Rejoint: juill. 2021
Messages: 1,052
Mentions "j'aime": 548
Very close to what Toronto paid for O’Reilly and Acciari, and similar situation with both teams being all in due to a potentially short win window, Toronto being more desperate because Boston is already the best team in the league, but Boston knows they can’t take that for granted when they playoffs come.
The main differences between this trade and the Toronto trade are a later 1st-round pick (unless Toronto makes it to the final four), and the inclusion of Smith, which I think is actually a plus for both teams, especially Boston because it means this deal didn’t cost them any cap space. He fell down in their depth chart this year to the point where they won’t miss him if their other forwards stay healthy, and Hathaway is probably a better fit for a bottom 6 role.
Meanwhile, Washington still has a realistic chance of making the playoffs if they can put the brakes on their current losing streak, so getting back an NHL player who was a top-6 forward as recently as last year may help keep their playoff hopes alive (though Smith has never done much in the playoffs). I’m a little surprised they decided to be a seller, because they’re only struggling because of injuries, and I thought they were all about trying to win another cup before Ovechkin retires. I wonder if they consulted him before making this deal.
Minnesota is a fringe playoff team. I think they’re going to get in, but I guess they’ve decided their position isn’t strong enough to buy rental players or weak enough to sell them, so they’re just going to hang onto what they have and sell their cap space for whatever they can get for it. This time of year it’s use it or lose it. That said, I think they’re still one player under the retained salary limit, so these moves don’t prevent them from trading Dumba, but they do make it more difficult for them to be a buyer.