Why would NJ do that?

Why does any team apart from Toronto do these deals?

that devils trade is horrific for the leafs. Downgrade on goaltending and defence and throw in a real good prospect. Just terrible.

Honestly though. It’s bad for every single team not named after a tree

Yeah TB is selling Cernak of all people this is pure comedy. Thank you I haven't laughed this hard since the last time I saw an almost identical trade.

Canucks decline. If they move Schenn the ask will be a pick, most likely either a 2nd/3rd.

If you understand the NHL in even the slightest then you are well aware that almost ANY trade if possible. And fans of any team tend to overvalue the players on their team over looking at the bigger picture. In fact it is very common for teams to make trades their Fans don't like for reasons that their Fans don't understand of consider. Almost ALL of the trades I have put together on this have been mentioned by experts in the NHL media as viable trades.

That said, 99% of the comments I see or have ever gotten on here are just completely idiotic. I honestly wonder if most of you people need reminders to keep breating or is it that you just don't have the first clue when it comes to Hockey.




Tbrew thinks this is a bad trade for NJ and JaredOfLondon this is a bad trade for TO. Classic example of Fans missing the nuances of the game.

But to answer: Tbrew NJD are a young up and coming team. While they are overachieving this year, and yes they are overachieving. Their focus is to build around their younger (under 24) core players like Hischner and Hughes, Picking up good young prospects is right in their wheelhouse right now. Meanwhile Toronto is all in on making a deep playoff run the next few years.

JaredOfLondon: Toronto needs to make up some cap space to resign key players over the next couple of years. But they also have to go all-in to make deep runs at the playoffs.

So let's look at the trades:

While there is no doubt that Brodie is all around a better player than Graves. Toronto needs to find a way to clear up some cap space. They would also be gaining some much needed toughness and a little bit in terms of age. Overall this part of the trade is slightly in Toronto's favour. Hence they will need to give up something elsewhere.

Murray is the better goalie right now. But Blackwood has a slightly higher potential for upside AND again gains the Leafs some cap space ($2mil) plus a couple years in age. Again this part of the trade is slightly in Toronto's favour. Hence they will need to give up something elsewhere.


Fischer and Bastian are very similar in gamestyle. But Fisher is clearly the better player with a much higher potential. He also has a slightly higher salary. This part of the trade is in New Jersey's favour to make up for the slight deficit in the previous two parts.

This is where Hollowell and Minten come in as part of the trade. Toronto has to make up a bit in the trade for Jersey. Perhaps Hollowell is enough compensation on his own, since he seems to be almost full-time NHL ready. In fact on NJD he should be able to fill in as an option for the 3rd line D on the Right in case of injuries. Either way he give NJD some depth on RD and some upside.

While Minten has a very good potential. It is exactly that, potential. And it might be just that which makes this trade as a whole work. It's enough to put the whole trade probably in NJD's favor, but no guarantee. Meanwhile TO gains much needed cap space, missing team Grit and yet potential upside in a Goalie.



Geez you TB fans are stupid. Yes numbnuts TB would MUST sell to make cap space. Currently they have $700k in cap space and nearly $7 mil sitting on IR. At the end of the year they need to resign Cirelli, Killorn, and Sergachev at the very least. This means they need to make room. Cernak for Holl is not as big downgrade, if any, as most would believe in terms of ability. But this trade does gain age and grit for TO while gaining better two-way play and cap space for TB. In fact it is the age that gives this part of the trade a slight edge to TO that needs to be made up.

While Colton has established himself as a solid 3rd liner. Robinson has a MUCH higher upside to him. This part of the trade is a hands down win for TB with the only possible downside being Robinson's ability to stay healthy. That said he's only 21 compared to Colton's 26, so he buys 5 years of time to get there.

The addition of Niemelä and a 3rd rounder. Make this trade an overall no brainier "Yes" for Tampa. It clears up $3 mil in the Cernak for Holl part and $400k this year plus probably another $1.5 mil over the next couple years in the Colton for Robinson part of this trade. All in all $3.4 to $4.9 mil is not a lot of cap space considering Sergachev alone will be costing TB $3.7 mil more next year. They literally need to make trades like this and more to make that cap room available.

But thanks for the bonehead comment anyway.

Thank you for the intelligent and meaningful response. That sounds like a rational counter. I'll update the trade keeping it in mind.

Bone head Cernak Cirelli and Sergachev signed 8 year extensions in the off season ( So No they don't need to resign then DUHHHHHHHH) and TB isn't signing a guy to an 8 year extension and trading him before he plays a minute of it bonehead!!

This is impressively incorrect. I hope you spend more time on a response that is even more wrong

I kinda like it for the Devils actually, see below.

I don't think the cap implications are valuable enough to make Graves more valuable than Brodie.
Swapping Graves for Brodie makes the Devils a little better at D but also gives the Devils a ready made solution for next years 3RHD.
No downside for the Devils here that I can see.

I'm not sure if there's any potential left in Blackwood.
Maybe he'd flourish from a change in scenery but I cannot see the Devils even qualifying him at this point.
I don't see any particular downside for the Devils here either, they get a decent goalie to share starts with Vanecek both for this season and the next one.

I don't think this is the case at all.
Granted I haven't seen more than a game or two of Fischer this year but doesn't seem to be doing to great according to the GS and GSVA metrics...
... as opposed to Bastian, who's having very good defensive impacts and is the perfect type of forward to keep around as the team grows into a contender.
I wouldn't want to trade Bastian for Fischer at this point in time.

There'd be at least 4 bodies (Okhotiuk, Bahl, Walsh, Nemec) in between Holloway and a spot on the Devils roster.
Hollowell probably has no value for the Devils whatsoever.

Minten however, is looking like a fantastic prospect and a steal of a draft pick in the second round.
Purely on value I'd move Graves alone to get Minten back at this point.

Using your perceived values on the pieces within the Devils trade, here is how I'd re-format it: https://www.capfriendly.com/armchair-gm/team/3843890

Hey STUPID. they already resigned Cernak Cirelli and Sergachev so no bozo they don't have to resign them. But thank you for your completely assinine comment. And Lightning fans aren't nearly a Fu**ING stupid as yourself
As much as I hate to say it just as I hated saying it about Palat last year if Killorn was going to do a homer discount it would already be a done deal. Killer is gone baring a miracle. They need to sign 6 guys for a 22 man roster and have slightly over 9 million if the cap is 83,5 so, before you make a complete fool of yourself check your facts bufoon. Again have you not seen all the "solid third liners" on TB go elsewhere and become true top liners Carter Verheaghe 3/4th liner black ace on TB Top 6 in Florida JONATHAN MARCHESSAULT 3/4 liner Black ace in TB top 6 Florida and Vegas. Taylor Raddysh 4th liner black ace TB top 6 Chicago so stop with his ceiling is bulls***