To get a team to take on Clarkson (arguably the worst contract in the league), CBJ would have to give up a piece that makes it extremely enticing to do so. Offering up what is essentially a mid-tier prospect for 22M and 2 draft picks on top of that is horrendous and not logical. On top of this its a divisional opponent. It would take a top tier prospect to get it even considered by a rational GM and that is not hyperbole in the slightest. Just last week Lawson Crouse was traded to Phoenix in return for taking on 3 years of Dave Bolland and $16+ million. Florida got 2 picks back (one of which is a 2018) and nothing else.
Clarkson is no guarantee to even play well enough to be worth league minimum, much less the 20+ million over the duration of his contract still due + he's got a no movement clause, so you can't even expose him, which means another player has to be left unprotected. He's entirely negative value. Taking back Savard is another gift. He's got a year left, will not count against the cap during the season, and the real money is insured. And two draft picks?? All this for Carlsson? Crouse was the #2 prospect in the entire Florida system and it was with a non-conference trade partner. Clarkson is more years and money than Bolland + Clarkson's NMC cannot be discounted in a year there's an expansion draft.
The OPs offer is completely weighed in Columbus' favor with literally 0 risk and nothing of fair value is being returned.
It would take a Dubois, Milano, or Werenski to even be considered. Its unrealistic otherwise to expect a divisional opponent to do a 4 year/$20M favor for them + tossing in two draft picks for a barely laudable prospect. I'm not saying Carlsson is crap, but he's not worth that and there are few who are and even less so to the Devils since we have strong defensive prospects in Santini and Jacobs already. It would be foolish for them to even think of doing it with the Devils in the first place since its in division and would cost more than doing something with a western team.
