i think i would send Kulak before Barrie. Bouchard isn't progressing as fast as would like. keeping him on 3rd pairing will keep his AAV down.

I would do that with top ten protection on the pick.

Toronto does this

I’d consider trading Duchene with around $1.5m retention to a team like CGY or NYI or a team like that that could use a boost on offense. Could take a cap dump from either team (Lucic, Bailey) and optimize the return.

I think Granlund could be traded for a similar return with no retention— and Nino might not need a full $2m retention either.

I don’t see them trading Saros yet, but it’s interesting to think about…

I don't think anyone would pay that price for a goalie

Stunting Bouchard for the sake of his AAV is pretty short sighted when you consider what adding Ekholm would represent. Bouchard is exceeding Barrie in essentially all metrics besides TOI (they're virtually equal), GF%, HDGF%, and PDO, where Bouchard is on the cooler of the century. Despite the eye test and the current sophomore slump, Bouchard has still been the better bet for a sweeping majority of the season. His future here is hopefully going to be far longer. Barrie is going to need to be moved now or next season regardless of what Bouchard's AAV ends up being: he's too rich a luxury to have on the back end. Too many additional pieces have to move out in order to accommodate keeping Barrie on the team long-term. This is the kind of deal the Oilers should be making to fill that canyon currently occupying the #2LD and if it means you have to just buck up and give Bouchard the keys to being our premiere puck-moving righty, then bite that bullet.

I don't think Bouchard has played with a player of Ekholm's calibre beyond Nurse, and those numbers speak highly for the Oilers' pairing. Mattias is a mega upgrade on any of Broberg, Koekkoek, Kulak, Lagesson, Murray, Niemelainen, Russell, or any other left-shooting player previously paired with Bouchard. Ekholm's status as the kind of defenceman he is - in theory at least - should push Evan's numbers back to the levels they were with Duncan Keith, but at the benefit of Edmonton possessing a defenceman far superior to Keith. The Oilers can just as well turn around after making this deal and acquire a Schenn-type to pull back on Evan's zone starts and/or PK time. He doesn't need to be coddled by Barrie.

@GeauxPreds1 ultimately I'd be close to agreeing on a deal like this but I would much rather sacrifice futures over Bourgault: the Puljujarvi and Yamamoto experiments have ultimately failed and with Lavoie's status as a legitimate prospect waning by the day, Bourgault and Tullio emerge as some of the hardest prospects for Edmonton to consider moving. Likewise I think Edmonton should be all over Sissons with some large degree of retention. Currently I'm trying to get an AGM with the following up and running:


Receive:
(LD) Mattias Ekholm
(RC) Colton Sissons (50% retained)
2024 3rd Round Pick (NSH)


Receive:
(RD) Tyson Barrie
(LW) Maxim Berezkin
(LD) Philip Broberg
(LW) Warren Foegele
2023 1st Round Pick (EDM)
2024 1st Round Pick (EDM)

Two of Edmonton's biggest needs right now are a defensive RHC and a quality LHD: moving Broberg to fill the latter hole would suggest a want for term and the names that really interest me are Chychrun, Ekholm, and Provorov. Ekholm and Sissons fill those roles beautifully and should look to solidify Edmonton's two-way game and PK but I feel like Edmonton may be giving up a hair too much based on your ask for Ekholm and Jeannot, whom I value far more than Sissons.

My proposed trade is almost a wash in terms of the salary cap and I would hopefully think that Nashville puts some stock in having actual NHL bodies to come back in this deal as a lot of the contracts currently in Nashville (Duchene, Forsberg, Johansson, Josi, McDonagh, Saros, and Tomasino specifically) would suggest that there would be a desire to remain competitive next season and onwards. The Fabbro experiment probably ends similarly to how you've proposed above and the jury is out on whether or not either Granlund or Niederreiter are actually moved, so having proper NHL pieces accompany the picks and prospects brought back by making moves for tomorrow can at least keep the Predators' wagon moving in that "could make a run for it" direction.

Yes please.

I like Ekholm but that's a ridiculous overpay. He's not worth more than Jack Eichel!

Saros is a solid goalie- a good one even
But there’s just no chance at all that ANY team would give up that much for him- idk that ANY goalie is worth all that

You’d absolutely have to take out Savoie & the 1st to have any chance of a deal happening
Maybe Krebs + one of the good goalie prospects we have
And that’s a MAYBE

Those said goalie prospects have been looking good for us
UPL is playing well in the NHL this season, and looking like he could take over as our #1
So idk that we’d necessarily feel the need to get Saros??
Not at those type of prices anyways- that’s just too much,
especially when u consider all the goalie talent we have on the way

I think we might be interested at a more reasonable price,
but the ask would have to come WAY DOWN from what you suggest

My thought in trading saros was you won’t get a top pick with him stealing games like he has this year.

Sorry, far too much for saros

I was doing Ekholm for Broberg and a 1st which he can definitely get and the bourgault and the cap dump was for jeannot

Figured a vezina type goalie was exactly what buffalo needed. A 1st and a top prospect and another prospect isn’t to far fetched for that type of goalie signed to 5 million for 2 more years after this

Yea apparently you haven’t watched saros to only call him a “good” goalie. Every year since he has taken over for rinne he has been in the Vezina conversation and he is worth a top prospect and a 1st. Your offer of krebs and a good goalie prospect is laughable. But I get it. The fact that you don’t think someone would give up a 1st and top prospect for a a vezina type goalie is your prerogative I just think differently

I don't see a cap dump though. I see a defenseman who is on pace for 60 points this year who also has team-leading 5v5 metrics.

If Holland refused to include Broberg in a Chychrun deal, why on earth would he trade him plus a bunch of other cool stuff for 32 year old Ekholm??

I get if you value Barrie as not a cap dump. That’s why I put you can add another cap dump if you don’t want to trade barrie

Yes it is. It's far too much

Even if you’re right,
it’s HIGHLY DOUBTFUL the Sabres would consider that
As i said, we have a young goalie prospect here already looking good, 2 more that are projected to be better than him coming soon, and another who we drafted last year in the high 2nd round (first goalie taken in the draft)

So i just can’t see the Sabres giving up what you’re thinking u guys will get for him
Doesn’t make sense for us to do that

Granlund isn't coming back to Minnesota and Minnesota isn't trading anything for him

I would as well but I do wonder how we stay below the cap. What kind of deal are you imagining for Fabbro to stay in OTT?

If Fabbro agrees to a $3 million AAV contract and the Sens trade away Mathieu Joseph I believe they'll be able to afford DeBrincat, Pinto, and a modestly priced goalie (Talbot).

There are no cap dumps - certainly nothing that requires a Bourgault as payment. And your ask for Ekholm - who will be 33 this spring - is also ridiculous (Broberg + 1st).

Hard no from Edmonton. Adjusting peripheral pieces won't make this a deal they'll entertain.