One of the questions that comes up a lot when I talk to people is: "Who out there would you trade a first round pick for? In the NHL this is an interesting gauge of talent on a team...
How do you decide on criteria when doing an evaluation like this?
The salary cap obviously plays a HUGE factor in this on both ends. The teams have to have the space to make the deal, and some player's salaries are so high that they can't be moved at all....so therefore, the reality is we might only see 1-4 first rounders swapped for players at the deadline.
Also, not all first round picks are created equal. The top 5 picks are nowhere near picks 20-32.
For this exercise, I am taking away salary cap and length of contract and simply evaluating, What players would you trade the 10th overall pick for if you have a need at the position they play? Essentially, you would rather have this player moving forward than the risk of whatever the 10th overall pick would bring you...
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— Michael Augello (@MikeInBuffalo) January 5, 2021
Here is my list of teams and players in the East that I would trade the 10th pick overall
#16 Buffalo: 3 Players Thompson Cozens Dahlin
#15 Montreal: 3 Players Suzuki Chiarot Price
#14 NJ Devils: 4 Players Hischier Hughes Hamilton Blackwood
#13 Ottawa: 4 players Tkachuk Norris Stutzle Chabot
#12 Columbus: 4 players Laine Jenner Werenski Merzlikins
#11 Detroit: 4 Players Larkin Raymond Bertuzzi Seider
#10 Boston: 4 players Marchand Bergeron Pastrnak McAvoy
#9 Penguins: 4 players Crosby Guentzel Malkin Letang
#8 Carolina: 5 Players Aho Teravainen Svechnikov Pesce Slavin
#7 Capitals: 6 Players Ovechkin Backstrom Kuznetsov Wilson Carlson Samsonov
#6 Toronto: 6 Players Matthews Marner Tavares Nylander Rielly Campbell
#5 NY Islanders: 6 players Lee Barzal Pelech Dobson Varlamov Sorokin
#4 Philadelphia: 7 Players Giroux Konecny Provorov York Hart Farabee Couturier
#3 NY Rangers: 8 Players Kreider Zibanejad Panarin Lafreniere Fox Trouba Shesterkin Kakko
#2 Tampa: 9 Players Cirelli Point Kucherov Stamkos Hedman Foote McDonagh Sergachev Vasilevskiy
#1 Florida: 11 Players Verhaeghe Barkov Reinhart Huberdeau Bennett Duclair Lundell Weegar Ekblad Bobrovsky Knight
What's the buzz? Do you agree? Who would you add? Who would you NOT trade the 10th pick overall for?