Would also have to send Rees, Honka, Gunler to New York

Absolutely no regret. Hamilton is the best player in that trade. Lindholm has become a great player, but I'd still take a D man that gets Norris votes over a forward that needed elite wingers to hit the 40 goal mark. Hanifin would be the 3LD anyway (Hanifin - Pesce didn't work before, Skjei - Pesce is one of the best pairings in hockey, and he is not better than Slavin). I'd do this deal again for how good Hamilton was. Wish he stayed, but was worth the deal.

Rees and Gunler to Ottawa for Sogaard, and Sogaard to New York with Honka

The reason the canes traded Lindholm in the first place was because he wasnt cutting it in Carolina, he found his game moving into a different system

Now do it if Fox had actually signed

my mistake you're right.

Does it mean they’d have to take Jeff Skinner back too?

Why? didn't he sign as a FA in Buffalo?

Probably don't trade for Skjei, sign Gardiner or make the hideous offer sheet for Kotkaniemi. That would be the 1st they sent the Rangers back for Skjei and their 1st and 3rd back in 2022 for OS.

They traded him as a rental because they couldn’t extend him

Nope traded season before he was a FA

And yeah they can keep him lol, great player, not so great contract

Jordan Staal 2RW would’ve been sick

I wouldn’t be that surprised if one of Lindholm or Hanifin get brought back at some point. Lindholm is probably highly unlikely at this point considering his mocking of the storm surge, he might have burned that bridge. Both found their game under Sutter, and Sutter and Brindy are very close in terms of coaching styles. If the Canes didn’t make the trade for 1 extra year just to see what they could have done under Brindy, the Canes will look very different today. Love Hamilton, but his time in Carolina was a bit overrated in my opinion. If he wasn’t injured as much and produced a bit more, I would have a different opinion, but I do think the Canes took the L in the Hamilton trade.

Different trade. GOD no

Maybe things would look different for him had he stayed in Carolina.