Potentially Realistic Trade Targets
Throwing this out there as a place to chat about potentially available centers that we might be able to go after. Someone posted on here about Hertl from VGK potentially being available due to their cap situation, so that's what got me wondering. What other teams (1) have good center depth but (2) are otherwise looking at being too close to or over the cap next year, and (3) have a weakness we could address off our roster.
Just read the Athletic article on the Panthers roster construction against their Cup Contender matrix, and they seem to fit the bill. Their glaring weakness is a goalie, with Bob being a pending UFA--and 37, and coming off a down year to boot, though this assumes Bob doesn't re-sign in Florida on a team-friendly deal, though with as many teams who will overpay a goalie this offseason, we'll see. I know Billy says he'd like to keep our goaltending tandem together (and yeah, that would be ideal), but when the need for a center is as clear as it is, what if you could get someone like Anton Lundell in return for a package that has Gus in it (I know Gus has a NMC, but I'm assuming for the purposes of this exercise that he waives it to go to a contender, and I don't want to ponder trading Wally)? I know Florida doesn't want to move him. And maybe Lundell isn't a flashy 1C, but if they're going to move on from one of Barkov, Bennett, or Lundell in an effort to address other roster holes (big if, I know), Lundell is the only one without trade protection.
Florida has a roster that is otherwise pretty well set up for playoff success with a lot of guys who are in their prime or maybe even a bit past their prime. The time there is still now, and while you know they don't want to get rid of a young center who is on a nice cost-controlled deal at $5M AAV, maybe they reconsider if they start the year with Bob again but he's trash, or if they can't re-sign him because he gets absurd money from Edmonton or someone.
Unlikely, but fun to think about. And maybe the Panthers just aren't desperate enough, having just won a couple Cups in a row. And who's more desperate than Edmonton to solve their goaltending situation while they still have McDavid under contract? And what would they give up? We already saw them overpay in a panic move by sending Skinner, Kulak, and a 2nd to Pittsburgh for Jarry and AHL depth. Jarry sure ain't the answer there, so what do they give up for an actually good NHL goalie? I wouldn't mind seeing Nugent-Hopkins (who also has a NMC, I know) centering Kaprizov and Zuccy next year.
Who else you guys got?