Redleaf
Well-known member
That’s who I’d be asking for. A bunch of mid to low first-round picks gets you what.. a chance to find another Knies type player ?
Armchair GM Thread 2026/27
- Thread starter CarltonTheBear
- Start date
I think it'd be an interesting swap. To use the word again, because of their size and playing ability both players are a bit of a "unicorn" at their position.
Buffalo, especially if/when they lose Tuch, will need help at the wings and are still loaded with left-handed defencemen in Dahlin, Samuelsson, and Byram (assuming they pivot to keeping him).
Power turns 24 in November and has 5 years remaining on his deal with a $8.35mil AAV. Knies turns 24 in October and has 5 years remaining on his deal with a $7.75mil AAV. So market value of their contracts was fairly similar.
I don't know if it's straight up one for one but there could probably be a trade opportunity there.
Power is probably the perfect candidate. I started trying to put together a list of who I would trade Knies for on defence. There aren't a lot of players out there that there wouldn't need to be a package around or else the team just isn't trading the player (like Lane Hutson, Cale Makar, or Matthew Schaefer). Mortiz Seider maybe, but I think I would want more in that deal, and I don't think Detriot would move him. Then you get into some of the younger dmen, and because dmen are kinda like goalies and you don't really know what they are going to blossom into, I think you have to get something with them just in case. And if you are taking something back for the just in case situation, then I think I would rather just keep Knies. Even when we are talking about picks, is he worth one of the picks in the top 5 right now? I get that the future looks bright for the dmen at the top of the draft, but they aren't really a sure thing.
For whatever it's worth Seider absolutely belongs in that "flat out untouchable" category. Dude's a beast.
Probably the only two guys I would be happy moving Knies for (or moving him for futures and then swapping those futures) who are currently potentially available per media reports would be Owen Power or Robert Thomas. Larkin is a very big maybe, the age difference there doesn't sit super well for me but he is signed to a pretty great number for another 5 seasons.
Good that they have set the price high. I imagine he isn't getting traded, which at the end of the day, isn't that bad of a thing.
Maybe I put too much of Detroit's failings to make the playoffs on the feet of Seider. I guess I did the same with Dahlin, and now that the Buffalo Sabres have made the playoffs, I do look at Rasmus in a different light.