Detroit has 12 pending UFAs, Sorry we're not retaining on a player that has 1.5 years remaining on his contract. Yzerman will only retain on expiring contracts.

1) why would he bother to put himself into a box? We know yzerman will trade if the value is there. Also, he has retained on a player for multiple years before, see Panik.

2) not every deadline trade is a ufa trade. See toffoli, hagel, etc.

3) very few of those UFAs are going to net good returns. Maybe bertuzzi if he figures it out and I really hope we aren’t moving Larks.

Panik was totally different, He held no value to the team. And Detroit needed a LD and took Leddy and was willing to eat on Panik and the retention was small not what we would retain on a far better David Perron.

Toronto needs to add a LOT more considering the divisional ramifications for next year if there is any retention. I could see a trade out west being possible, but not in the east and certainly not to a division opponent; adding to the fact it is an old rival too.

How's a 1st, Niemela and Knies?

It’s retention for one year really; If wings are in it at tdl - he won’t be traded but if they’re not who cares about this retaining this year?
Will the wings be better with Perron @$4.75M next year or a 1st with $2.375M retention next year. No way the Leafs or most competitive teams can afford that cap hit this or next year.
Intriguing trade proposal - Perron wouldn’t be my first choice, but he does have a good playoff track record. It would give both GMs something to think about.

Which is why he would return a first plus... I don’t understand why this is a hard concept. Retention = added value to the trade. Added value to the trade means more futures. This trade is because Perron is good, has playoff experience, and will be a valuable contributor to a team in the playoff hunt for this and next year. That makes him very valuable...

If Steve gets the right value he’ll do just about anything. You’re artificially placing restrictions

I agree in division trades should be avoided, so if equivalent offer made by team in west - snap it up. But to be honest, I see the wings as less than 50-50 to make playoffs next year; so in division trade less of a concern?

Even 50-50 means a point or 2 could be a the difference. And going 1-2 or 1-1-1 or 2-1 vs Toronto could be that difference Perron.

Bertuzi will get one of the retention slots, Probably Nedeljkovic as well if Yzerman tries to move. If we had Paniks spot open than it's a different ballgame.

No chance

So you wanna waste the third retention slot on a mid round pick instead of facilitating more?

You retain on the more valuable trade instead of the 3rd goalie that will get you a 4th at best.

Exactly. Neither trade happens for Detroit.

Yzerman isn't trading Perron, And no he's not retaining on him either. Perron is exactly what we need. If he does it's going to be a hell of a lot more than just a late 1st round pick.

He's a 55-60 point winger that turns 35 in May. He's not worth a team's top two prospects *and* a 1st - you're literally asking for a bigger package than young RFA wingers like Fiala & Debrincat got. The Tyler Toffoli trade is probably the best comp for a Perron trade - Calgary gave up a 1st, a solid prospect (Emil Heineman), and a couple of lower picks to get Toffoli, and sent Tyler Pitlick's expiring deal to offset some costs. OP's offer is light, but I think a 1st/3rd/Niemela would get Perron with retention, or you could swap that 3rd out for a worse pick and send back a contract (Pierre Engvall?) - but anything beyond that is too much for Toronto to pay.

This though. I agree the toffoli trade is probably the best mode to go by. I didn’t expect the idea of retaining on a trade Perron to be so controversial though... he’s a 34/35 year old guy, we aren’t going to be good next year either (maybe a bubble team) and we need to keep building the foundation for the future.

1st/3rd/niemela would be enough for me tbh. Niemela is a decent fit - we might have Hronek and Seider but after that there’s nothing prospect wise on the right side unless you count wallinder who plays both.

Yzerman will trade any non core asset he can if he thinks it will improve the team. Do not presume that a 34 year old is untouchable when he can bring back significant future value.

It would cost more then a first - I literally say that in the original post that it would probably cost more. The first of course being the basis. And several posters have suggested toffoli esque packages that work well.

A 1st, 3rd and Niemela maybe gets it done, or at least gets a dialogue. The premium of adding Knies is because of the term and Division thing. Detroit is going to likely be better next year, and Perron has fit well as one of the few vets on the team over 30.

The ask I propose is a big overpay, but realistically, Toronto should not be sniffing up Detroit for a deal unless it is a UFA and/or overpay. If, say, Dallas offered up a 1st plus a decent middle 6 prospect, there is a possibility, depending on how Yzerman values Perron.

Also, for the record, the only player with term I would willingly trade intra division for a "fair" trade would be Chiarot. Anyone else with term requires significant assets going back that can help in 1-2, maybe 3 years. Any UFA is on the table for the right price, with Larkin being an unbelievably high price (provided reasonable terms cannot be reached).