After seeing Weber for McDonagh called fair value, I knew this thread was going to be a good one.
Why are we so concerned with trading Lundqvist, and his 8.5/yr contract? This team is awful and that salary isn't going to change the direction of the team, it'll end up being more of the same - doing what we can to compete now. Nash isn't going to be paid 7.5 next season. Most likely he's completely gone. Are we going after Turris, JVR, Tavares, E. Kane, Neal, Duchene, Panarin in the next 1-2 years? This team has bigger problems than Lundqvist being paid 8.5, and I don't think the answers are fixed by getting his cap space off the books.
Av needs to go. We also need young prospects who can jump into the lineup with success for a few cheap years. Hopefully prospects who hustle and play like they have something to prove. If any team is taking Lundqvist back, we're taking salary back and most likely not getting what we need for the next couple of years.