TSN: Vegas Trading Guidelines (For this season)

[MardyBum]

Sucks we're going to lose a young forward, but man is this off-season going to be interesting.

 

[kasper11]

I would say a majority, including me on the Vegas board want to build for the future.

The offensive talent is just not going to be there for a winning team.

If I were to hazard a guess if they took the best players they could, they would probably end up with a top 15 defense, a bottom 5-10 offense, and somewhere in the middle in the net. Not a winning formula. It would be a struggle to make the playoffs as an 8th seed and then a first round exit if they did.

Also, don't forget that prospects and picks aren't just about the future. They are assets that can be used to improve talent.

Some good players are available for futures at times. The Isles got Boychuck and Leddy for picks and prospects. Carolina got Terevainnen for picks and cap room.

If LV can get some picks for basically nothing, they should. Stocking up on assets is the best thing they can do, for now and the future.

 

[Headshot77]

Also, don't forget that prospects and picks aren't just about the future. They are assets that can be used to improve talent.

Some good players are available for futures at times. The Isles got Boychuck and Leddy for picks and prospects. Carolina got Terevainnen for picks and cap room.

If LV can get some picks for basically nothing, they should. Stocking up on assets is the best thing they can do, for now and the future.

The goal for this team should be to be in the playoff hunt every year, acquire free agents, trade those free agents for picks, and then trade those picks for better picks.

 

[ManofSteel55]

I don't think they will make any trades until the off-season.

The only asset LV has right now is draft picks, and I don't think they'll trade them for prospects.

I also think the don't take player X if we give you Y deals will wait until the off-season when teams have a concrete picture of the expansion landscape.

Agreed. The only "we'll give you this if you don't select player X" trades I expect to see before the summer are ones that involve guys that Vegas aren't selecting anyway. If a team thinks Vegas is going to take player X but they want player Y, might as well take the pick and still get player Y down the road, right?

 

[SmellOfVictory]

Are the "I'll give you this if you don't take this guy" trades actually binding? I doubt McPhee would turn on a deal he made but wouldn't that make things interesting?

I'm sure any deal that includes specifics is in writing, so it would absolutely be binding. Doesn't even have to be legally binding, since it's policed by the NHL itself.

 

[blinkman360]

These "don't draft player X" trades could go a long way toward giving Vegas a full system right out of the gate. Is there a limit on how many draft picks one team can have in a single draft? If there is none, they could potentially walk away with around 20 depending on how active they get in that "off-limits" market.

Even by agreeing to not take specific players, there should still be good players available from those same teams. Seems like a no-brainer depending on who the player is that they are being asked to avoid.

 

[DudeWhereIsMakar]

Huh? Klingberg is a Dallas player.

Meant Silfverberg, my bad.

 

[mikee]

See what Carolina got for taking one year of Bickell from Chicago. Dont see a reason for Vegas to take Pouliot for a 3rd. Its meaningless for Vegas to take mediocre old players for 3rd rounders. Obviously a better expansion pick to take from Edm than Pouliot and a 3rd.
I do think Vegas should stack up on draft picks though. Get as many picks as you can in the first 3 rounds and start building the team from the draft right away.

Chicago was up against the wall because they had to move Bickell to be cap compliant and were the defending SC champs. Bickell was also not even playing well in the AHL the year before (due to undiagnosed MS). He was the definition of dead weight.

While I agree that a 3rd round pick is not near enough to entice Vegas to take a guy like Pouliot, they should also not expect to receive players of Teravainen's caliber either. That was a very special case.

 

[kasper11]

Chicago was up against the wall because they had to move Bickell to be cap compliant and were the defending SC champs. Bickell was also not even playing well in the AHL the year before (due to undiagnosed MS). He was the definition of dead weight.

While I agree that a 3rd round pick is not near enough to entice Vegas to take a guy like Pouliot, they should also not expect to receive players of Teravainen's caliber either. That was a very special case.

One other note for Vegas....they will likely have a ton of caproom to spare, and in fact could end up needing help to make the minimum.

This could give them an incentive to work out deals where they take overpaid but useful players, knowing they can try to flip that player later while retaining salary (I think they can have up to 3 retained salaries on their books at any time).

They could take someone like Pouliot, give him top-line minutes for half a year or a year and hope he bounces back (he had 36 points in 55 games last year and was a positive possession player). If he does, they could move him at $2M per year, where he could have solid value.

A player like Pouliot may be too big of a risk to do that, but the ability to retain salary to increase a player's value is another thing LV can consider.

 

[HookKing]

Agreed. The only "we'll give you this if you don't select player X" trades I expect to see before the summer are ones that involve guys that Vegas aren't selecting anyway. If a team thinks Vegas is going to take player X but they want player Y, might as well take the pick and still get player Y down the road, right?

I have to disagree. Vegas will have to do these deals because their expected rich harvest will otherwise be siphoned off by Arizona (and other teams with cap space and few good players to protect) long before the draft itself. Teams expected to lose a good player will gladly take something from another team rather than lose the player for nothing.

Moreover, teams that will likely lose a good player and have roster/cap space room may bid for others as well, figuring they can only lose 1.

 

[airbus220]

One other note for Vegas....they will likely have a ton of caproom to spare, and in fact could end up needing help to make the minimum.

Vegas need help to take other teams overpaid players? LOLOL

Foley paid more for the team than most other teams are worth.

Why helping other teams, Vegas could give Oshie 10 million to reach the cap ceiling.

 

[kasper11]

Vegas need help to take other teams overpaid players? LOLOL

Foley paid more for the team than most other teams are worth.

Why helping other teams, Vegas could give Oshie 10 million to reach the cap ceiling.

I didn't mean that they would pay other teams for bad contracts. I simply mean that the team they construct will likely not reach the minimum, leading to the team being creative in adding cap hits.

As I said, they could take an overpaid player for a fee. Then, they can then look to move that player while retaining 50%, turning the player from a negative asset to a positive one, and get even more.

Consider a player like Tomas Plekanec. Montreal needs to resign a lot of players this offseason, and I don't see any team trading for him at $6M. Maybe going into the expansion draft they offer LV a 3rd to take Plek instead of a cheaper player. LV then can turn around, offer Pleks at $3M around the league, where he can probably get a 2nd round pick back or so.

Now, LV has two extra picks and $3M extra in cap hit (for which they are only paying $2.5M based on his contract), and that cap hit expires at the end of the year.

Sure, there will be a ton of other ways LV can reach the minimum. It won't be hard to do. But, this way is the most beneficial to the team.