[Sylvanfan]

Most NHL Teams are averse to trading what they know as good players. For the most part they will happily part with a Prospect that they think they didn't evaluate correctly, but they do tend to hold onto their best ones. Draft picks are a bit easier to coax in deals as GM's don't have a face to the pick, so they don't spend their lifetime regretting trading a player they never picked. Al Coates was lucky to get Iginla before the World Juniors that year because I don't think Dallas would have moved him after that. Maybe you get lucky and you get a Filip Forsberg situation...but that's pretty rare.

So for that reason, I think the best way to get a prime asset out of a Gaudreau trade is to try and get a teams first round pick. Otherwise, it's pick from our endless list of B Grade material which at best become Eric Nystrom like players, plus a could be good player with not so good contract (Lucic-esque). At which point...you are better to keep him and use him for two years and than clear out the cap space and start fresh.

The other thing is that Eichel just got a GM and entire AHL staff fired. The Sabres are not going to move him. Trying to coax a good young potential top line center who's not a pending UFA from a team is pretty freaking difficult. So yeah, Barzal, Eichel, Barkov...unless the Flames have a Seth Jones to trade I don't see there being a deal to be had, and even at that point...I don't think any of those teams has a big enough need on defence to move a center for D.