I’m cool with almost all of this. I’d hold onto Lunde a bit longer though. He’s 3C/3LW. Z is 1LW. Also not really interested in a smaller RD. Whoever we add at RD will likely pair with a young LD (Minty, Zell, Lacombe) so I’d rather it be a big, defensive minded vet

Shoot, you took my entire comment away -- I was going to say that I'm with you {the OP} all the way except for the Lundestrom deal and then recite the same reasons.

Sorry, Isles are out of the playoffs, Our 1st rounder is off limits.

We are sellers, not buyers

I agree that’s the right thinking, but that’s not how Lou is thinking.

Even Lou can't deny that we are toast

I love it. There’s almost too much of a consensus between you, Landro, Giggy, and I sometimes. Kinda like when we disagree just to keep it interesting

Well I based that trade on rumors that Lou wanted to grab Vatrano. He’s positioned the islanders to try for playoffs every year with the contracts he’s signed. Can’t really abandon that as the GM who initiated it.

Ducks have a glut of guys coming up that can fill the role Lundy would have as winger. This trade is essentially just a positional young player swap to a position of need in RHD. Boqvist might not hit in Anaheim but it’s better to increase the odds of one of your RHD hitting by having a lot of them.

And I wouldn’t count out the chances of Zegras playing C when Gauthier gets here. Groulx and Gaucher make Lundestrom redundant. And eventually Nesterenko, Perrault and Regenda are gonna get second looks on the wing.

I like that Lundestrom/Boqvist trade. CBJ might have a similar center problem, though, so he might get pushed to 4C,/3W anyway. Fantilli, Jenner, Sillinger, and Voronkov are all here long-term, and Kuraly/LDBB probably fill the 4C role for another year and going forward. Would be nice to have a defensive responsible winger on the 3rd line though, who's young, and who can replace Roslovic when he's inevitably gone.

Honestly I’d gladly move Lunde for a RHD that I actually had optimism for, Boqvist just isn’t the right fit to where I’d consider that. 3 more inches and sure

Zegras will almost certainly play wing from here on out for us. Gauthier isn’t going to get thrust onto the top line right away, and even if so, Z playing 2LW with McTavish is still a great fit. He’ll slide back to the middle for injuries more likely than not, but ANA’s 3rd line has historically been more defensively responsible, and you also don’t want to be limiting Z to 3rd line minutes.

Z - Leo - Terry
Gauthier - McTavish - Vatrano (for now)
Killorn - Lunde - Strome

That third line has flexibility with Strome also a fine 3C, Lunde LW, and Killer RW

Boqvist is just as big as Drysdale. The size thing is overblown. I doubt Zegras goes wing when he comes back. Cronin has no problem playing McT 3rd line C. Top 2 lines would be interchangeable first lines and Gauthier would definitely play top 6.

I don’t think the historic pattern matters when they have completely new management and roster.