Quoting: csick
The biggest thing about Brady that you fail to mention are:
1) the type of player he is is what most contenders would kill to have
2) he doesn’t have any movement clauses or injuries
3) he’s 24 and under term
You can get into all those factors:
In terms of Matthew:
Pros:
-better offensively
-much better defensively
-8 years at 9.5 mill (better value)
Cons:
-somewhat limited market (still enough for a bidding war)
Eichel:
Pros:
-much better defensively
-much more valuable position
Cons:
-Higher AAV
-injury concerns
Meier at time of trade
Pros:
Better defensively
With extension ends up with much more term
Much cheaper year 1
Cons:
Less certain control
Older
All 3 of these players fall under the style of players that contenders would love to have.
Tkachuk and Eichel were both also 24 with term
None of them had any NTCs
Again, points in favour, points against.
I think you’re underrating the massive gap in Matthew and Brady, significantly overrating the gap between Brady and Meier at time of trade (Meier arguably better), and the value of Eichel being a C.
I also think you significantly overrate the impact of having for example 10 bidders vs 4. A 4 way bidding war is still a bidding war