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2026-27 General Trades & Signings

Why does everyone hate Seattle? I've been there. Seems like a nice place to live.
I think the biggest problem is they seem firmly entrenched in being a forever mid-team. No real high end elite talent at goalie, defence, wing, or centre. Beniers would of course be the closest but he's coming off a 50-point season as a 23-year old so there's probably a fair question as to if his ceiling is high enough to be the best player on a Cup winning team. And especially in a new age right now where players clearly want to be in places that can win I'm not surprised nobody really wants to even consider spending the next 5-6-7-8 years of their career there.
 
There is a rumour that the Leafs were going to be involved in this - Seattle would get Robertson, Dallas was going to get Knies, and the Leafs were going to get the 7th overall+.

Not sure how much merit there is to that, but Jesse Blake did a video on it.
Hopefully they fall back into a Nick Robertson+ for Mavrick Bourque discussion. What better way to entice Jason Robertson to stay than to have his brother traded to the team.
 
I think the biggest problem is they seem firmly entrenched in being a forever mid-team. No real high end elite talent at goalie, defence, wing, or centre. Beniers would of course be the closest but he's coming off a 50-point season as a 23-year old so there's probably a fair question as to if his ceiling is high enough to be the best player on a Cup winning team. And especially in a new age right now where players clearly want to be in places that can win I'm not surprised nobody really wants to even consider spending the next 5-6-7-8 years of their career there.

If you're looking to command $15m, shouldn't you be the best guy on your team?

I know that's rhetorical, but I'd think that you should be thinking that $15m you should be able to be THE major building block to building a Cup contending roster.
 
Another thing, with J. Robertson being an RFA, couldn't the Stars just march him into arbitration and kick the can down the road?
 
Another thing, with J. Robertson being an RFA, couldn't the Stars just march him into arbitration and kick the can down the road?
They'd be walking him straight to being a UFA in a year, so, while they could do that, it's probably not in their interest. If they're going to maximize their value here - whether that means keeping him around (his contract demands aren't likely to get smaller) or trading him - they need him signed to an extension.
 
If you're looking to command $15m, shouldn't you be the best guy on your team?

I know that's rhetorical, but I'd think that you should be thinking that $15m you should be able to be THE major building block to building a Cup contending roster.
Well we don't know that he's looking to command $15mil. Seattle could have offered him $16mil or $17mil and I think the answer would have been the same from him. Seattle, even with Robertson, isn't really anywhere close to being a Cup contender now or in the near future. It's entirely possible and probably likely that he ends up signing elsewhere for less than $15mil x 8 years.
 
If you're looking to command $15m, shouldn't you be the best guy on your team?

I know that's rhetorical, but I'd think that you should be thinking that $15m you should be able to be THE major building block to building a Cup contending roster.
You still wouldn't want to go to a team that's basically devoid of other major building blocks. It's one thing to be the best player on a team with a number of good players. It's another to be head and shoulders better than the rest of your teammates when you're not a McDavid level talent (and even he has Draisaitl and Bouchard).
 
I think the biggest problem is they seem firmly entrenched in being a forever mid-team. No real high end elite talent at goalie, defence, wing, or centre. Beniers would of course be the closest but he's coming off a 50-point season as a 23-year old so there's probably a fair question as to if his ceiling is high enough to be the best player on a Cup winning team. And especially in a new age right now where players clearly want to be in places that can win I'm not surprised nobody really wants to even consider spending the next 5-6-7-8 years of their career there.

... unless you're Bobby McMann ... His days of being a hockey nomad near the bottom of the salary scale are over for a few years. He's likely secure in their top 6 for a while which is where he needs to be to score more goals. On a top contender, he may well be on a 3rd line getting less PP ice time. He's an exception.

Your point seems to be widely applicable. Players are frequently migrating to where they think they have a chance to win a Cup. There also seems to be a trend of American stars leaving Canada ...
 
I'm not sure that I want Knies to go anywhere for obvious reasons.
But if Seattle is that desperate to get a good player, Leafs might get overpayment for Knies there.
 
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