Speculation: Summer Trade Targets

[GoldenKnight]

Are there any players you would like GMGM to target over the summer?

He has a ton of assets coming in. Picks he'll get for bad contracts, players and picks from the ED and our normal 2-7 draft picks (not trading our first). I'd put all of that on the table, and look to pick up some good young players.

From the Wings, I'd grab Filip Hronek. Former 2nd round pick looking like he could be a decent #2 Dman on the backend for years to come. Detroit has Cholowski and is rumored to be picking a DMan in the top 10 this year again (Liljegren?). This makes Hronek expendable.

From Jersey I'd target Michael McCleod. Good two-way C who I believe could end up as a solid top line C, but is projected as an above average 2nd line C with Grabner-like wheels, good vision and great defensive play. Was probably off the table until recently, but the Devils will soon have Zacha and Patrick down the middle on top of Henrique et al, making McCleod expendable as well.

So many options, want to hear your thoughts. I think this team should be built from the ground up, trading some assets and building around a young core. The blue-chippers will all be off the table but guys in that next tier will be available via trade, and I believe we would hit gold on some of them for sure.

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[JuniorNelson]

LV should offer sheet a young center and trade for another one. All other positions can be filled with players that are available in one of the drafts or through free agency.

 

[Number1RedWingsFan52]

Are there any players you would like GMGM to target over the summer?

He has a ton of assets coming in. Picks he'll get for bad contracts, players and picks from the ED and our normal 2-7 draft picks (not trading our first). I'd put all of that on the table, and look to pick up some good young players.

From the Wings, I'd grab Filip Hronek. Former 2nd round pick looking like he could be a decent #2 Dman on the backend for years to come. Detroit has Cholowski and is rumored to be picking a DMan in the top 10 this year again (Liljegren?). This makes Hronek expendable.

From Jersey I'd target Michael McCleod. Good two-way C who I believe could end up as a solid top line C, but is projected as an above average 2nd line C with Grabner-like wheels, good vision and great defensive play. Was probably off the table until recently, but the Devils will soon have Zacha and Patrick down the middle on top of Henrique et al, making McCleod expendable as well.

So many options, want to hear your thoughts. I think this team should be built from the ground up, trading some assets and building around a young core. The blue-chippers will all be off the table but guys in that next tier will be available via trade, and I believe we would hit gold on some of them for sure.

How's Hronek expendable? We just drafted him last year. This will be his first year in Grand Rapids this up and coming season. And Detroit isn't necessarily drafting D this year in the 1st round on the contrary it sounds like more and more that they will be drafting a C like Pettersson or Necas.

 

[Nalens Oga]

He should be looking to acquire more picks imo or it'll be disaster down the line, the 2018 draft is a good building point. The team that he starts off with will be decent enough to be respectable but I doubt trades will put it over the top. See how it goes, if it's doing well and making a playoff push then help with a mid-season trade, nothing dramatic.

 

[Blue Goose]

He should be looking to acquire more picks imo or it'll be disaster down the line, the 2018 draft is a good building point. The team that he starts off with will be decent enough to be respectable but I doubt trades will put it over the top.

This.

The main issue is that we're not really going to have a lot of assets to move: The picks we get for taking on bad contracts or acquire via trade after the ED should be used to select players in the Entry Draft to build up our farm team.

And I see NO logic for Detroit/NJ trading away players they just selected in last year's draft - having a teenager in one roster spot doesn't make another teenager who plays the same position expendable, it just adds to their all-important depth. Any trades involving Hronek/McLeod would likely not happen for another 2-3 years.

See how it goes, if it's doing well and making a playoff push then help with a mid-season trade, nothing dramatic.

To be honest, I wouldn't even bother with a mid-season trade, even if we are pushing for a playoff spot. We're going to have some players who are on the roster solely for the purpose of being flipped at the trade deadline - I'd move them no matter what. Getting into the playoffs is nice and all, but pushing for the playoffs and being competitive would make this first season a success in my eyes. My ideal scenario is finishing sixth in the Pacific Division (ahead of Vancouver and Arizona) and ending up somewhere between 21-23 in the overall standings: not terrible but not in the playoffs. Then, we luck out and get a lottery pick in the Top 3.

PS. I could see some AHLer-for-AHLer swaps, or some moves where we give up "Future Considerations" for an expendable player, but that's about it.

 

[GoldenKnight]

LV should offer sheet a young center and trade for another one. All other positions can be filled with players that are available in one of the drafts or through free agency.

I think we also pursue a young D man via trade. That on top of what you described would be a good start for this franchise.

 

[hizzoner]

Offer sheeting when you will be picking at the top of the draft is not recommended.

 

[GoldenKnight]

And I see NO logic for Detroit/NJ trading away players they just selected in last year's draft - having a teenager in one roster spot doesn't make another teenager who plays the same position expendable, it just adds to their all-important depth. Any trades involving Hronek/McLeod would likely not happen for another 2-3 years.

Respectfully disagree. Jersey especially has a lot of core guys in their mid-to-late 20's: Henrique, Hall, Schneider, etc and a #1OA pick stepping in ready to contribute right away.

In that sense, they are 'ahead' of us for next year (if our team performs how I think it will in the early days, ie. not good).

Trades involving young prospects happen all the time. We just need to give them a good piece for McLeod, someone semi-valuable we pick up in the ED who is around 25yo and is an in-their-prime NHLer, ie. someone to help them 'win now', which is a philosophy New Jersey's GM Ray Shero is famous for. He wasn't likely to move Mcleod two months ago but with him picking a C at #1OA I think he would be more open to offers now.

McLeod has yet to play an NHL game and could theoretically still bust, he is a very good prospect but not elite, so his asking price is not going to be through the roof. These trades are doable they will just require some risk and some cunning from our side. We give up a good proven commodity who won't be of much use to us 5 years down the line for a potential future core piece that requires a little more time in the Juniors.

To be honest, I wouldn't even bother with a mid-season trade, even if we are pushing for a playoff spot. We're going to have some players who are on the roster solely for the purpose of being flipped at the trade deadline - I'd move them no matter what.

I'm with you here, exactly the kind of moves I'd be looking to make in year 1. The 2018 and 2019 drafts are where our core will come from (on top of our 1st this year), they are both so deep. These drafts and, possibly, a good trade or three in the interim.

 

[Zhamnov5GoalGame]

I think that Vegas can extract good value by moving some of the extra D they draft. They'll have no shortage of teams interested in these guys.
I would hope that my team (Winnipeg) would be among the teams looking to trade good prospects and picks for a LHD to play 2nd pair.

There will likely be several teams thinking the same and that will drive up the price a bit on a couple of the players.
With the extra cap space Vegas will have they have a lot of flexibility in these early years to make creative trades that will really help them in 3 - 5 years when the 2017 - 18 and 19 draft picks start graduating into the system.

So much is different about this expansion process then previous ones. That makes it fascinating.