[Sylvanfan]

I don't follow the off ice happenings in Columbus a great deal. But if they had made that deal, they likely still have Rick Nash, meaning they have a lot of money tied up on Nash, Richards, and Carter for a lot of years. Plus they would really have depleted their system to add those two. So they could have a really good top line, but nothing else to back it.

In the end they are likely better off having kept a couple of assets and eventually moving out Rick Nash. Really you could argue that they should not have made the Gaborik deal. But if they don't do that, maybe they don't sign Nate Horton?

I think in the end the Philly made out like a bandit by separating that duo to trade them or at least got a lot more assets in return whether you feel the idea to trade those two was correct or not. Teams think differently when going after a single player...in a package deal for two guys with those long contracts, I suspect the return would have been less.