TRADE DEADLINE SCENARIOS

     LAST UPDATED:  March 3, 2009

    The following is a list of scenarios for various teams; the details underlying the scenario are given, as well as the impact on the team's payroll room and the amount full-year salary [cap dollars] that team can pick up as a result without having to trade salary back.  If you don't see a scenario you're interested in, let me know and I'll get the answer for you and post it here for everyone else to see.

BOSTON [acquiring Tomas Kaberle]:  After assigning Vladimir Sobotka to Providence today, the Bruins can acquire Kaberle without having to trade salary back.

BOSTON [acquiring Chris Pronger]:  The Bruins would need to send at least $2 million in salary back.  The rumored trade between the Bruins and Ducks had Mark Stuart going to Anaheim; after that, trading any roster player or assigning any roster player to Providence would give the Bruins enough payroll room to complete this trade.

CALGARY [acquiring Ryan Smyth]:  The Flames can acquire Smyth only if one of the following events happen:
-- (1) They place Rene Bourque, Mark Giordano and Wayne Primeau on LTIR, (2) assign Warren Peters, David van der Guilk and Jamie Lundmark, and (3) trade a player whose cap hit is at least $687,500 [thus dealing solely Eric Nystrom won't do it],
-- They place Bourque, Giordano and Primeau on LTIR and trade a player whose cap hit is at least $2.3 million [James Vandermeer] or more, or
-- They assign Peters, van der Guilk and Lundmark and trade a player whose cap hit is at least $4,340,000 [the only player that fits this who doesn't have a NTC/NMC is Dion Phaneuf ... and it's safe to say the Flames aren't trading him]

They have already placed one player on LTIR - who that person is, I'm not sure ... but my money right now is on Giordano.  I'll revise this scenario by about 10am on Wednesday.

CALGARY [acquiring Olli Jokinen]:  The Flames can acquire Jokinen in much the same way they could acquire Smyth - but would obviously need to move less salary.

CHICAGO:  As a general comment, any trade the Blackhawks make would have to be dollar-for-dollar, as the team has little room under the salary cap - unless they assign a player to the minors [Antti Niemi, Jack Skille].

DALLAS:  The Stars have sufficient payroll room to make most trades, as they retain the option to place Sergei Zubov on LTIR.  Currently, the only player believed to be on LTIR for the Stars is Brendan Morrow - and the Stars have not exhausted the LTIR exception space they have on him.

DETROIT:  As a general comment, any trade the Red Wings make would likely have to be dollar-for-dollar in order to be able to bring Tomas Holmstrom back off LTIR before the end of the season - and this assumes the Red Wings would send Leino and Helm back to the minors.  If the Red Wings did not assign either player to the minors, then the Red Wings would have to shed salary in any trade to fit Holmstrom back on the roster.  It is possible that Detroit could waive a player to the minors to create more payroll room, but comments by GM Ken Holland imply that this isn't going to happen.

PHILADELPHIA:  This is a field comment, and should answer any trade involving the Flyers.  Any trade the Flyers make must be practically dollar-for-dollar, as the Flyers have little room to pick up any salary.  Additionally, they currently have 21 players on the Active Roster [every team has to carry 20] and the Flyers are also carrying only 6 defensemen, so if they trade a defenseman off the current roster they must be getting a defenseman back.

PITTSBURGH:  The Penguins have placed Miroslav Satan on waivers; if he leaves the Penguins NHL roster tomorrow [whether by waiver claim or by assignment to Wilkes-Barre], the Penguins will be able to pick up just about anyone with a cap number under $8 million; otherwise, they'll only be able to pick up a player with a cap number under $4.5 million.  Assignments of other players to the minors [Bill Thomas, et. al.] would open up a little more room.

WASHINGTON:  The Capitals have a little wiggle room as they can take on up to $2.4 million in salary ... but most trades involving guys linked to the Caps would require a roster player to be moved back.  [I know Michael Nylander's name keeps coming up in trade discussions - but if he refuses to waive his NMC, then any deal with his name in it is dead.]

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