Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperMatt18
Honestly there isn't a ton to love from the Avs (Byram off the table obviously).
Any package would start with their 2024 1st. Ritchie would be good too.
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Ritchie and a 2024 1st round pick would be a solid return IMO. What should work in the flames favour is there are a lot of teams that are making a push to make the playoffs/go on a run that need a two-way center with a low cap hit. Lindholm is the best one of those players available even though he is not having a great season.
I wish Pittsburgh was doing a little better than they are right now as I think they would be in the market for Lindholm… but they are a ways out of a playoff spot right now. Would love it if they went on a run in the next month or so and Conroy could pry their 2025 first round pick from Dubas in exchange for Lindholm.. Even if it had a top 10 protection on it… that trade would be a potentially big return in the long run as I think they will inevitably be on the downswing in 2025 and 2026… if the penguins picked top 10 in 2025 and it got deferred to 2026, there would be no protection on it and I think the penguins could be really bad by then and it could be a potential lottery pick.
Would be willing to take back some bad contracts too if it could also bring back Yager in the trade… but I highly doubt Pittsburgh would trade him. He’s the highest draft pick they have made in a long time and his asset value will likely rise even higher after the world juniors are over (as will most players on team Canada).
To Pittsburgh:
Lindholm (50% retained)
To Calgary:
2025 1st round pick (top ten protected)
Brayden Yager
Rickard Rackell (salary dump - he’s signed at $5 million AAV till 2028).
Who says no? That Rackell contract is a bad one so I figure taking it on is worth a lot. The pens would end up gaining almost $3 million in cap space this year if they wanted to make another move. Pittsburgh is all in no matter what it seems… so I figure they might as well give Crosby/Malkin/Letang their best shot. Yager likely won’t be an impact player for them while they are still around so might as well use him to make them better right now. I’ve been so far off though in any trade estimate this year so I really don’t know.