-23 goals last season
-4 goals and 7 points in 8 games so far this season
-is very fast
-Has a low cap hit at 1.8M
-This means his remaining cap hit at the deadline will only be about 500k (not sure on the exact number)
What's his value as a rental? Has he reached 1st round pick+ rental status, or is he not there yet? Will his low cap hit boost his marketability as a playoff acquisition?
It's possible, but I think you're more likely in the 2nd+decent prospect/young player range still (even with 50% retention - which at that point (TD) would be something like 270k). GMs will toss away 2nds all day long... their 1sts not so much.
At last seasons deadline 7 firsts were traded. Of those only 3 were for rentals (Kane, Stastny and Nash), and one had the other team taking back a brutal contract. The others (Brassard, Tatar, McDonagh & Hartman), were all for players with term left on their contracts (or in Hartman's case an RFA). So I don't really think that as good as Dzingel has been offensively, that he'll fetch a 1st. All dependent on the market and how much of a bidding war there is for him... but I wouldn't hold your breath.
He was drafted by Ottawa, he's only 26, and he's playing incredibly well. He is UFA at the end of the season, so he should be in the group with Duchene and Stone as "must re-sign or get a big trade return".
A 1st rounder is a must, from what I can see at the moment. And it's only going up if he keeps playing well up to the deadline. There's been far worse players who brought back a 1st as a rental.
And what happens if neither happen? I mean Dzingel has to want to stay in Ottawa, and other GMs have to be willing to offer a "big return" (which of course is subjective). I also think he's going to get offered more on the market then Ottawa would ever consider paying him, so I don't really see that as a realistic option.
Recently? Not really. Is it possible that he gets a first? Absolutely... I just wouldn't hold your breath for it. Things changed with the new draft lotto odds. We still see 1sts get moved... just not nearly so much for rentals as we do for guys with term. And if they are moved for rentals, they're moved for the top tier guys, not your 2nd or 3rd tier guys like Dzingel. And please don't see this as me putting him down - that's not the case at all. The kid could be a good 2nd liner depending on the fit with his center, or a great 3rd liner. But there's not many of those guys getting 1sts as rentals at the TD.
