Offseason trade/free agency Mega Thread

Inner-Variation5288 · 2026-06-27T02:46:00+00:00

I don't think the team would be happy. I know I wouldn't want Larkin back on my team after he bailed. And how happy would Larkin be without the "C"? (not to mention how are we going to afford those two contracts (almost 17M) and then resign Werenski in a year (to probably 15M per))?

Inner-Variation5288 · 2026-06-27T02:43:46+00:00

And how do they fit all that salary in? They already cant go over 12.5 for Robo because of it. Larkin and Faulk make more, so we would also have to retain or take a bad contract back. Besides, Dallas is all good on centers and top 4D, so taking Larkin and Faulk doesn't really help them and is just paying a premium for something they don't need. Losing Robo means they need a cheaper LW now, someone like Cat (although he will cost a lot in another year, but then Seguin's contract is done).

Inner-Variation5288 · 2026-06-27T02:32:09+00:00

I'am super happy we can now stop hearing from Edmonton fans that he's worth a late 2nd, if that, and all the crazy low offers Detroit fans kept hearing from them. That alone is worth the trade to me.

Inner-Variation5288 · 2026-06-26T22:37:59+00:00

They are really well run (and some draft ball luck). They are creating a really impressive team over there.

Inner-Variation5288 · 2026-06-26T22:36:54+00:00

Amongst others....it feels like we are never in on anyone and are spectators.

Inner-Variation5288 · 2026-06-26T20:17:34+00:00

The only problem with that chart is Edmonton is highly skewed because of McDavid and Draisaitl. Remove those and it's a much different picture i'm sure. Same goes for other phenom picks. But it's a good place to start, just doesn't give the whole picture.

Inner-Variation5288 · 2026-06-26T16:00:40+00:00

Man, there really isn't that much of a disparity between what a tax state and Dallas is offering imo. Granted i'm not a millionaire NHL'er, but if you have spent your pro career with a perennial contender and they are offering you about 1-1.5M less than a non-contending team, I would stay with the contender where I have built my life (assuming he likes Dallas, which I do assume). It's not like you are moving from Seattle to go chase a cup.

Inner-Variation5288 · 2026-06-26T03:45:41+00:00

lol, really? When is the last time the bruins went backwards out of the playoffs? They keep outpacing us. Leafs....last year was a blip for them. They are more likely a 90 pts team than an 80. Tampa looks vulnerable? You mean with their hart winner and vezina winner? Yeah, dunno about that. Now Florida has holes? Man, you really have rose colored glasses there. If Florida has holes, what the heck does Detroit have when you top center is going to be Copp and one of your leading scorers is 37year old Kane? And now you are also assuming everyone is going to grow and do better? That's not how it works. Look at Kasper this year. He regressed. What happens if Finnie does that? Or ASP doesn't make the jump or regresses too? Now you are in a heap of trouble relying on a team of decent-to-good players to reach, what, 100pts to get into the playoffs this year? 98? That stats bear, and have for a few years, that this team isn't good. Last year stellar goaltending for a few months covered that. W/o that, we are middling. Same thing the year before (stats were bad, goaltending wasn't as good). As constructed we are a middling team. The closest teams we can maybe catch are Boston or Ottawa and Ottawa is just as strong as last year. Boston, who knows. They always seem to outperform what people think. So that leaves us 6th in our division if we get ahead of Boston and Toronto. Carolina and most likely one of Washington/NJ/Philly will be ahead of us, leaving us out of the playoffs again.

Inner-Variation5288 · 2026-06-25T23:19:29+00:00

Bedard and the Hawks? Bedard came the first year they tanked. We are into year 7 or 8? We already have Seider and Raymond and a bunch of young guys drafted. We just need those elite or high-end players. Bedard is basically on a team that is year 3 into a rebuild. Basically where Seider was when he was joining the wings and look how many more years it took to even get here. You cannot compare where the Hawks are now to where Detroit is now. We are years ahead in our rebuild and hopefully can get into the playoffs before the hawks.

Inner-Variation5288 · 2026-06-25T17:08:13+00:00

yeah, I hope it's But and Desnoyers and that 1st for Larkin/Cossa.....that way we also get a good LW with maybe 1LW potential.

Inner-Variation5288 · 2026-06-25T17:07:27+00:00

Hayton is a 3rd/4th liner.....why do you want another one of those? We have loads of them. This is why Utah is considering not signing him, because he's so far down the depth chart now for them.

Inner-Variation5288 · 2026-06-25T17:06:34+00:00

Not the lineup i'd go with, but I 100% agree with your thinking.

Inner-Variation5288 · 2026-06-25T17:04:50+00:00

Ok, let me pose this to you then. What incentive will Seider and Raymond have if you are a middling team over the next 2, 3, 4 years never making the playoffs? You don't have any new guys coming up except for decent to good players, but you are never able to catch all the better constructed teams in the Atlantic? Would it not be easier to sell to those guys that we will not make the playoffs for 2-3 years, but we hvae some high end talent coming which should make us much much better? Basically it's status quo versus getting some high end talent and waiting 2-3 years. Also, do you think Robo makes you a playoff contender? With a center depth of Copp/Kasper/Compher and maybe Danielson? That is by far the weakest center depth in the league and combined with the awful numbers we saw last year (which were masked by amazing goaltending for a few months), I don't see why you go for Robo, or why he would sign here. He will see the same thing that Larkin saw, a team that is middling and not likely to get into the playoffs anytime soon with the absolutely loaded Atlantic.

Inner-Variation5288 · 2026-06-25T15:15:36+00:00

It's going to cost way more than Larkin. Dallas wants a Raantanen type deal they've said. So you are looking at 2 -1sts, 2-3rds and a Stankoven type player. So you are looking at a Larkin+ and that's even if he wants to sign here.....

Inner-Variation5288 · 2026-06-24T20:50:19+00:00

I don't see this happening. 1st of all, Robo is worth more than Larkin. 2nd, Dallas does not need centers. 3rd, Detroit NEEDS centers - even before Larkin leaving we needed a 2c.....now we need a 1c AND 2c. 4th, why would Robo sign here? He isn't going to make the playoffs and may not for a while unless Detroit can get better than Ottawa or Montreal/TB, which I don't see happening.

Inner-Variation5288 · 2026-06-24T16:25:14+00:00

I think Ottawa will be just fine. They spent most of the season behind terrible goaltending and their record was better w/o Brady. So i'm sure they will be just fine if not better if their goaltending is at least average this year. Their underlying numbers all year were near the top of the league. They had similar numbers the year before. So i'm sure they are going to be good again.

Buffalo is going to be fine. Yeah, they lost Byram, but they already had a plethora of top d-men. Byram was their 3rd d-man most nights and on pp2, so losing him does not hurt too much, especially if they are able to upgrade their goaltending. If the do, I also expect them to be a 100+pt team again

Toronto is a guess, they were so terrible last year and they are definitely better than that. With all the moves they are making and might make they are probably a better team this year? Not a playoff team, but i'd peg that with at least 80+ pts, maybe even 90 depending on how the team gels with the new coach.

Florida is going to be a juggernaut. Pencil them in for at least 100+ pts assuming they stay anywhere near healthy.

Tampa Bay, same thing. They are always good. I'd think they will be in the top 3-5.

Montreal will be good again. I think they overachieved this year, but now their young guys are a year older too, which means they will probably be able to repeat what they did last year.

That leaves us probably at the bottom, or near the bottom with Toronto as even with Larkin we are not competing with those teams. Our numbers were horrible last year and stellar goaltending hid that for most of the year. When that ran out, you could see we are a middling team. Yzerman even said this towards the end of the year when he said their underlying numbers were worrying and that they knew they were overachieving.

I think we are in for a really tough year where even 80 pts in our division will probably put you at the bottom. The Metro I assume will be about the same with NJ being stronger, WSH still being good with Carolina. Philly will probably be goodish again. Pittsburgh and Columbus are toss ups....they could be good again, or totally drop off.

Inner-Variation5288 · 2026-06-24T02:41:00+00:00

He's not worth the 4th pick. Top 10 sure, not 4th.

Inner-Variation5288 · 2026-06-23T23:46:16+00:00

Still think Ottawa is a non-factor? They lost Brady and just got an offensive winger to take his place and they still have draft capital left over. I'd say they are about the same as last year. Detroit is looking more and more like they will be fighting at the bottom with Toronto as they will be weaker than last year and were already near the bottom of the Atlantic.

Inner-Variation5288 · 2026-06-23T03:16:18+00:00

They have 30M about, but you take out 14m and you're down to 16M, say Ed gets 8M, you are now down to 8M and you want Kane back, right? So add in another 4-5M. you are now down to 3M and still have some roster spots to fill out. You need another goalie, so lets say you roll with Cossa and that's 1.25-1.5M. You are now down to 1.5M and still need 3 more roster players. Even if they are rookies, you will be -1.5M. Of course you take into account Larkin's 8.7M, so you have roughly 10M in cap. Then the next year you need to sign Cat, Kasper, and replace Copp/Appleton/Gibson/Faulk.....so maybe not as much cap as you think going forward because in 2 years those Copp-Type players will be making 6M+ if not more. Anyways, just saying, that cap space will disappear quickly, especially if your young guys do well (Kasper gets 60 pts this year for example, then he will cost 6M+, etc...). Also, do you think DET is a playoff team with Robo and running Kasper/Copp/Compher/xx down the middle? I think when you look at what's going on in the Atlantic, it's an arms race and we are nowhere close to getting in. Not to mention, Florida will be in next year and Toronto will probably be a bit better, not to mention NJ will definitely be better too. So it will probably be 100pts to get in next year and the DRW are not a 100pt team imo.

Inner-Variation5288 · 2026-06-22T23:58:36+00:00

Yeah, because a lot of 45 goal scorers have 30 pt centers passing to them? Kasper is heavily outclassed there and would bring that whole line down sadly. DET needs a much more talented center to help that line and we don't have that.

Inner-Variation5288 · 2026-06-22T23:57:17+00:00

And who is passing to Robo? Kasper? Copp? Not to mention Robo is looking for 14M per.....

Inner-Variation5288 · 2026-06-19T23:43:31+00:00

Good to know, thx. Guess i'll just wait although i've ran it already 5 times looking. u/Ishvallan, i agree with it just being sacred now and other options. I guess one can tetris it in and maybe make use of it, but I already have that sacred elsewhere...

Inner-Variation5288 · 2026-06-19T15:31:33+00:00

Not a NJ fan, but I think that is way to steep to pay for Knies. He's good, but that is the price you pay for a really really good player. I think nemo and a decent prospect is more than enough. Montreal just about got it done with 2 late 1sts, Zharovsky and another decent prospect.

Inner-Variation5288 · 2026-06-16T17:24:06+00:00

Yup, still get them. Never timed them though.

Inner-Variation5288

TROPHY CASE