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In this edition of the hotstove we discuss whether it's smart for teams to trade draft picks for the rights to pending free agents or if they should simply wait until the negotiation period opens up.
Todd Cordell
Generally speaking I have no problem with trading a draft pick to acquire the rights of a pending free agent.
In most cases teams only have to part with a late pick - 5th/6th/7th rounder- and the vast majority of the time players picked in those rounds don't even play an NHL game; let alone become regular contributors.
If you give yourself a better chance of signing a top-4 defenseman like Alex Goligoski, for example, and all it takes is a late round pick it's worth the risk. If Goligoski signs, the trade is a big win. If he doesn't the 5th round pick will probably never make the NHL, anyway.
James Tanner
I think it's a pretty smart move overall for both teams. If you have no plans to re-sign your own player, why not get a little lottery ticket for him? And if you really, really want a guy, it does make sense to give yourself a window where you are the only one who can sign him.
I think it's all about risk/reward. Take the recent Coyotes/Goligoski situation. Goligoski is likely the best UFA defenseman available and will have suitors numbering half the league, most likely.
Add in that the Coyotes are perhaps the least likely team to succeed in singing a big name free agent and you see why they would want to give themselves a leg up here.
The risk is pretty small, the reward is pretty big, so it makes sense. For most teams, I'd probably lean towards keeping my picks and waiting till July 1st, but in this situation I think a 5th pick is warranted.
Jason Lewis
It's a risk. But for some it is a risk worth taking if they want to really push for a target player. Goligoski is a really good defenseman, and those extra few weeks to negotiate with him before July 1st, without 28 teams hitting him up, might make all the difference.
It really depends on the player.
It also depends on the cost. Arizona has(d) eight selections and five in the first three rounds (2 1st, 2 2nd, 1 3rd). So a 5th round selection does not seem like a big cost to give up to have a BETTER chance at signing Goligoski, who again, would probably be a big target for many teams.
I don't think it's pointless at all, but it could vary case by case. In this case I'd say it is definitely a risk worth taking to have a better shot at signing a really good defenseman before everyone else has a shot.
Peter Tessier
If you are a team that wants a player, a particular player, and are prepared to pay the likely salary required it's a fantastic move. However this requires some thorough diligence and research. You need to know what you are paying to attract and negotiate- not just a hope that you can beat others too the punch.
Dan Hamhuis' rights were trading 3 times (IIRC) before he signed in Vancouver. Did Calgary do the right thing when they got the early jump on Jay Bouwmeester?
Right or wrong I believe that agents and players know long before 'official' talks begin who has interest and who does not. However to make that trade to get early access is a move that probably costs a team more to sign the player than if they used the 'courting period'. You lose a draft asset and maybe pay more to sign them. Maybe.
It's a good move but only when the leg work has been done long before hand.
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