The Buffalo one is unlikely. Skinner has a full NMC and no interest in going anywhere.

I like the Kuemper for Elvis idea. Curious where that came from.

The Edmonton trade depends on if Ceci is gone and Broberg is still in AHL. But IDK if bean will be a bottom pair defenseman. Bean has potential but I don't think that Edmonton is the place.

Laine to Buffalo is interesting but you're not getting Skinner as he has NMC.

Everything else is pretty good.

Also idea for trading Provorov. Maybe Calgary.

i don't necissarily hate the Kuemper/Elvis swap, but it's kinda just a meh trade all around.

Laine has a partial NTC, too. That's the most unlikely trade here IMO, I should have qualified it with all NMC's are waived. Everyone on here seems to have Laine as trade bait so I figured I'd play along for this exercise. FWIW, I'm 100% on the keep Laine train; if he bounces back, he's exactly what we need. If he doesn't, his trade value isn't going to get much lower anyway. It would be dirty to trade him while he's either in or fresh out of the PAP anyway.

Kuemper came from the comments ofthis ACGM. Of A) buyout, B) Campbell, or C) Kuemper, that's definitely my favorite option.

The nice part about Bean is he still has enough potential that he might be able to reach 2nd-pair potential with the right coach/system. EDM definitely depends on how the rest of their D-men shake out, but I figured it would be an interesting target that's a little different from everything else I've seen.

Laine/Skinner is really unrealistic due to NMCs, I agree. I think Columbus should keep Laine anyway, just included him as part of the exercise here.

Calgary could also work, I've seen that elsewhere here, though, and Calgary fans seemed to think it would turn into another Hanifin situation at TDL. That would more likely be an offseason move, too. I'm not opposed to that at all, I just think Columbus is more likely to hang onto him until TDL to both minimize the total salary they'd have to retain, and also let Mateychuk grow in the AHL a little before eventually filling Provorov's role.

It's definitely not inspiring! But it totally depends on what Washington wants to do, especially with Lindgren playing lights out right now. Maybe it's appealing if they don't think Kuemper is an option anymore, and they want someone with term who can play in the system next season and still be insurance in case Lindgren doesn't stick around after next season. I think Columbus would do it in a heartbeat.

Just so you know, Provorov can only be retained one more time. Only allowed to retain twice on a contract. LA is currently retaining salary for him.

For some reason I thought it was 3 retentions on a contract, I should have checked on that. You're 100% right. Boston may or may not have that space next year, with 21.5M in projected cap space and DeBrusk and Swayman to re-sign (though I doubt their other UFAs come back, or at least don't come back at the current rate or more).

The 3 retentions you are probably thinking of is, a team can only retain on 3 different contracts at any one time.
I think the deal would be cheap enough like that for them to afford, if they wanted to go that route.

The Bruins will want Lorhei in a prime spot next year and Wotherspoon has been a revelation. I really can't see the pick deprived B's giving up a 1st rounder for Provorov. They may also be kicking the tires on Hanfin.

Sabres decline
Maybe straight up- but i even doubt that

Boston declines.

Provorov doesn’t fit the culture and they have the cap room to sign someone without giving up their first.

Regarding the other trades:
1. I'm not sure Provorov goes to Boston. I could see him going to Tampa, especially if Sergachev gets injured again and if they don't get Hanifin. New Jersey are another option. LA need a player like him, but they unfortunately already retain on him, which lowers his value to them. Edmonton could also be an option. Or Calgary.
2. I just don't want to or think the Blue Jackets trade Laine until he is a PPG player again, unless he specifically requests a trade. I'm not against trading him in the long run, I just don't see it happening before the 2025 off-season.
3. I'm fine with trading Kuraly and Danforth at the TDL. With Voronkov and Sillinger in the line-up as well as Brindley coming up, they are all redundant. I don't know if Danforth returns a 2nd, though. But hey, if several teams really like him, maybe.
4. Do you think Bean will sign for league minimum? I expect him to sign for around $2.5M. I don't know if Edmonton would be willing to pay that for a third-pair guy like Bean, given their cap situation.

The problem with getting a goalie with term back is Clay Stevenson is making a really nice case this year in Hershey to be strongly considered for the backup position in DC next year. But the Caps have plenty of cap space in the next couple of years, so who knows

Tampa Bay declines. They have their gritty 4th line C for next season already - Glendening.

Regarding the Merzlikins-Kuemper swap straight-up: I've looked into that a bit more. It seems that a Kuemper buyout is significantly more expensive than a Merzlikins buyout, particularly in the first three years. With that in mind, I don't think this is a good idea for the Blue Jackets. They are going to need that cap space in the 2025 and 2026 off-season when their young players are getting new contracts and they get other players to improve their team.

Fair point on Laine as I also agree but I think that he will still be traded

1. I agree, Tampa seems like the most likely option, but I had seen quite a few of those so I wanted to try a different direction.
2. I also agree, which I outlined better in a response to @squashmaple. Just part of the exercise.
3. Ditto
4. I don't think he'll sign for more than ~$1.5M. He's been okay on one of the worst defensive teams in hockey, as a 3rd-pair guy. If I were him, I'd take a 1-year near-min deal with a contender that plays a wide-open offensive style and see if he can parlay that into a 4-5 year deal worth more in 2025. I could see Edmonton fitting that bill.

This is all very good feedback, thanks!

Do you see clb absolutely targeting a F at the draft or do you also see them drafting one of the Ds?

I think Columbus is taking best player available. The only thing we don't really need is LD (with Mateychuk, Werenski, and a boatload of other left-shot D in the system), but we need star talent everywhere. I could see Levshunov if we're picking in the top-3 and Anaheim is either below us or doesn't take him for some reason, since Jiricek is the only RD in the system with NHL-regular potential.