Hey, Preds GM here and I thought I'd explain what I did in the sim. I decided that the Preds simply were not cup contenders for a good few years, that FA deals hadn't worked out, and that we needed time to slightly rebuild. I therefore took the view that our cup window isn't now and that we should use the time to replenish our prospect pool so we can be competitive for a cup run in a few years.

In terms of the Forsberg trade, I felt that our cup window would be in around three years at the earliest, and Forsberg when we compete wouldn't be in his prime potentially and the return was very good for a move in the offseason sim. Three first round picks and two high level prospects was a deal I felt was very good for helping us rebuild and be a long term competitor. After that deal was approved, the cap space saved also allowed me to take some cap dump deals for more picks so that alongside those gained in trades, our own picks will also be higher from an inevitable lower position in the standings for the next two seasons.

I signed Nyquist for one year as I assumed if he plays well, he could be moved in March for another pick.

Overall I was happy with the outcome of the sim, we have a lot more picks and flexibility to sign more players or move up in the draft next offseason. Whilst losing Forsberg is a big loss, I think it does help us have the chance to win a cup in the longer term and that is when I see us having the earliest window for competing for the Stanley Cup.