Doubt the Pens will use a retention spot on Smith for next season. Could see a 3rd team getting involved to retain on Smith though.

This is the problem. Pens won't retain on him and I agree they could use a 3rd team to take the retention. The Pens would probably let him go for a 3rd at this point.

Also, where is this rumor that VGK wants Smith back?

Believe it's a reference to a Jesse Granger article from The Athletic, which I think would qualify more as speculation than a rumor

Gotcha, thanks! What's the situation with Hague? How valuable is he considered to the team? To me, while the Pens won't retain on Smith, I think to off-set that, we could take back a contract and maybe send something else...

TO VGK: Reilly Smith
TO PIT: Nicolas Hague

Make it a hockey trade. If VGK's depth takes a hit from that, maybe we can add POJ or Ty Smith. The Pens could use a big physical dman like Hague.

The problem for CBJ is that any motivation to move Tex would be, in part, due to needing the roster spot for someone already signed. Replacing him with, well, two players that arent as good as him doesn't move the needle.

I think if there was a desire to move Tex, a second is probably right on. Doesn't even have to be the 24.

I may be wrong but I thought there was some sort of rule that a team can't reaquire a player with retention within 365 days of trading him. Or something along those lines. Anybody know? If that were the case then Reilly would have to come back to Vegas at the full cap hit if a trade were to happen now. Not sure.

Puckempire, not the best source but, credit to the guy who runs it his posts aren't too far off from what happens

Personally I think Hague and Whitecloud are guys VGK don't want to move unless they absolutely need too.
Martinez contract is ending this year and if they want to Keep Marchessault and Stephenson, bringing him back is not a real option I think Hague takes his spot and Whitecloud takes McNabb's sport in the year his deal ends
Theodore - Whitecloud
Hague - Pietrangelo in 2yrs
Just what I think will happen, I could be very wrong though

Fair enough. I figured moving a roster player would make this cleaner, but if you'd need the Pens to retain you'd probably have to involve a 3rd party. My guess is it would cost you an extra 3rd to whatever team absorbs the hit.

Yeah, I put them in the deal since VGK need them out for roster and cap reasons but, I can see them moving Dorofeyev to a team like TBL who could give him a top6 chance and spend a 4th and Rondberg could probably net VGK a 5th\6th for any team looking for depth, could just be waived too, doesn't have to go to CBJ

That would be a fair thing too ask
Edit:just read VGK would need a 3rd team to retain if they wanted to reacquire Smith with retention since it's against the rules for Pitt to do it

You are right, honestly that's on me for not knowing about it but, from what I'm reading I would say a loophole in this is you could get a 3rd party team to do the retaining
It says a team cannot reacquire a player within a calendar year with retention from the team it traded that player too, it doesn't say anything about a 3way deal with a 3rd team doing the retention, at least not in the article I just read on beyondtheglass.com

A good analysis. I imagine Hague doesn't move for anything less than being the "young roster player" piece ala Alex Tuch for a big move. Otherwise we'd also like to keep his big physical stature heh. Hague-Pietrangelo and Theodore-Whitecloud sounds in line with what I believe pairs in 2 years will be as well, with the third pair being McNabb/Cormier/FA addition-Korczak

Yeah, the Pens wouldn't retain. A 3rd team would be paid by you to retain. It would probably only cost a 3rd to us for Smith and a 3rd to that team to retain.

That makes sense. I saw him on the 3rd pair, so I wasn't quite sure what the situation was since I don't watch VGK that frequently. I thought maybe lightening the payroll on the 3rd pair would make sense in lieu of the Pens retaining on Smith.

Can't remember if it was you or another CBJ fan with the same profile pic that I had this discussion with but, I think CBJ needs to move Texier sooner rather than later
Gaudreau, Jenner, Laine, Marchenko, Johnson, Sillinger, Fantilli, Voronkov and Chinakov are the top9 CBJ should be devoting it's time too
Texier playing bottom6 (if everyone was ever healthy at the same time lol) would only hurt his future value

Just a luxury they can afford to do with the way the roster is constructed. Same way when healthy Roy plays 4C but with Eichel being injured he's playing with Eichel's wingers and has been over a PPG in his spot.

That sounds familiar, so it probably was me. And I agree, he's not part of the future core and should be moved. Texier's weird, though. Clearly too talented for fourth line, but he never seems to click with skill players because of his own playstyle. Plus there's the sunk cost of the org being so supportive and patient with him the past two years, so it also just feels like crappy optics to trade him already.

Very fair on the optics