Hughes for McDavid would be one for one. With their contracts in mind, I'd rather have Hughes.

Top 5 player 7x8m > Top 1 player 3x12.5m

Hughes is on a great contract so I understand your point but 97 is the better player.

The asking price would be too high for other teams and for us to ever trade the best player in the world AGAIN is a non starter.

None of these players (dahlin, Hughes, Matthews) are being traded for mcdavid. Teams would be trading for mcdavid for him to play with these other star players. It's going to be a bunch of futures and lower level roster players if he were to be traded. Edmonton would be in a full rebuild mode since there's no way Leon stays after it.

Tuch and Dahlin would tough for Sabres to swallow. There is plenty other players like Cozens, Kulich, Benson, Quinn to choose from

There’s no chance we would take futures only.

Dahlin is your best player so naturally you’d be giving your best player in a deal for the best player.

These trades never go star for star. So you're also not getting top players at their position.

These trades also never happen. It’s not 1988 anymore.

Feels like your under changing the sabres and over charging the njd Toronto is just about right but obviously none of these happen

Of course. Nobody is going to argue McDavid isn't the best player in the world. In terms of trade value, however, I would say his contract puts him in third, behind Bedard and Hughes.

Buffalo shouldn't trade Dahlin, stud dmen are too hard to acquire especially for Buffalo.

Feels like you're undervaluing Dahlin.

The thing is, this McDavid would be only available to join "superteam", NBA style forcing trade to one and only team. While Sabres can give them plenty of prospects to restart rebuilding, I doubt McDavid himself would like to go from bad situation (assuming Oilers season won't come around) to 'meh' situation.

Same apply to Devils trading Hughes (eitherone) or Hischer.

I wasn’t sure if 2 1sts was too much for NJ. I think the Leafs trade is about perfect value.

Those trades rarely happen in hockey. You’re a Sabres fan so you know why Eichel wanted out. That’s the rare kind of situation it takes.

We’re aware but I don’t think mcdavid (assuming 16 mill AAV next contract) is 45 mill better than Jack over the next 7 years

Leafs will wait until FA to sign McDavid

I don’t think he’s leaving Edmonton.

Good with that as well

Who would you rather have?

2.5 years of McDavid at $12.5m
6.5 years of Hughes at $8.0m

Yeah, I know, but I can see something like - Draisaitle "I`ll sign if McDavid signs" - McDavid - "I am gonna hit UFA"

I doubt any team would give up their top players in a McD deal, not cause the trade value isnt there but cause it wouldnt make sense situation wise... it would likely be their top prospects/picks instead.
Also, if EDM is selling McD I'd hope we'd go into a full rebuild not a re-tool.

Taking Buffalo's trade for example, rather than Dahlin/Tuch would do something more like:
McD (half retained)
For
Olofsson (cap reasons) - Benson - Quinn - Kulich - D-Prospect (Strbak imo) - 1st ('24) - 1st ('26)

Buffalo may even add more, hard to conceptualize a McD trade.

Toronto would do this, Buffalo and NJ don't

I am going to get a lot of hate mail on this one.

Yep!
Yup! Yup!

Surely you jest.
So you think Jack Eichel, Rasmus Dahlin, and two second round picks are an underpayment for Connor!

Let's all agree that McDavid is the 21st century Gretzty without the 4 70 goal seasons on his resume.
On 1988-Aug-09 Wayne was traded from Edmonton Oilers with Mike Krushelnyski and Marty McSorley to Los Angeles Kings for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, round 1 pick in the 1989 draft (Jason Miller), round 1 pick in the 1991 draft (Martin Rucinsky), round 1 pick in the 1993 draft (Nick Stajduhar) and cash
Edmonton does not have any player near the value of McSorley to add to the trade so let's forget him and Krushelnyski
Jimmy Carson is Buffalo's Jeff Skinner 0.357goals/game v 0.439 goals/game over their careers.
Martin Gelinas is Buffalo's Casey Mittelstadt 0.518 pts/game v 0,508 pts/game over their careers.
Plus three first round picks.
Maybe Buffalo needs to add, but then Edmonton needs to add for McSorley and Krushelnyski

Sure, my Sabre offer is underwhelming yet reasonably comparable to the Gretzky trade but still, the Sabre offer in this post is off the charts over payment.

Well that is my tome of the week.