Clay Brewer: Forsberg Unlikely To Be Traded; Preds Still Hope to Re-Sign

If Forsberg doesn't get moved, it shouldn't be a surprise... I'm not sure why so many Preds fans thought this was going to happen if he didn't resign by the deadline. It's perfectly fine to debate whether or not Poile should trade him or not, but outright expecting Poile to pull the trigger is another thing entirely. Teams in playoff contention don't trade away key players at the deadline just because they might lose them to free agency at the end of the season. It just doesn't happen. You're asking David Poile to do something virtually unprecedented when his history has shown he's much more likely to go all in then he is to purposely doing anything that would be detrimental to his team making the playoffs that season. I'm not even saying I think he shouldn't... I actually think more GM's should consider moving on from players and getting something for them if they know there's no chance of resigning them. In this particular case though, my personal feelings on the subject and the reality of the situation are two entirely differen't things.

Think about it, all the trade talk surrounding Forsberg so far has virtually all centered around whether or not he should be traded if he doesn't resign... There hasn't been any solid rumors about where he might go, no teams he's been attached too with serious interest like most of the other major trade targets. There's been crickets. EK hasn't even bothered to make up a rumor about him yet, and that's telling in itself. It probably means nobody's talking about a potential Forsberg trade because there's nothing really there. If you're going to trade a guy like him, there's got to be some planning going into that to make sure you get the right return for him. He's not somebody you trade at the last minute for some stale bread crumbs and a can of beans just because.

(Now que the Fil trade confirmation at 2:59pm, lol. Still not going to happen, but you can never say never)

If he doesn’t sign you set the Franchise back 1-2 years in the players, picks he would have brought back. It is a Gamble. If a team blows him away with an offer this Summer and he leaves a lot of us will be pissed.

Assuming he had been dealt as a rental, I'm not sure if there would have been much of a return unless the acquiring team knew (almost) for certain that they would have been able to sign him to a new contract.

Assuming he had been dealt as a rental, I'm not sure if there would have been much of a return unless the acquiring team knew (almost) for certain that they would have been able to sign him to a new contract.
- blueline

I tend to agree. I feel some of our fans were feeling... Overly optimistic about the bounty we'd receive for Fil. I heard two number #1's amongst other pie in the sky demands that were never going to happen. But it's natural, all teams tend to overvalue their own players while undervaluing players from other teams... Like that guy from Philly last year who said he'd pass on Ekholm for anything more than a 4th and low-tier prospect. You've got to consider the flat cap too, and teams that might've been interests already being up against the ceiling, so how many options could there really have been without serious Salary Cap voodoo being involved. Probably nothing short of Forsberg having a contract on the table with his new team, or if Nashville was willing to eat the bulk of the rest of Fil's cap hit this season to accommodate a cap-strapped team was going to land the haul fans were wanting... Or is that even a thing after the season starts? I know salary-retention is a thing, but I'm not sure if it's only a thing if the player is with the team from the start of the season or not.

Assuming he had been dealt as a rental, I'm not sure if there would have been much of a return unless the acquiring team knew (almost) for certain that they would have been able to sign him to a new contract.
- blueline

It would have been better than the Package the Ducks got for Rakell. Potentially much better.

It would have been better than the Package the Ducks got for Rakell. Potentially much better.
- predsfan97

Doesn't seem like much of a package for either side. Zero excitement and probably net zero return for either team. An equal set of blahs.

Pens blogger: "There’s nothing here I really care about. The second-round pick is nothing burger at this stage of the Penguins arch. I don’t even care what prospect because the Penguins don’t really have any. Zach-Aston Reese is a 1.75M player who is a blackhole for offense. I think his defensive acumen is overrated because I think the models overrate defensive impact. Dominik Simon literally can’t finish and the team has a finishing problem. This is a classic EA Sports trade where you just keep adding pieces until they accept the deal with none of the pieces being all that noteworthy. Yes, Rickard is a potential rental, but whatever. The Penguins needed to add something and they did."

And then this Ducks fan's quote: "The Ducks are completely in ruin right now. It's gonna take a long time to rebuild what Pat Verbeek is destroying. This is about more than talent."

I would add that the Pens may have gotten the better end of this deal.

Clay Brewer: Forsberg Unlikely To Be Traded; Preds Still Hope to Re-Sign
- Clay Brewer

Leddy > Louzon. Kraken win that trade with you guys. But eh, you went into the season sellers and made solid returns on Ellis and Arvidsson. So you are ahead of the game and playoff bound too boot.

Forsberg not going anywhere. Poile is waiting for cap info. for next year first.
I would expect $9 M for 9 years.

Forsberg not going anywhere. Poile is waiting for cap info. for next year first.
I would expect $9 M for 9 years.
- wrister

8 years is the max contract length a player can sign for, if they resign with their current team. 7 years if they sign somewhere else. Personally, I think we'd be lucky if we get him for 9.5. I have no idea what Fil's camp is asking for, but it does sound like the main issue right now is the difference between where Fil values himself, and what Poile feels makes sense for the franchise.

8 years is the max contract length a player can sign for, if they resign with their current team. 7 years if they sign somewhere else. Personally, I think we'd be lucky if we get him for 9.5. I have no idea what Fil's camp is asking for, but it does sound like the main issue right now is the difference between where Fil values himself, and what Poile feels makes sense for the franchise.
- Squatchy

I've seen some completely unsubstantiated chatter claiming his price has been in the 7yr x 10m range if he moves to another team. More unsubstantiated rumor has been an 8yr x 9m per offer from Preds.

The extra year gives Preds a bit of an edge in negotiations. Not huge but it is something. Bigger advantage might be the fact that there is no TN income tax for games played in TN. I'm sure that is being figured in the mix.

I wonder how much trade restriction requests are playing into the process?

I've seen some completely unsubstantiated chatter claiming his price has been in the 7yr x 10m range if he moves to another team. More unsubstantiated rumor has been an 8yr x 9m per offer from Preds.

The extra year gives Preds a bit of an edge in negotiations. Not huge but it is something. Bigger advantage might be the fact that there is no TN income tax for games played in TN. I'm sure that is being figured in the mix.

I wonder how much trade restriction requests are playing into the process?
- blueline

Those numbers don't sound terribly unrealistic. I worry if an unintended consequence of the Ellis trade might be to force Poile to be less stingy with the NMC/NTC's, at least when it comes to his top players. If Forsberg does decide he's willing to take less money due to the income tax situation, I'd imagine he's going to want some amount of trade protection... Some assurance that if he signs here for less, he isn't going to get traded to New York or Boston in a couple of years where that, let's say 9mil or whatever he signs for gets reduced considerably.