Quote:
Originally Posted by TheScorpion
...well, you can. They would be smart to, if they don't think they're going to win in the next two years (which they almost certainly won't).
And I don't think Johnny has the value of an elite player. Erik Karlsson was the last "elite" player in Johnny's contract situation to be traded and he mustered one first-round pick and one second-round pick, both of which were expected to be low. The Sens also got a couple of depth roster players and (at the time) a mid-level prospect in Norris.
Certainly no Kotkaniemi or Caufield-type pieces in there. And I think Gaudreau has much less value than Karlsson did, at the time.
Gaudreau walking for nothing is the worst-case scenario. It has to be avoided at all costs. Domi + a 1st is hardly the be-all and the end-all target but it's a start. Certainly not on the level of the tosh they got for Iginla.
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Karlsson only had 1-year left on his contract and everyone knew he wouldn't be back. All the pressure was on Ottawa. Same with the Mark Stone and Taylor Hall situations, where they were dealt at the deadline.
Those were also teams in complete rebuild mode.
Gaudreau has a full 2 years left on a cap-friendly deal, which is more valuable than ever with the flat cap in the coming years. On top of that, the Flames aren't in a position where they
need to trade Johnny and get whatever value they can for him because they're much more in the retool situation versus a rebuild, which allows them to laugh off horrible offers.
Let's also not forget that despite his dreadful season, Gaudreau is only 1 year removed from finishing 13th in the NHL in 5v5 goals, 9th in 5v5 primary assists and 5th in 5v5 points.
Any trade short of a 1st round pick and a valuable roster player (middle 6 F (Domi? in MTL's case) or top 4 D-man (Montour? in BUF's case) would be quite disappointing. They should quite easily also be able to get a high-level prospect included as well depending how high the 1st round pick is