I don't think you trade your best players when you're trying to get better.
You add more best players to your team by giving up prospects, draft picks, or an abundance of role players to get a top player.
Backstrom in no way is a player that makes a team better by adding by subtracting. You aren't going to have someone come in and just be better than him probably. The odds of that are very slim.
Plus, Caps have tried for years to solidify a second line center. If they move Backstrom and have Kuzy as the #1 - It's the same thing/issue once again. What are they going to do? Have Eller be the #2 center or some rookie from Hershey? No one in the organization looks anywhere close after Kuzy/Backstrom to be a top 6 center.
Backstrom is very far from the issue. Look at the Blackhawks. They have Toews, Kane, Keith, Seabrook, and Crawford... they add great talent around them. They don't move those players. Same thing with Pitt. They never moved Malkin, Crosby, or Letang - they added great players to join them. Look at LA with Kopitar, Doughty, and Quick - none of them are going anywhere - but studs are coming in to join them constantly.
I like a lot of the Caps moves they've made. Eller isn't a bad 3rd line option. Connolly I actualyl think has nothing but upside. Williams was a great deal. Nisky overpayment at the time I even liked. However, the big difference making move still hasn't happened that really makes me go "Oh yeah, that's the difference making move that can take Caps to the next level".
Why's part of "trade for another top F" was hard to understand? You keep yammering on about adding top players to the core via trade. Top players cost $$$ and assets. Caps don't have any salary space with all of their top players either signed or due for raises. Only way to add another top player is to ship one out.
But you don't want to do that. You want to ship out prospects and futures and ignore the cap. Ok then, let's all go play NHL 16 and eat candy in fantasy land. Sounds fun.
Newsflash. The Caps are at the next level. They missed the Cup opportunity by a few bad bounces that the Pens got. It happens.
Again, as I've asked you before...what move should this team do, that will "wow" you (as I'm sure wowing The HF poster Spinning Wheels is what they care about)