Just no. Awful trade offers

Thanks, Mr. President, but I can't tell which side you think they're awful for. Constructive criticism suggests a concrete improvement.

As a Caps fan I don't want to undervalue roster players from a team with back to back President's trophies, but realistically, teams like to wait until their draft picks have turned 25 or so, before writing them off as busts. What would you offer? And how would you value a 24 year old former 5th round pick who scores 27 goals in the AHL (http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=139946) against a 20 year old, recent first round pick, with almost no offense to show for it, like Rostovic (http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=170340)? Does Devon Toews fit into the Islanders' plans? Or have they forgot he existed, while he spent the last seven years in and out of college (https://www.nhl.com/player/devon-toews-8478038)?

How do you value keeping together the best team over an 82 game regular season (let alone two of them, back to back) against mirroring the improvements that allowed their archrival to knock them out of the playoffs in back to back years?

And more importantly do you think the above roster could beat the Penguins, if there is a way to make it happen?

Devon Toews will likely see the NHL this season. Hard pass for a promising prospect.

Just wondering but why keep Orpiks contract? $5 million and not even play him? Why not just buy him out?

I think Orpik has significantly helped get the Caps out of the first round of the playoffs the last two years, with relentless, nasty, crushing checks, and tough crease clearing defense, but he isn't fast enough to play the Penguins, so I'd rather develop Djoos than put him through and 82 game grind. Maybe Langway law him, and keep him practicing? IR for enough of the year that they can pick up another RHD at the deadline?

I could totally see moving Orpik's contract to add Duchene or RNH or someone who will outscore Kessel, and beat the Penguins. But until that deal materializes, I think the Caps stick with the tough, offensively and defensively solid lineup that can beat everybody else, and hope someone else gets lucky and beats the Penguins, so they don't have to. But in the meantime, they keep looking for little ways to get a slightly better chance to beat the Pens, themselves. Are any of these guys unlikely to make their current clubs? Is Chimera likely to be available at the deadline? Could D. Toews be available for, say, Pheonix Copley, and a middling defensive prospect? Washington's system is stacked with defenders of all descriptions, but apparently none skate as quickly, and that's where the Caps got burned the last two years.