They are assets and you can go on towards a Center trade. It doesn't end there as a building process after a one trade.
Don't believe in offer-sheets. Those compensation scales are just ****ed up, and that's why no one does them (Aho was laughable low). Trades are the way to go.
Fair enough. Then we're really looking at a 3 way trade which is more difficult to pull off but there have been some recently so it's not impossible. Which team wants to trade a 1b type center that is relatively young and under team control for at least 4 years for a couple of winger prospects and a depth RHD? We're in our window right now with key players in Buff, Wheeler and Little not getting any younger and in this example we'd be trading a giant piece of our future in Laine which only makes sense if we'd be doubling down on the current core and acquiring "now" assets. Futures aren't helping at all unless we're also moving Wheeler, Buff and Little going into a rebuild, which we aren't.
Talk is cheap but I believe teams are interested in trading for Laine, why wouldn't they be. I also believe that for the right return anyone is available, afterall even Gretzky was traded. However it needs to make sense for the Jets and that means a 1 for 1 hockey trade (or close to it). That's not what opposing fanbases want to do though, they want to offer up multiple future pieces in exchange for a player like Laine and that makes no sense for the Jets. Especially when they have team control for at least 4 more years.
I also don't believe in offer sheets other than to help frame a trade. i.e. I could offersheet Laine at 4 1sts but he isn't worth that much and then I'll have to live with the inflated contract so instead, will you trade him to me for 3 - 1sts or Beauviller, Whalstrom + RHD which could be equivalent? If the pieces fit maybe a trade could be worked that way but unfortunately those pieces don't fit for the Jets. Islanders do have pieces that would fit, it's just a question of if they're willing to move them and how much they value Laine (or Connor/Ehlers/Roslovic/etc.)
With Barzel you have a great distributor of the puck that you'd want to pair with Laine for the next decade+ so you wouldn't want to move him. Which leaves Pulock or Dobson that the Jets would covet with likely the Jets wanting Pulock more because he helps now and slots pretty seamlessly into the hole left by Trouba on our top pair. That sort of trade hurts the Islanders blue line for the upcoming season as you break in Dobson but the future looks much better as in 3 years you'd have Barzel + Laine in their prime with Bauviller, Whalstrom, etc as supporting cast and on D you'd have Dobson on the top pair with Wilde and Mayfield filling out the Right side.
To me I can see that working for both sides, but a Laine for futures trade that doesn't include Dobson is a no go. If the Islanders can find a 3rd team to work out a 3 way trade that works then great, but it's not reasonable for the Jets to take futures and then go hunting for what they actually need.
