a night. He is an overpaid underperforming RHD that has negative value and is a cap dump.

Total: Cap Space Actual Salary
22-23 - $5.15mil. $4.95mil
23-24 - $5.15mil $6.25mil
24-25 - $2.5mil. $3mil

Both of them would cost at least a 2nd to dump individually. Dumping both of them at the same time would free up a lot of valuable space over the next 3 years under the flat cap. Then add in the couple of depth players, with salaries close to the league minimum that will give you just as good or better production, going back to VAN, and I think that balances out the trade enough to warrant a mid to late 1st round pick.

That's not a fair argument, both those players are prime bounce back candidates this upcoming off season, they could provide more value to the team than they have in years past. Canucks aren't going to be so reactionary

McCabe, a good top 4 defensive defenseman who had a bad first year in CHI on an awful CHI team add in the 50% retention for a cap hit of $2mil for 3 years, and he is not "the worst player in the trade". Which you would know if you knew anything about him aside from his basic stat line for the 21-22 season. Honestly, I think Pettersson is better than he is being treated by PIT fans, and at his age he is a great candidate for a reclamation project/change of scenery type of situation, but he is definitely overpaid which is where his negative value is generated. Zucker is a dump and is only getting worse.

That is completely fair. Their season to season track record proves to be pretty consistent with their 21-22 performance, and they are only getting older. They aren't worth their contracts. Maybe if VAN were willing to retain on them they could prove to be worth their retained cap hit. But that is probably the ceiling for both players at this point. I would love nothing more than for them to prove me wrong and take big steps in their career. But from a business standpoint, it would be a total gamble to bank on them doing anything more than they have already done at the NHL level. For a rebuilding and most likely tanking team, CHI's cap space could be used more efficiently and effectively to acquire assets to help our rebuild than taking on those two players for next to nothing.

That isn't to say that our GM wouldn't do that, though. Who knows what this guy would do at this point. He doesn't seem to be much of a trade negotiator. So CHI could be looking at a front office that is going to be relying heavily on drafting and developing players more than making good trades.

I could see that being the case as well

Well Dickinson only costs 2.6 in cap space, and Poolman is still dealing with head problems and will likely be on LTIR. It’s not like we are super cap strapped and desperate to move contracts. There is absolutely no way we are giving up a 2023 first round pick to dump two small contracts

Dickinson was good in Dallas, and Poolman is a late bloomer, you're completely clueless. No reason why both players can't bounce back

Cool. I literally just said "I would love nothing more for them to prove me wrong and take big steps in their career." Sooooo, keep them in VAN if that is what you think will happen. But I am telling the VAN fans that don't want to keep them, that CHI isn't the team that is going to make that bet unless you are willing to pay for dumping them. And don't try to tell me that no one is proposing trading them, because I could literally sort ACGM's by team and look at the first page alone and find at least 10 instances of VAN ACGM's trying to get rid of their contracts.

I am essentially agreeing with you. But I also recognize that it is a business. Other teams aren't going to make that bet on such large contracts with 2 plus years left on them. Maybe if they had contracts closer to the league minimum or were UFA's, you bet on them a bit and see what happens. But giving up assets to acquire them is definitely unrealistic, and CHI asking anything less than a 2nd to take them as a dump would be a bad move. Not only because that is what VAN should pay, but because that depletes our available cap space to acquire other more lucrative cap dumps. The idea in this flat cap climate is for teams that have space to weaponize it. Becuase the flat cap climate is gonna be around for 3 more years AT LEAST, and teams that are trying to compete are going to be getting desperate.

That is fair. Then keep them. I'm just telling the VAN fans that ARE trying to dump them that they will have to pay up to do so.

Yeah, but not as much as you're asking

Maybe VAN would pay a 2nd to dump both, but not for each. It shouldn't cost a 2nd rounder to dump 2.5M

Yeah, maybe not for one year of 2.5M. But Poolman is owed 3 years at a 2.5M cap hit AND his contract is backloaded, so the actual amount owed is $7.25mil over 3 years. And Dickinson is 2.65M per year against the cap but is also on a backloaded contract with an actual cash salary owed of 5.95M over 2 years.

Most of the time when you see contracts being dumped for cheap it is because they are retaining salary, or the player is still pretty productive but is underperforming in comparison to their contract, or lastly the contract is front loaded, in which case, the player is owed an actual salary that is significantly less than their cap hit.

Yeah, I don't know how much total money really plays into it. Teams seem to be more concerned about actual cap space on a year to year basis

I believe it is a lot more important than most people realize, at least to some teams it is. But even if we exclude actual salary from the discussion, there is still the term that has to be considered. For a team like CHI that has a long rebuild window and can afford to leverage their spending and cap flexibility, they would be smart to maximize their price for taking on cap dumps. But that leverage can also be used to curry favor rather than price, as in "I scratch your back and down the road you scratch mine" type of thing. I have my doubts about whether Davidson is a savvy or ruthless enough businessman to do either of those things. Also, VAN might be a bad example if they don't have a dire need for cap space, but there are opportunities out there to capitalize on if they can just identify and take advantage of them.

Maybe Lou can be their next victim if the Kadri rumors are true

haha. That is a possibility. We'll take Barzal, please.

Maybe you'll get a 4th round pick for taking on Richard Panik, or a 2nd round pick for taking on JG-Pageau

I actually wouldn't be surprised if CHI acquired Panik. They do seem to be loading up in Rockford in an attempt to create a winning culture around their AHL affiliate. And he did just have a short stint in Chicago again when he was loaned to the Canes affiliate, Chicago Wolves, for their calder cup run.