I agree about salo but it's a fair offer. Id like a 2nd for him but it seems too much he really isn't that good a hockey player.

I don't know about this one. He 24 and still spending a lot more time in the AHL than the NHL. Is the left side of the Islanders defense that good that it would keep a NHL caliber player in the AHL?

My own view on it is that Salo would more or less be doing what Sebastian Aho has been doing as a serviceable LD3 getting 17ish minutes per night, but Salo is waivers-exempt and easier to stash in the AHL. The reason Sam Bolduc got the call up over Salo was most likely a combo of wanting to showcase Bolduc as a potential trade asset and that Salo's had a minor injury in the last couple weeks - this is all my own speculation, for what it's worth, but when dealing with a Lou Lamoriello team that's all you really have.

The tough part in lining up this trade is that one of Bolduc or Salo is probably the Isles' current best trade chip, and as you know, the Red Wings don't have a huge need for lefty Dmen. I think William Dufour and Ruslan Iskhakov make sense as potential trade chips, too, but after moving Raty I would prefer the Isles hang on to what little offensive potential they have in the system.

Pass Kubs is on pace for 58 points this year, he's worth more than Salo and a 3rd round pick still 2 drafts away.

Rather keep Kuby... value isn't bad, just don't see a lot of incentive for the Wings to make this move

Would rather just keep Beckman and the 2nd. Wild aren't in win now mode.

spending a high pick at least year's deadline and then extending a 38 year old goalie isn't a team in "win-now" mode?? The Wild are the 9th oldest team in the league, the only players on the team under 25 are Matt Boldy, a heavily-sheltered Calen Addison, and the backup goalie Filip Gustavsson. They're currently in playoff position, they've got an older core that mostly falls off the cap in the next 2-3 years, I don't know what else you'd call them besides that.

Havne't we had this conversation before?

I think I'm just more down on kubalik, your right salo he ismt great. A 2nd rounder just seems too much for kuby but maybe it's not.

lol, believe we have, and again I'll agree to disagree. I just look at a team that signed a 38 year old MAF & 37 year old Alex Goligoski to 2 year deals, who has a 35 year old Mats Zuccarello signed for 2 more years, and willingly gave up an asset for 36 year old Ryan Reaves in November and have trouble seeing a team that's going to just shrug their shoulders and let the chips fall where they may this year and next.

I said they may do something, maybe even including a 2nd. Beckman likely isn't gonna be available though. And Mayfield would be in the same third pair spot, at best, on the Wild too. Spurgeon-Dumba-Addison already in there with Faber supposedly on the way. So what's the point to this for the Wild?

Guerin has said he won't mortgage the future for rentals, and Russo and Joe Smith both just reiterated that point in a semi-recent article on the Athletic.

I think it's one of those trades where both GMs want to make it work but just can't find the common ground - I'm sure Yzerman would be fine getting futures back for Kubalik at this point, especially if he doesn't have to retain a dime, but I just think the futures the Isles have to offer aren't cutting it. If I was making the deal, I'd kick around a 2nd but I'd want conditions on it - like, if it's a 2024 2nd it kicks to 2025 if the Islanders wind up giving their 2024 1st to Vancouver (per the conditions of the Horvat trade). I'd also pull back Salo and throw you Bode Wilde if you were interested instead (please, take him, we don't want him.)

But ultimately just feels like it's a trade call that goes back and forth for a bit before both sides shrug and say "eh, just can't make it work."

Addison has had some of the most sheltered minutes in the league this year - even if you nominally swap in Mayfield at RD3, it's a guy who's proven he can play 20 minutes a night in the playoffs. It lets you take the foot off the gas with Brodin & Spurgeon to hopefully keep them fresher for the playoffs, and in a worst case scenario Mayfield is a guy who has shown he can keep up in top 4 minutes if someone gets hurt. As far as Faber, you don't have to worry about a pending UFA in Mayfield blocking him - his seat will be ready as soon as next season, if you want it to be.

I'd also hardly call it "mortgaging the future" to give up a 2nd that'll probably fall in the 55ish-overall range and arguably your 5th/6th best forward prospect (putting Rossi, Yoruv, Ohgren, & Khusnutdinov clearly above him and Beckman in a range with guys like Haight/Lorenz/Bankier/Milne). Scott Wheeler has Minnesota as a top-3 system in the league - they have the depth to move out. "Mortgaging your future" is having a team with a system ranked in the bottom 5 give up their best prospect and a future 1st rounder for a rental - trust me, I'm very familiar with that concept.

Addison is the only one on the roster who's good on the PP. For that alone, he has a lineup spot most nights. The rest of it doesn't matter.

Call it whatever you want if mortgaging the future doesn't sit well for you. Guerin has made it a point to not trade top prospects, especially for rentals. However far down the list you see Beckman, he made a huge impression on the coaching staff and management, they like him a lot, and Mayfield is still a rental they don't need.

At this point we have no idea if Bertuzzi or Vrana will be back next season or being able to play like they did last year. Kubalik isn't going to replace either of them but he could soften the blow of losing them. So that would make him a more valuable to Detroit.

Detroit really doesn't need for LHDs. Like or not we are stuck with Chiarot for the next 3 seasons and Walman has been pretty good playing with Seider. Edvinsson makes the team out of camp next season and Johansson is really close as well. Salo might have a better chance to play on the Islanders than he would in Detroit.