Trading a former Top 10 pick, former Top 15 pick, and two firsts for a forward you can't possibly afford to re-sign definitely sounds like a Ken Holland move.

For this to work, Jake has to agree to resign in EDM. If he does that, they'll end up moving the roster around to fit him, and it will need more surgery later.

I included Joseph because we don't need him on the active roster and he can either be used as more trade bait for EDM later, or integrated into their system which is thin on the back end anyway. He adds incentive for them, a sweetener if you will, and we honestly don't need him... Smith could fill his spot, and also, we can make a trade for another D with one of those 1sts, a la Hronek to VAN last year. Or we can include Graves somehow and get Bouchard back... LOL

So, for EDM, you are getting a Top 6 winger for McDavid for the rest of his career, basically. Clearly he has done well with Sid... so yeah, next best thing... This would also BIG TIME incentivize both Drai and McJ to stay in EDM because… will they stay if they don't win? Also, for the playoffs THIS YEAR Guentz > Foegele/Holloway

Speaking of those 2 active pieces =>

Holloway - Since Dubas/FSG love Sullivan so much, I'm sure he'll integrate them somehow. If you look at it on paper, Jake was a 3rd Rd pick, and Holloway is a 1st from '20, a year we didn't one. He is unproven but maybe he isn't a lower line guy (where he's played most of his NHL career) and needs to play up in the lineup. I don't know enough about him... but he gets NHL games, he HITS, and has barely played in the AHL... Our cupboard is DRY down there now that we traded Nylander and Pitlick (two of their top 3 scorers). Worst case scenario he goes to the Baby Pens and gets better instead of rushed up. His ceiling is undetermined.

Foegele - He plays Top 6 now and is extremely OK... he'll fit in just fine here, but hey, at least he does score sometimes... WE HAVE NO DEPTH SCORING, and at least he's healthy so... he can help us make the playoffs! Maybe! Either way, he is UFA, and it makes way too much sense not to include him in this deal... EDM needs to offset some salary, and they have a roster full of guys who aren't going anywhere.

Futures =>

Broberg is an offset sweetener coming back who can maybe be coached up here. Joseph > Broberg right now, but Dubas said we need to get younger, and I don’t see much traction over there in EDM with this guy… it’s almost like their minor league affiliate sucks at building young talent!

The 2 firsts are basically high 2nd round picks, but we have NO picks and this gives us more ammo to make some other moves.

This accelerates EDM to being a much more dangerous team, much more quickly. This succeeds in getting a legit haul of now/future pieces who can maybe make this type of trade worth it, even though Sid would be super pissed at first. Clock is ticking Kenny, better get a Cup here before your golden geese split!

He'd have to figure out a way to ensure he'd resign, probably move out Kulak/Ceci/anything else that isn't nailed down or named Connor/Leon/Ryan

Also to be fair, Joseph is a former 1st as well. The thing with players who haven't done anything yet... they're defined by their draft position. Joseph is the same way... he isn't really a bottom pairing guy, he just hasn't had much runway to figure it out yet.

So, yea this is a future loaded deal plus Foegele, basically; we get much actively worse by doing this. I would imagine though, Dubas would use one of those firsts to get some other dude... maybe Tanev...

Still though it would have to be contingent on him resigning there, to be that big of a package