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Originally Posted by ComixZone
Okay, then the salary cap. Or the fact Mackey and Valimaki are both pushing into the roster. Also, ignoring the expansion draft would just be unwise. Improving your team while keeping it in mind is important.
Signing Pietrangelo and trading Hanifin for a 1st + 2nd + 2nd is just good management. Get better now, load up for the future. 2nd pairing defenceman are pretty readily available every off-season via trade or free agency, and that’s what Hanifin is. He could one day become a top pairing guy, but is that something I’d bank on rather than signing Pietrangelo? No.
Yeah, it would make sense on paper to trade Giordano and keep Hanifin for long-term reasons, but this team isn’t trading Giordano - at least I don’t think so. Also, trading Gio and keeping Hanifin makes us worse on-ice next season, and this team is trying to win a Cup.
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You move other players to save cap space.
Mackey doesn't have 1 second of NHL ice-time, he is not a factor in this decision. Valimaki has 22 game and hasn't played a minute of hockey in over a year and a half, he is not a factor in this decision.
You move Ryan first and foremost and replace him with a cheap 4th line center. Then if we sign Markstrom as suggested in the Duha piece, then we move Rittich for a cheaper backup. That saves us almost as much as Hanifin's contract. There are way smarter ways to get cap complaint.