I'm not. I figured I didn't explain myself well. Miller plays a similar style to Barrie but Barrie is better in all regards, especially in his own zone and at making puck decisions and holding the puck at the point. What I'm saying is when you consider that Miller may not do what Barrie does anywhere near as effectively, he still fits that role adequately albeit from a lower pairing position. His numbers this year dipped more from an overall dip in Vegas' offensive production. Had Vegas not ended up in a cap bind, they would've been more than fine with keeping Miller on while continuing to foster guys like Hague, Whitecloud, and Bischoff. If Miller is traded it won't be a cap dump, but a cap casualty, and in my mind that's not a semantical difference. Colin has value. The real problem is the contract they gave to Nick Holden. 2.2 million may not be a lot but the guy is bad. He's worth at most 1 million less as a healthy scratch option as he is a liability defensively and his only offensive benefit is deftly skating past forecheckers to fling useless wristshots at goalie crests. And because he's barely usable he isn't really a cap relief trade option. Miller at least has some value.
But none of this is to say Barrie isn't a great asset. It's just when taking together the fact that Vegas already has Theodore, Schmidt, Hague in the minors (Schuldt could also go on to be a strong commodity), and Miller as a deep discount Barrie himself, any trade with Miller going one way and Barrie coming back the other is like putting a nicer hat on a hat with a lottery ticket attached when the guy giving the hat is getting a pair of designer jeans back. Barrie may be the most valuable piece in this hypothetical trade but not every trade can be looked at based on pure equity. It also has to make sense for both sides. Moving three core pieces for one piece that doesn't fill a need and is quite like other pieces Vegas already has is just not a smart move. And this all not to mention the fact that Barrie only has one year left on his contract so he is, in effect, a one year rental. What's stopping Barrie from asking too much from Vegas and leaving the Knights with nothing more than a prayer that pick 16 will be a star? As I've said. If Vegas adds Tuch to that Barrie nonsense, Colorado needs an add as well. Couldn't say what at the moment but given Barrie's impending UFA status and that he's not a need, that's 3 core pieces out the door for only one year's worth of a guarantee and that's simply not worth it to Vegas at all.
On Glass: I mean I certainly hope you're right but I'm not entirely convinced there's nothing to gain from AHL development. Chicago is clearly doing a stellar job handling its players. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see Glass come up as an injury call up, but I'm not expecting him to make the team out of camp. Barring any changes to his game come training camp. Don't get me wrong, if Glass came in today, presuming Vegas even had games to play he'd be one of if not the best passer on the team. But I'd like to see him fine tune his playmaking and high hockey IQ against a lower demand level of competition before throwing him into the fire.
On Wild Bill: I'm not sure how much he'll fetch. It would seem given his numbers he's played his way out of a substantial raise. 6 million is probably the most fitting ballpark figure. With Clarkson's 5.25 million coming off the books that frees up a little more space. I don't think it's absurd to think that Rielly Smith might be moved. That's another 5. They're also unlikely to re-sign Deryk Engelland. Maybe for 1m. I'm not really sure how this will all play out. I trust McCrimmon.
