majormajor
Registered User
- Jun 23, 2018
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- 29,860
The only one you could get close to just a "hockey trade" would be Merzlikins but the Jackets are around the cap and needed to give away Bjorkstrand last summer to make things work.
I doubt they'd have interest adding another $0.5M on a goalie with subpar numbers.
This feels a bit overstated. If contract terms aren't exact then teams can compensate with minor draft picks. We see trades like that every year.
In this particular case, half a million in cap is not going to stop a trade like this if the two teams want to make a change of scenery trade. The Jackets have more cap flexibility going forward, especially with Voracek LTI-Retired.
Just to give you an idea of the issues at stake with Merzlikins, he has PTSD from fireworks now, for understandable reasons, and is bothered by the boom from the Jackets cannon. He really needs to be traded. So half a million in cap isn't going to be a thing. Grubauer's contract running through age ~35 might be more of an issue though.