Interesting take. I have been waiting for the AA to Carolina rumor to reignite...I think that Friedman will talk about him before Carolina picks late first. Not predicting a trade, just predicting small talk.
I am not sure it is a take, but I am just saying at this time of year when they talk it can be for more than just window dressing. While Stevie is one of the closest to the vest guys, he isn't throwing away media quotes I think as often as a lot of people think. These guys pay enormous attention to what is said and not being said, especially in this month around the league.
We are under no real pressure to make an immediate move. I would love a Trouba, but it does have to make sense. We aren't asset rich so we cannot afford to make missteps right this instant, it might be we can be bolder next summer or near the deadline. Heck he could go for a roster shakup in November though not common place anymore. Still I think it is important to remember these guys talk daily to each other, they know each other well in terms of the GM community. While Stevie might not give the long winded answers Holland does, especially from living near Tampa, he does give away parts of his thought process in terms of these are guys he is building around and these are guys that might just be for sale.
I have said it a lot too, but I would hope they are developing a feeling of where they see Mantha and Athanasiou in terms of salary structure at this point and know how realistic that is with Stevie's vision and Ryan Martin's ability to massage the cap. They should know where their agents are leaning too in terms of their next deal. That is the most critical part of this off-season for me. If they are long-term fits lock them up, if they want too much and we don't see them here for a ton longer, get some value for them now and augment our build with that in mind.