2018/2019 Trade Speculation and Rumors

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by goflamesgo18

Thats a pretty small sample size for Andersson, and in a rookie defence season. The kid isn't scared to make mistakes, looks better and better every game.

You're saying he's progressing nicely. Except the thing is, it's just an empty statement. He's been killed all season outside of like one road game in New York where he played his ass off.

Sure, compared to what people tend to expect from rookie defensemen, no, Andersson isn't throwing blind pizzas up the ice every shift and he's able to log some minutes without humiliating himself.

And sure, he's totally been a nice add to PP2.

But that's really not close to enough to say "hey, I'm going to pencil this guy in as a top four defenseman next year". He hasn't played as well as a top four defenseman, whether that's in sheltered bottom pair minutes or elevated minutes.

I take it you are one of those guys who doesn't actually watch the games, just checks the scoresheet and advanced stats later.

Why, because I posted a chart? That's such a typical, and disappointing dismissal.

It looks like Hamonic's going to be out for a while, be my guest and actually watch the games. Watch how often Rittich is making a big save when Andersson's out on the ice, because Andersson lost a race or failed to cut off the cycle, or my favourite, because Andersson got the puck behind the net with time and space and then decided to kill it along the boards until he coughs it up.

He's not a top 4 defenseman at this point in time, and if he gets there it probably won't be for years. At present, without Hamonic, or without Brodie, this team is not a contender no matter what forward we add. This team is a contender when the big 3 defensemen are healthy.

[CanadaMatt]

I’m adding up in a napkin...so excuse any calculation errors I may have made...I just can’t see Stone fitting in the cap

Gaudreau (6,75) Monahan (6.75) Lindholm (4.85)

Chucky (8*) Backs (5.35) Stone (8*)

Bennett (2.5*) Jankowski (1.675) Neal (5.75)

Hathaway (1.5*) Ryan (3.125) Dube (.850)

Gio (6.75) Brodie (4.837)

Hamonic (4.875) Hanifin (4.95)

Valimaki (.925) Andersson (.775)

BSD (3.5) backup (1.5)

Popcorn Eaters** (2.0 Czarnik + Kylington)

Brouwer Buyout (1.5)

Total = 86.675
Cap =83

* this posters assumed 19/20 cap hit
** did I get the healthy scratch cap hit wrong?

Note: this assumes Frolik and Stone (other) are both gone without salary coming back...which may well be unrealistic.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by CanadaMatt

I’m adding up in a napkin...so excuse any calculation errors I may have made...I just can’t see Stone fitting in the cap

Gaudreau (6,75) Monahan (6.75) Lindholm (4.85)

Chucky (8*) Backs (5.35) Stone (8*)

Bennett (2.5*) Jankowski (1.675) Neal (5.75)

Hathaway (1.5*) Ryan (3.125) Dube (.850)

Gio (6.75) Brodie (4.837)

Hamonic (4.875) Hanifin (4.95)

Valimaki (.925) Andersson (.775)

BSD (3.5) backup (1.5)

Popcorn Eaters** (2.0 Czarnik + Kylington)

Brouwer Buyout (1.5)

Total = 86.675
Cap =83

* this posters assumed 19/20 cap hit
** did I get the healthy scratch cap hit wrong?

Note: this assumes Frolik and Stone (other) are both gone without salary coming back...which may well be unrealistic.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

A few odd mistakes here.

- Monahan makes $6.375 million, not $6.75
- Hamonic makes $3.86 million, not $4.875
- Valimaki makes $894k, not $925k
- Andersson makes $755k, not $775k
- Dube makes $778k, not $850k

Not sure about your valuations on Rittich and Hathaway. Also, the Flames probably wouldn't deal Mike Stone if they wanted to entice Mark Stone to stay.

Here's my guess:

Gaudreau ($6.75) - Monahan ($6.375) - Lindholm ($4.85)
Tkachuk ($7.75) - Backlund ($5.3) - Stone ($9)
Bennett ($2.5) - Jankowski ($1.675) - Neal ($5.75)
Dube ($778k) - Ryan ($3.125) - Hathaway ($1)
Czarnik ($1.25)

Giordano ($6.75) - Andersson ($755k)
Hanifin ($4.95) - Hamonic ($3.857)
Valimaki ($894k) - Stone ($3.5)
Kylington ($731k)

Rittich ($2.5)
backup ($1)

Brouwer - $1.5

Salary cap: $83 million
Total on-roster salary: $82.5 million

Even then, Stone at $9 million is probably a bit of a reach, too. Could easily come in around $8-8.5.

[flamesgod]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Stone is going to get AT LEAST Jamie Benn money. 9.5 AAV.

List all the wingers who make that kind of dough and legitimately play on a 2nd line.

I don’t know exactly what salary he is going to command. I also don’t know the last time a 26 year old winger that is as good as he is has hit the market. There’s a reason his name is being mentioned for the Selke. There are different ways to get the deal done.

Backlund could be moved, in which case Lindholm would move to Centre on the second line. Stone is 3 years younger and keeps us in contention for longer than Backlund.
In that case he would only be a second line winger for the playoff run. Next year top line.

[Captaincanada80]

Originally Posted by flamesgod

I don’t know exactly what salary he is going to command. I also don’t know the last time a 26 year old winger that is as good as he is has hit the market. There’s a reason his name is being mentioned for the Selke. There are different ways to get the deal done.

Backlund could be moved, in which case Lindholm would move to Centre on the second line. Stone is 3 years younger and keeps us in contention for longer than Backlund.
In that case he would only be a second line winger for the playoff run. Next year top line.

Backlund has a NMC and very unlikely to waive. He seems very happy in Calgary.

Edit: Full NTC through 20-21 and modified NTC 10 teams onward

[CanadaMatt]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

A few odd mistakes here.

- Monahan makes $6.375 million, not $6.75
- Hamonic makes $3.86 million, not $4.875
- Valimaki makes $894k, not $925k
- Andersson makes $755k, not $775k
- Dube makes $778k, not $850k

Not sure about your valuations on Rittich and Hathaway. Also, the Flames probably wouldn't deal Mike Stone if they wanted to entice Mark Stone to stay.

Here's my guess:

Gaudreau ($6.75) - Monahan ($6.375) - Lindholm ($4.85)
Tkachuk ($7.75) - Backlund ($5.3) - Stone ($9)
Bennett ($2.5) - Jankowski ($1.675) - Neal ($5.75)
Dube ($778k) - Ryan ($3.125) - Hathaway ($1)
Czarnik ($1.25)

Giordano ($6.75) - Andersson ($755k)
Hanifin ($4.95) - Hamonic ($3.857)
Valimaki ($894k) - Stone ($3.5)
Kylington ($731k)

Rittich ($2.5)
backup ($1)

Brouwer - $1.5

Salary cap: $83 million
Total on-roster salary: $82.5 million

Even then, Stone at $9 million is probably a bit of a reach, too. Could easily come in around $8-8.5.

Thanks, was using 18/19 numbers instead of cap hit for some.

So both Brodie and Frolik gone to fit Stone in. Andersson on the top pair (!!)

Not sure if we can pay an aggregate of 3.5 million in net and legitimately claim to be a serious contender.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by CanadaMatt

Thanks, was using 18/19 numbers instead of cap hit for some.

So both Brodie and Frolik gone to fit Stone in.

Not sure if we can pay an aggregate of 3.5 million in net and legitimately claim to be a serious contender.

Perhaps not, although to be fair the Penguins paid $628k for their starting goalie during both of their last Cup wins. Fleury was a very expensive insurance policy though, yes.

Niemi also made $800ish-k in 2010.

[CanadaMatt]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Perhaps not, although to be fair the Penguins paid $628k for their starting goalie during both of their last Cup wins. Fleury was a very expensive insurance policy though, yes.

So an aggregate of 7+ million for the pens

I get your point, but I think some folks are fixated on 2.5 for Rittich when a 20-4-4 record points much higher than that.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by CanadaMatt

So an aggregate of 7+ million for the pens

I get your point, but I think some folks are fixated on 2.5 for Ruddich when is 20-4-4 point much higher than that.

I'm not sure that it does. It's good, yeah, but it's a really small sample size. Viktor Fasth had a slightly better start to his career for the Ducks and got $2.9 as a UFA. Rittich has less leverage, as an RFA. Casey DeSmith could be a comparable, although he's locked into a backup role: 3 years x $1.25 million.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

A few odd mistakes here.

- Monahan makes $6.375 million, not $6.75
- Hamonic makes $3.86 million, not $4.875
- Valimaki makes $894k, not $925k
- Andersson makes $755k, not $775k
- Dube makes $778k, not $850k

Not sure about your valuations on Rittich and Hathaway. Also, the Flames probably wouldn't deal Mike Stone if they wanted to entice Mark Stone to stay.

Here's my guess:

Gaudreau ($6.75) - Monahan ($6.375) - Lindholm ($4.85)
Tkachuk ($7.75) - Backlund ($5.3) - Stone ($9)
Bennett ($2.5) - Jankowski ($1.675) - Neal ($5.75)
Dube ($778k) - Ryan ($3.125) - Hathaway ($1)
Czarnik ($1.25)

Giordano ($6.75) - Andersson ($755k)
Hanifin ($4.95) - Hamonic ($3.857)
Valimaki ($894k) - Stone ($3.5)
Kylington ($731k)

Rittich ($2.5)
backup ($1)

Brouwer - $1.5

Salary cap: $83 million
Total on-roster salary: $82.5 million

Even then, Stone at $9 million is probably a bit of a reach, too. Could easily come in around $8-8.5.

Why would he not get Jamie Benn money? How is that a reach?

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Why would he not get Jamie Benn money? How is that a reach?

Jamie Benn is almost universally considered overpaid. Also, Stone doesn't have a scoring title -- Benn's Art Ross was reported by The Athletic's Sean Shapiro as one of the big sticking points of the two sides' contract negotiations.

[Captaincanada80]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

A few odd mistakes here.

- Monahan makes $6.375 million, not $6.75
- Hamonic makes $3.86 million, not $4.875
- Valimaki makes $894k, not $925k
- Andersson makes $755k, not $775k
- Dube makes $778k, not $850k

Not sure about your valuations on Rittich and Hathaway. Also, the Flames probably wouldn't deal Mike Stone if they wanted to entice Mark Stone to stay.

Here's my guess:

Gaudreau ($6.75) - Monahan ($6.375) - Lindholm ($4.85)
Tkachuk ($7.75) - Backlund ($5.3) - Stone ($9)
Bennett ($2.5) - Jankowski ($1.675) - Neal ($5.75)
Dube ($778k) - Ryan ($3.125) - Hathaway ($1)
Czarnik ($1.25)

Giordano ($6.75) - Andersson ($755k)
Hanifin ($4.95) - Hamonic ($3.857)
Valimaki ($894k) - Stone ($3.5)
Kylington ($731k)

Rittich ($2.5)
backup ($1)

Brouwer - $1.5

Salary cap: $83 million
Total on-roster salary: $82.5 million

Even then, Stone at $9 million is probably a bit of a reach, too. Could easily come in around $8-8.5.

This is extremely close to the situation I’ve also drafted at cap Friendly. Few modifications though.

I have Tkachuk signing 7yr50M (7.14M)

Stone 8yr/66M (8.25M) although he might only be able to sign 7yrs due to not being team propery until the deadline. Can’t remember...

Rittich 3yr/10M (3.33M)

1. Dube and Killington likely added to any deal involving Stone.
2. Tkachuk has performance bonus which will need to be fit into the 19-20 cap (850k)
3. Gillies is signed next year 1way 750k. Although has struggled in the AHL this season, I’d give him the start of next year to back up BSD.
4. Czarnik could easily be moved and replaced with a 775K replacement saving 500k.
5. 7D pressbox could also be filled with 775k

This would put us in the 82M range with little wiggle room but worth it IMO

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Jamie Benn is almost universally considered overpaid.

Irrelevant really. When Stone is scoring at pretty much the same clip and is on a worse team and younger? Plus, as mentioned, he is a better 2 way player.

Also, Stone doesn't have a scoring title

Again irrelevant, its about the numbers.

Also Benn signed his deal when the cap was lower taking up 12.7% the cap

If Stone were to want 12.7% of the upcoming cap, its 10.5M. Is he going to settle for 2M less per for 7 or 8 years?

Benn's Art Ross was reported by The Athletic's Sean Shapiro as one of the big sticking points of the two sides' contract negotiations.

Im thinking the bigger sticking point was wanting more than 9.5 a year to begin with.

It simply isnt realistic in Calgary when all the other things have to be taken into account...he aint a long term player here.

[Calgary4LIfe]

The way I look at things around acquiring Mark Stone is as follows:


1) He is a near-franchise level player.
2) Consistent 20+ goal producer
3) Has great size (6.04, 214 - I am sure he is heavier than listed)
4) Is a franchise-level player not just offensively, but defensively as well


He is a difficult player to contain that matches-up very well against the opposing teams' top lines. He would be a really nice upgrade over Frolik defensively, and Frolik is really, really strong defensively. He is also a strong playmaker - Tkachuk and Backlund will likely see increased point totals 5v5, while the line overall does even better defensively.


Any time a team has a chance to acquire a player of this caliber - especially at his age (26 years old), you pay the cost, AND you make room on the cap for him. I don't care HOW you make room, but you make room.


Frolik is the obvious choice going the other way. Then you look at the bottom 6. Anyone - I mean anyone - that you can replace with a cheaper option, you do it, until you have room to re-sign Stone. I love you this year Hathaway, but sorry, you might be too much. Neal? You better have a monster of a playoffs, or I would be moving him too, even though I know I will have to package him with some assets.


The only area I don't dare touch on this team is the defence. The defence is perfect, IMO. People may not like it, but Granteed I think is on the money here - we really don't know how good Andersson will or will not be. His underlying numbers are absymal (lowest on the team - is Prout's better?). You don't move Andersson unless that's the sticking point with Stone, but you for SURE don't move Brodie and just assume that Andersson is going to be able to hold his head above water next to Giordano, especially when you factor-in that Giordano is getting older himself. Name one Stanley Cup team that didn't have a strong top pair.


What would I give up for a signed Stone?

1st
Frolik (some value there - he isn't a negative hit)
Dube
Czarnik
Jankowski


Look at my posting history, and one thing that stands out is how much I like Jankowski. I have had probably 50 arguments about Jankowski and how the Flames need to be patient. I love Jankowski. However, Stone is a franchise-level player. He is a 'center' playing on the wing in that he is so good defensively AND he is a strong playmaker (check out Ferland's stats playing next to Stone in junior, for instance).



I do think that:
1st
Dube
Andersson



That probably gets it done. I wasn't very high on Andersson, but he has been much better than I thought he would be. Given his age, I EXPECT him to improve, and I would absolutely hate losing him. Don't confuse this statement with the above remarks on Andersson. You don't pencil him into the top pairings assuming or expecting him to fill it. He has to earn it, and then you can have the luxury of trading a Brodie or Hamonic. Flames DO NOT have that luxury right now.


What about Valimaki? Boy would I hate getting rid of him.



Dube
Valimaki


That's a package that makes me want to throw up a bit. Ask me in 4 consecutive days, and I may flip-flop my answer every day. Notice the 1st is off the table. No way would I be giving up a 1st on top of that. Why? A bargain contract Mark Stone at 6.5-7.5 might be worth the first, but at probably 8+ (hopefully not 9+, but plausible) simply makes it unattractive. You need cheap roster players to come up and supplement the lineup, and this draft is supposedly fairly deep with getting quality prospects near the end of the 1st round where they typically are usually only found up until the middle of the 1st round.



I am so not in any agreement with bringing in Stone and giving up Brodie in the process. Not this year, and not next year either. There simply is no guarantee that any of the defencemen that are currently playing in the lower pairings will ever get even half as good. This system suits Brodie. I think the closest thing that the Flames have in the pipe to Brodie is Kylington, and he is at least a few years of development before we can see how close he is to that level.


Heck, I like Ryan right now. I think he is a definite strength of this team in the bottom line. If it means you have to trade Ryan in order to sign Stone, you do it.


Frolik can be sold for no money back in the off-season.

Neal needs an asset (probably too big of an asset if you expect no dollars back).


Ryan, Hathaway... They are expendable.


The point is that having 2 exceptional scoring lines (with one of them being exceptional against the other teams' top lines), and having an exceptional top 4 defensive corps with better than average YOUNG bottom pairing defencemen who are improving, while also having decent goaltending - that's going to give you a chance at the cup for as long as the above remains true.


Stanley cup teams lose depth all the time, and they find cheap depth. They make players like Chiasson work as stop gaps. They find quality guys on the cheap who need a change of scenery. They also draft damn well and get guys on their ELC's or even in their 2nd contracts on the cheap (like Bennett who I expect will be even more loved come playoff time).



I would hate to give up on Jankowski right now, but if it means getting Stone and having to live with Quine on the 4th line and Ryan on the 3rd line? So be it. Find the space to sign Stone. Having his brother would be a boon and a detriment, as most of us have already pencilled him out of the lineup next season.



He is the only player rumoured to be available that I would give up that much. I wouldn't do it for Pananarin (my 2nd target), or Duchene (who I think would be a fantastic add for a slow team that can't score - not the Flames) because he is not a 200ft player that you can count on for the playoffs, yet would probably have at least a SIMILAR, if only slightly lower, acquisition cost.


Panarin is the next guy that I would see if I could get for a 1st and Dube, but I would want to talk to him first about re-signing. I like Dube, but he is really only going to be a strong 3rd line player, who can fill-in on the 2nd line, but who will be a strong 200ft player. That's valuable (especially on the cheap ELC and probably 2nd contract), but finding a PPG player who can distribute the puck and help the other players on the line increase their point totals is hard to draft and acquire. Rumor has it that Panarin had Calgary in his top 4 or 6 choices when he announced he was coming to the NHL, and selected Chicago instead.



Kiss any of the St. Louis players good-bye. St. Louis is going to make the playoffs. Schenn was my 2nd overall choice. He is likely gone. Ditto for even Maroon - St. Louis keeps him for their offensive depth and size, so unless they are looking to free up come cap space in acquiring another player, it would cost more to acquire Maroon than what he would be worth.


Ferland is my 2nd choice. I don't think he will be traded for a 1st. I would trade them Dube straight-up - I think Ferland does well on defence, plays the body hard (even when he isn't making highlight reel hits), and is a solid depth scorer. You don't need 2015 playoff Ferland. You need today's defensively sound and responsible, solid depth player who can help you win the war of attrition in a long playoff series.


Hayes is going to command a 1st + prospect.
Zucarello I like, but he is small. Would help the Flames' depth scoring, and would be FANTASTIC if injuries pile up during the playoffs, but a glaring hole right now is size in the bottom 6 to me. Size AND skill, actually. However, Zucarello slotting next to Janowski and Bennett might 'fix' that line, and dropping Neal down to the 4th line to play alongside Ryan and hopefully either Quine or Lazar (I bet they are both better scoring options than Mangiapane and Hathaway, although Hathaway has sneakily scored 7 goals so far, but only 2 assists - that's why I think Lazar and Quine will both be better options for a 'scoring' 4th line that should be defensively decent (especially with Lazar - he has a decent defensive game IIRC, but had ZERO confidence offensively).


TL;DR version: Get Mark Stone. He is a franchise player. Trade away anyone you can in the bottom 6 and on the farm to make room for a re-signing in the off-season. Flames have a strong chance at the cup with an elite top 6 and an elite top 4 D for years. Trade Brodie, and I kill you.

[goflamesgo18]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

You're saying he's progressing nicely. Except the thing is, it's just an empty statement. He's been killed all season outside of like one road game in New York where he played his ass off.

Sure, compared to what people tend to expect from rookie defensemen, no, Andersson isn't throwing blind pizzas up the ice every shift and he's able to log some minutes without humiliating himself.

And sure, he's totally been a nice add to PP2.

But that's really not close to enough to say "hey, I'm going to pencil this guy in as a top four defenseman next year". He hasn't played as well as a top four defenseman, whether that's in sheltered bottom pair minutes or elevated minutes.



Why, because I posted a chart? That's such a typical, and disappointing dismissal.

It looks like Hamonic's going to be out for a while, be my guest and actually watch the games. Watch how often Rittich is making a big save when Andersson's out on the ice, because Andersson lost a race or failed to cut off the cycle, or my favourite, because Andersson got the puck behind the net with time and space and then decided to kill it along the boards until he coughs it up.

He's not a top 4 defenseman at this point in time, and if he gets there it probably won't be for years. At present, without Hamonic, or without Brodie, this team is not a contender no matter what forward we add. This team is a contender when the big 3 defensemen are healthy.

So what you are really saying is that you would rather have Brodie over Stone because of a positional need and there are zero other options?

Cool. I wouldn't.

[Royle9]

It's ironic that many of you tout Stone as a top 15 "generational" talent and then have him signing with the Flames for 8M.

You cant have both, he's going to get PAID because he's GOOD.
You're not going to trade a late 1st, Dube and 1 other asset for Mark Stone. If you were Ottawa would you take that deal? Take off the rose colored glasses guys, I think we're over valuing some of our assets here.

Would you take say the 27th pick, Dube and Frolik for Johnny or Sean? We'd be laughing at that, and yet you have Stone slotted in as the same "skill" level.

There's way more teams that can offer better than what the Flames can. It would be more like:

1st
Dube
Valamaki
B-prospect or 2nd/3rd

and I'm honestly not even sure that get's it done.

The chances of Mark Stone becoming a flame are almost 0% because between the cost to trade and the cost to sign him just dont work. You can get upset at that all you want and try and blame that on me being "ignorant" to it but that's simply not the case. The dollars dont add up.

You're not trading away Frolik/Brodie in the off-season for nothing but assets and no contracts back, Stones easily going to get 9M on the open market based on how good we all say he is.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Irrelevant really. When Stone is scoring at pretty much the same clip and is on a worse team and younger? Plus, as mentioned, he is a better 2 way player.

Not irrelevant. Contracts that are generally viewed as overpayments aren't used as comparables by GMs (or even agents). See Draisaitl, Leon.

I tend to think that some of the RFA contracts (like Tkachuk) will come in at lower terms and lower cap hits under Treliving. That will create some more room.

I dislike the notion of moving Backlund, because it detracts from the move of getting Stone and creating two top notch lines. Stone is an upgrade on Backlund but if you can keep both you do it. Plus, it messes with the top line.

[Moneyhands23]

I'm hoping we stick to the depth d add and ride it out with our team as is. Maybe another small add, but nothing big.

I think ppl forget the quality of players that can be found in the 20's of the 1st round.

I think the team we have is good enough to win as is assuming no big injuries.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by Royle9

It's ironic that many of you tout Stone as a top 15 "generational" talent and then have him signing with the Flames for 8M.

You cant have both, he's going to get PAID because he's GOOD.
You're not going to trade a late 1st, Dube and 1 other asset for Mark Stone. If you were Ottawa would you take that deal? Take off the rose colored glasses guys, I think we're over valuing some of our assets here.

There's way more teams that can offer better than what the Flames can. It would be more like:

1st
Dube
Valamaki
B-prospect or 2nd/3rd

and I'm honestly not even sure that get's it done.

The chances of Mark Stone becoming a flame are almost 0% because between the cost to trade and the cost to sign him just dont work. You can get upset at that all you want and try and blame that on me being "ignorant" to it but that's simply not the case. The dollars dont add up.

You're not trading away Frolik/Brodie in the off-season for nothing but assets and no contracts back, Stones easily going to get 9M on the open market based on how good we all say he is.

Exactly.

"Top 15 guy in the league but we will trade "stuff" for him and sign him to 8-16 million less than he can get elsewhere because....well...because"

Reality has left the building.

Now I will say that with Dorian on the other end of this deal, it could look bizarre when its all said and done, but there are dozens of better packages out there by teams that actually need a guy like Stone. In Calgary he would be a luxury at best.

Personally i hope he stays in Ottawa because that franchise is in a world of trouble and could use some stabilization. It's unlikely he does so the next best hope is he doesn't end up in the West. Philly seems like a good destination for him or Colombus since the Russian divas have forced their way out.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Not irrelevant. Contracts that are generally viewed as overpayments aren't used as comparables by GMs (or even agents). See Draisaitl, Leon.

I tend to think that some of the RFA contracts (like Tkachuk) will come in at lower terms and lower cap hits under Treliving. That will create some more room.

I dislike the notion of moving Backlund, because it detracts from the move of getting Stone and creating two top notch lines. Stone is an upgrade on Backlund but if you can keep both you do it. Plus, it messes with the top line.

LOL...you dont think the Draisaitl deal is used as a comparable by agents representing RFA's?

It's the first one they go to for god sakes.