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Only because you seem to be ignoring my point. Boeser, at his contract and level of production, isn’t a need for Buffalo. I suspect the only reason. You targeted them is because they’re one of the few teams that could take Boeser’s whole cap hit. But that fact alone doesn’t make him a good fit for them

Look at the actual points. Their rookies have almost as many goals each as Boeser and 12/16 fewer points than Boeser. I don’t think an extra 2 goals and 14 assists is worth an extra $6m for 2+ years. Plus scoring goals isn’t really an issue for Buffalo. That $6m could be put to use much better

You call close to an extra $6m for a minor points upgrade cost effective?

Ok. But look at it from Buffalo’s point of view. You have two 21 year old rookies. Both making less than $1m a year for the next 2+ seasons. Each has almost as many goals as Boeser (7/8 to Boeser’s 10). And Boeser only has 12 more points than Quinn and 16 more points than Peterka. Is Boeser a big enough home run upgrade to justify close to an extra $6m cap hit fir the next 2+seasons? I’d argue it’s not even remotely close. If they want an upgrade on those guys they can find a pending UFA at the deadline thst won’t cost $6.65m and won’t block their 2 young guys moving forward

Counting on another player to get him going seems disingenuous when he’s had solid line makes for most of the season (Horvat, Pettersson, Miller, Kuzmenko Mikheyev are his most common linenates)

He’s not a great skater, streaky, injury prone, and overpaid by about $1.5m (with another 2 seasons after this one)

Buffalo likely has zero interest in Boeser. If you haven’t looked they’ve scored the 4th most goals in the league this year. A one dimensional winger like Boeser won’t hold much appeal for them

With no retention Vancouver will be lucky to find a taker, let alone get value.

The history of the cep increases is a bit misleading. The players had an option to use an inflator and voted to use it in a number of seasons. The use of the inflator led to a higher escrow percentage withheld on player salaries. Escrow was a big deal to the players in the last CBA extension and they sought to have it capped. Prior to the shutdown it was typically in the 10-12% range. In order to pay off the debt from COVID it was 20% in the first year of the extension. Last year it was 17.2%. This year it’s locked in at 10% and it’s capped at 6% for the next three years after this one. Once the player debt from the COVID shutdown is paid off the cap growth will be limited in part by the much lower escrow percentage.

Montreal is near the top of the league in man games lost again this year. They regularly dress 7-8 rookies/AHL call-ups. Yeah. They’re bad right now but there’s a lot of reasons to be optimistic about that team

4-6 week injury potentially becomes a season ender. Where’s the guy that told me Demko’s injury history isn’t a concern?

Montreal suddenly has several guys that will step up to the plate to stick up for a teammate.

Tough to say. They’re in a really tough division. I’m loving what thier young guys are showing and they still have some really good prospects coming as early as next season. We could see guys like Mailloux, Stauber, Beck Farrell get a look next year. Plus Hutson, their version of Quinn is tearing up the NCAA as a freshman. I think it’s going to hinge on the development of guys like Slafkovsky, Guhle, Harris, Xhekaj and Barron. plus who they bring in To replace Drouin/Dadonov. Injuries have played a big part the last 2 years too. They set a record for man games lost last season and are near the top of the league again this year. Overall they have a bright future (plus 2 more top 15 picks this season). Pushing for playoffs next season might be a stretch. But who knows what MSL can get out of whatever lineup they ice next season.

Dach is getting better by the game. I feel like Chicago is going to regret that trade for a long time. Really liking what I’ve been seeing from Anderson lately too. Armia is always a mixed bag. He looks great for a game or two. Them pulls a disappointing act. He’s been good since coming back from injury though

Xhekaj brings more than just being an enforcer. He can actually play and has seen power play time this season. He can skate, has a good shot and a good first pass. He has the same number of goals as Hughes. (5). MSL had his pairing matched up against McDavid in yesterdays game. He brings something to the lineup that’s hard to find and hard to replace. Boeser would be redundant and arguably the 3rd best RW in Montreal. Boeser is the better player. No argument, but Xhekaj is a better fit for Montreal.

Montreal won’t do that. Evans I’d a solid bottom 6 C on an affordable contract. Xhekaj is found money. He’s a big, physical D who can actually skate and contribute offensively. Players like him are tough to find in todays NHL Boeser isn’t a good fit for Montreal. He’s slow, a perimeter player and has a massive cap hit. Plus Montreal has Caufield and Anderson as their top 2 RW. Rathbone wouldn’t be an attractive asset to Montreal. They already have much better young D on the team and better prospects in the pipeline (Hutson, Mailloux, Norlinder)

Good call

Columbus wouldn’t do this either. 4+ seasons of $1m dead cap for the rights to an unsigned college player?

There’s zero chance the team that wins the lottery sees that offer as more attractive than a true generational player. Plus, your offer isn’t even possible. If the Isles pick is 12th they keep it. It has to be 13th or higher

He’s looked good in his rookie season. Should be a solid second pairing puck mover for them

I don’t know where you’re getting the I go that Gorton doesn’t value Xhekaj. There are a number of reports that Gorton learned the value of players like him while he was with the Rangers and the team had no answer to the way Tom Wilson was manhandling Panarin. Also. Gorton isn’t the GM. Kent Hughes is. And both he and MSL clearly value what Xhekaj brings to the lineup.

Montreal isn’t moving Xhekaj. Also. I don’t see how this trade supposedly serves Montreals needs. They already have a number of small wingers with more on the way. They also have better offensive d prospects than the undersized Rathbone. Finally, they’re going to need the cap space from Hoffman’s expiring contract to pay for raises for guys like Caufield and Slafkovsky. This trade doesn’t improve then, gives them two undersized redundant players and uses up valuable cap space down the line

He tied 5 players for 7th. Each with a single third place vote. So really not remotely in the Vezina conversation