Trade both

Load up on young assets
Tank for 2 years

Proper rebuild

Trade both

Load up on young assets
Tank for 2 years

Proper rebuild
- mr.sir

actually agree

actually agree
- AlfieisKing

... until all they manage to get for either player is a late 1st round pick, and an underwhelming prospect. Maybe some people haven't noticed, but teams tend to rebuild successfully with "high" draft picks, not just "lots of draft picks". Outside of the best draft in the past 15 years in 2015 and the one time they picked in the top-5, the team's 1st round picks of the past 10 years have amounted to Cowen, Zibanejad, Noesen, Puempel, Ceci, Lazar, Brown, Bowers, and Bernard-Docker. So unless they get serious interest from non-playoff teams like the Flyers, you'll have to forgive me if I'm not all that jazzed about them exchanging premium talent for a couple of late 1st round picks in a mediocre draft.

... until all they manage to get for either player is a late 1st round pick, and an underwhelming prospect. Maybe some people haven't noticed, but teams tend to rebuild successfully with "high" draft picks, not just "lots of draft picks". Outside of the best draft in the past 15 years in 2015 and the one time they picked in the top-5, the team's 1st round picks of the past 10 years have amounted to Cowen, Zibanejad, Noesen, Puempel, Ceci, Lazar, Brown, Bowers, and Bernard-Docker. So unless they get serious interest from non-playoff teams like the Flyers, you'll have to forgive me if I'm not all that jazzed about them exchanging premium talent for a couple of late 1st round picks in a mediocre draft.
- khawk

This is a good point. I recall reading that in almost all instances of these types of trades, the team doesn't get much back when all is said and done. Still you'd have to think eventually that a Boesser (23) Pasternak (25) or Kuznetsov would fall into the team giving away a player.

Regardless, if they won't sign, what else can you do?

... until all they manage to get for either player is a late 1st round pick, and an underwhelming prospect. Maybe some people haven't noticed, but teams tend to rebuild successfully with "high" draft picks, not just "lots of draft picks". Outside of the best draft in the past 15 years in 2015 and the one time they picked in the top-5, the team's 1st round picks of the past 10 years have amounted to Cowen, Zibanejad, Noesen, Puempel, Ceci, Lazar, Brown, Bowers, and Bernard-Docker. So unless they get serious interest from non-playoff teams like the Flyers, you'll have to forgive me if I'm not all that jazzed about them exchanging premium talent for a couple of late 1st round picks in a mediocre draft.
- khawk

Oh this is a VERY good point. I'm not happy with picks, but I trust getting prospects back; like Gustfavsson, Norris, and others

This is a good point. I recall reading that in almost all instances of these types of trades, the team doesn't get much back when all is said and done. Still you'd have to think eventually that a Boesser (23) Pasternak (25) or Kuznetsov would fall into the team giving away a player.

Regardless, if they won't sign, what else can you do?
- david22

Or more important Q, if the owner won't give them the money.

The problem with this owner isn't giving money to anyone, it's giving it to guys that matter (to the team and community). Turris, Methot, Karlsson, and Stone are glue guys. I don't care if their play has fallen off a bit, these guys were VERY well likely and deserved to be here during a rebuild (more so than Duchene, Boedker, Ryan)

Hard times... trade Duchene and Stone for prospects + picks and rebuild is the way to go. Trade anyone above 27yo.

Trevor: we will never win in the NHL barring a freakish stroke of luck - that was the point. Ottawa cannot afford 8-year deals under the current structure,

Trevor: we will never win in the NHL barring a freakish stroke of luck - that was the point. Ottawa cannot afford 8-year deals under the current structure,
- sgoodwin

sure they can, they just need to make sure they give them to the right players.

stone and Duchene ARE the right players.......my fear is that they'll let go of those guys and give the 8 year deals to guys like Ceci

Or more important Q, if the owner won't give them the money.

The problem with this owner isn't giving money to anyone, it's giving it to guys that matter (to the team and community). Turris, Methot, Karlsson, and Stone are glue guys. I don't care if their play has fallen off a bit, these guys were VERY well likely and deserved to be here during a rebuild (more so than Duchene, Boedker, Ryan)
- AlfieisKing

Problem is and remains Melnyk. I remain confidendent that the wheels are slowly grinding towards his departure.

Not a fan of Garrioch but he does seem to have an inside lane into knowing what Melnyk might be thinking from one moment to the next before he changes his mind.

In the podcast (Ottawa Sun) Garrioch says he believes Stone is definitely staying. Dzingle is definitely going. Nobody knows when it comes to what the final outcome is of the Duchene negotiations. Ceci's name got thrown into the discussion as a maybe in terms of being traded.

My guess is this is what Melnyk believes is going to happen. It does not mean that is the way it will turn out.

Not a fan of Garrioch but he does seem to have an inside lane into knowing what Melnyk might be thinking from one moment to the next before he changes his mind.

In the podcast (Ottawa Sun) Garrioch says he believes Stone is definitely staying. Dzingle is definitely going. Nobody knows when it comes to what the final outcome is of the Duchene negotiations. Ceci's name got thrown into the discussion as a maybe in terms of being traded.

My guess is this is what Melnyk believes is going to happen. It does not mean that is the way it will turn out.
- spatso

Garrioch is a pawn of ownership.....he basically spins whatever angle Melnyk wants shown in the media. He's basically the Sarah Huckabee Sanders of the NHL

Trade both

Load up on young assets
Tank for 2 years

Proper rebuild
- mr.sir

Again there are two problems with that.

#1. You can get all the prospects and picks you want. Trade everyone for picks. But there is absolutely no guarantee of getting a Mcdavid, Matthews, Ovechkin, etc

#2. You have to have a base to build around, In this case the base starts with Duchene, Stone, Chabot and we build through trades, signing and picks and prospects from there.

We already have Brown, Formenton, Gus, and much more coming. Our prospect pool isn't the issue, The issue is we have to have that top end talent and create a more aggressive culture right through ownership and specifically in this case, management. To make the best athletes want to come here.

... until all they manage to get for either player is a late 1st round pick, and an underwhelming prospect. Maybe some people haven't noticed, but teams tend to rebuild successfully with "high" draft picks, not just "lots of draft picks". Outside of the best draft in the past 15 years in 2015 and the one time they picked in the top-5, the team's 1st round picks of the past 10 years have amounted to Cowen, Zibanejad, Noesen, Puempel, Ceci, Lazar, Brown, Bowers, and Bernard-Docker. So unless they get serious interest from non-playoff teams like the Flyers, you'll have to forgive me if I'm not all that jazzed about them exchanging premium talent for a couple of late 1st round picks in a mediocre draft.
- khawk

Perhaps we should ask for fourth and fifth rounders...
2017 - round 4 - Drake Batherson
2016 - round 5 - Max Lajoie
2015 - round 4 - Christian Wolanin
2015 - round 5 - Christian Jaros
2011 - round 4 - JG Pageau
2011 - round 5 - Fredrick Claesson
2010 - round 6 - Mark Stone
2009 - round 4 - Chris Wideman
2009 - round 5 - Mike Hoffman

Perhaps we should ask for fourth and fifth rounders...
2017 - round 4 - Drake Batherson
2016 - round 5 - Max Lajoie
2015 - round 4 - Christian Wolanin
2015 - round 5 - Christian Jaros
2011 - round 4 - JG Pageau
2011 - round 5 - Fredrick Claesson
2010 - round 6 - Mark Stone
2009 - round 4 - Chris Wideman
2009 - round 5 - Mike Hoffman
- SensFan25

Good point

F'ing gave away Hoffman

... until all they manage to get for either player is a late 1st round pick, and an underwhelming prospect. Maybe some people haven't noticed, but teams tend to rebuild successfully with "high" draft picks, not just "lots of draft picks". Outside of the best draft in the past 15 years in 2015 and the one time they picked in the top-5, the team's 1st round picks of the past 10 years have amounted to Cowen, Zibanejad, Noesen, Puempel, Ceci, Lazar, Brown, Bowers, and Bernard-Docker. So unless they get serious interest from non-playoff teams like the Flyers, you'll have to forgive me if I'm not all that jazzed about them exchanging premium talent for a couple of late 1st round picks in a mediocre draft.
- khawk

You forgot to include the All Star Chabot and Colin White who looks great before getting injured. Agreed picking out of the top 10 picks doesn’t guarantee a star, these two are

You forgot to include the All Star Chabot and Colin White who looks great before getting injured. Agreed picking out of the top 10 picks doesn’t guarantee a star, these two are
- canuck613

I didn't forget them... my list specifically excluded top-5 picks and the freakishly good 2015 draft, which is when they drafted both Chabot and White. The problem is, even if you include them both plus Tkachuk in the equation, only Chabot would be in the same conversation as Duchene and Stone in terms of quality. That's precisely why you sign players of the quality of Duchene and Stone long-term when they want to play for your team, and use the far more replaceable assets likes of Dzingel, Ceci, Tierney, Smith, Boedker, DeMelo, Pageau, and Anderson to increase your basic quantity of draft picks.