They'd be nuts to take a 3rd liner making 5.3M without being given assets to take him off a team's hand. Horny was red hot to start the season, his first 15 games were fantastic but the 27 after were mediocre at best. Only 5 PP in his last 27 games is really telling. It was a cap dump for cap dump trade that gave us great hope at the start of the season. Maybe he'll turn it back on in the playoffs, who knows. Forsling, Duclair, and Vatrano are all going to be protected.
Sure, and then the price might be higher or he might sign with someone else. Maybe that's a risk they are willing to take, but that's a weird gamble to make to get an expensive 3rd liner or 7th dman.