Yes, he might take 8.5M instead of 10M
NYR still don't have the cap space to resign him

"Less than his QO" is still going to be a ~5M raise to what you are paying him here. How do you plan to pay that with both Laf and Miller also needing raises?

I’m sure he can- if offered a 7 or 8 year deal in the 9ish range…unless NYR can shed one of their big contracts (most preferably Trouba), they are nowhere near able to afford him

I think this is a more realistic trade result for Meier. Sharks want to get Merkley a place to play while replacing him with defensive prospects. We get the 2023 1st that we want, a 2nd round pick regardless if its 2023/2024. Plus some young guns that have pretty decent upside to be NHL players.

In terms of the QO, no team is going to offer him 10M, he probably falls to the 8.5-9M range. Plus you can always trade his RFA rights at the draft. Which might be another reason this trade might not happen til after the season... but Meier is 100% a difference maker on any team that needs an additional gear with driving offense.

Edmonton is probably only gonna trade puju so they can gain more cap flexibility going into the tdl. So your totally free to have him for a mid-late round pick but I don't think any cap goes back to them in a puju deal.(unless the player is on like a league minimum contract)

I would want much better quality than quantity like that NYR trade is. Two 3rd pair dmen and a 4th liner aren’t interesting at all