There's a large difference in tanking like I was talking about with the whole Tanktown Express thing from last year (mainly just losing for a better pick) and what those dorks in Buffalo have been doing for the past decade, and recently the Sharks, by gutting their entire team. and praying that their prospects hit.
But again, you're not getting younger in a trade without accepting a reduction in present-day talent/ability.
I'm not in favor of a 'down to the studs' rebuild or looking to be bad for years. But if we're making trades to get younger, that is going to require a short-term step back. If we're not adding contracts of guys aged 30+, then we're not extending Buch. Extending Buch is a 'get older' move for 2025 and beyond. If we don't want to get older and instead want to get younger, then we need to trade him for picks, prospects, and/or young players. That is going to mean a short term hit to the offense, full stop.
I'm not in favor of gutting the entire team. Thomas is about as close to untouchable as a non-MVP candidate can get in the NHL. There is no return I'd be willing to take for him that a team would realistically be willing to offer. Neighbours and Hofer aren't as untouchable, but I would be shocked if a team would make us an offer that I'd take for him. Parayko isn't untouchable, but I'm not trading him for futures. I would only move him in a 'hockey deal' and I very much doubt that such a deal would ever materialize. I'd be very happy to extend Buch on a market or near market value deal, but I'm not letting him walk for nothing as a UFA. I'd have to get a hell of a return to move Binner or Kyrou. Dvorsky and Lindstein are borderline untouchable as prospects go and Snuggy is in that tier too unless there are behind the scenes concerns about his willingness to sign with us (which I doubt).
There is a good chunk of guys already here that I consider important to the next window and I'm content with the notion that keeping them here might hurt our chances of a great draft pick. But that all doesn't mean that I'm not willing to make any trade that makes us worse in the short term.
If Buch won't extend, I'd be more than fine moving him and a guy like Kyrou for a guy who I believe has 10+ years ahead of him as a legit #1 D man in this league. I'm more than fine eating a couple years of bad/dead money to facilitate such a deal. That trade absolutely makes us worse in the short term, but it doesn't gut the future core the way trading ROR/Eichel did. I like Kyrou as a player more than most around here, but I don't view him as essential to the next core
if dealing him brings us a #1 D man.
I just don't see a path to make trades to get younger that doesn't involve weakening the team in the short term. Teams aren't going to swap their 24 year olds for our equally talented 30 year olds. Getting younger is going to mean taking a step back.
