I don't think any of these are actually too far fetched on their own. If anything I think the teams who are receiving these guys are coming out on top.

The problem is that they would be using all three of their retention spots for at least another two years after this and and in EK and Couture's case, four more. That's over 9 mil in retained salary alone.

In spite of his great season, the Avs aren't taking on Couture at his age with the remaining years, even with retention

i like the idea, a retained 2C is what colorado needs but like mentioned above his age just doens't fit with colorado

Idk that we’ll be willing to move Savoie

I dig the Pens trade for sure.

I think the idea is for SJS to do everyone a solid and send long tenured players to teams where they have the opportunity to make an impact / win, while gaining and developing younger prospects and picks. By the time those players and prospects are ready to play in the NHL and get paid coming out of their ELC's, SJS finally has the cap space to pay them. Most of the 2023 drafted players will be returned to college or junior next year, and when Vlasic, Karlsson, Burns and Couture's contracts + Jones buyout are off the books in four years, all of those drafted players will be coming off their ELC's and will need to be paid. Perfect timing.

Grier said he was going to give this team a chance, and then would decide if he could build around them or tear down and start anew. I think we know which direction this is going in... Considering how late he was added, I don't think it's really fair to call this his first year. His emphasis is on drafting well and developing players in the AHL which is why we haven't seen players like Eklund and Bordeleau play NHL games yet. It's not unlike what Yzerman is doing in Detroit.

Sharks are gonna be bad for a while regardless, and even Grier said that a step or two back may be necessary during his presser. Might as well commit and do right by everyone.

At a 4.8 mil cap hit you'd be crazy not to. He may be slightly overpayed in that last year or two but his two-way game is good enough to have him even if he regresses like crazy production wise. Factor in the cap going up and the fact he has a fairly buyout-friendly contract, and it's very low risk.

I dont see BUF wanting to move Savoie. Still a good look tho

Solves multiple issues. I really like this idea.

I think if they insist on savoie or kulich, that something should come out- like make the first in 24.

Imo, i think we should build the package around Mittelstadt, Ostlund OR Rosen (not both), and a draft pick(s)
And since they’re supposedly interested in a goalie prospect,
we could throw in Portillo

I get what you're saying an it may seem like a low-risk move to you but there's a few things to consider:

1) Athletic performance can and frequently does decline pretty rapidly starting in your mid-30's. It's not rare to see a guy seemingly humming along then hit a wall at 34-35. T

2) The Avs aren't going to be interested in the cost of a buyout even if it's "only" $2+ mil for a few years and the cap is going up. They've got Rantanen to re-sign in a few years (probably going to come in around $11M+) then Makar a few years after that plus they've got guys like Byram and Newhook to pay. They're in their Cup window and will need every last penny for the duration of that window.

It's nothing against Couture other than something he can't control: his age and the length of that contract. If he were a few years younger or the contract a few years shorter and SJ were going to pick up half his salary for the life of that contract, yes it would be more obvious. But he's juuuuuuust in the sweet spot of it being too risky for where the Avs are in their salary structure and Cup window.