JCShutout wrote:Yeah, this. Sure, we have a lot of LW, but we have a severe need for top scoring players. If we got a difference-maker LW, I would sell any of our LW (not named Schwartz or Fabbri-who can play center) for a late round pick to make room. If we got a difference-maker RW, I'd sell any RW not named Tarasenko. If we got a difference-maker center, I'd sell any of our centers.
It's not as easy as just "selling a player" on a whim with so many teams near the cap. Drouin just signed a multiyear deal at a $5.5 mil cap hit. The only LW we could trade that would cover that would be Schwartz and Steen. Swapping out Schwartz and Drouin is pretty neutral on the cap and on the ice. Even if you could get Steen to waive his NTC I'm not sure there would be a lot of teams lining up to acquire an injury prone Steen in his age 33-36 seasons at a near $6 mil cap hit. The Blues are thin at RW and even thinner at C so it would make more sense and be easier to upgrade there. I also don't think Drouin, Fabbri, Steen, or Schwartz are adequate centers though all have played there at the NHL level.
JCShutout wrote:Are you really saying you wouldn't take Drouin over Perron, Steen, Paajarvi, Jaskin, Upshall or anyone else who has played LW?
I'm assuming this is directed at me, but there is no point in this thread where I have come close to expressing this opinion. I would take Drouin easily over all of those players (and Fabbri as well). But that isn't how this works. I can't just take him for nothing and remove some player with a high cap in order to pay him.
JCShutout wrote:I really like Edmundson, but the only D I wouldn't trade for Drouin are Parayko and Petro. We have enough young, talented dmen to replace Eddy.
There is a major gap between the value of Parayko and Edmundson. Parayko is overpayment for Drouin and I doubt Yzerman would take Edmundson as the centerpiece of a deal for Drouin.