4 Way-Too-Early NHL Trade Packages for Rasmus Dahlin Amid Rumors

The Buffalo Sabres want to win. Allegedly.

So trading their captain and number one defenseman, Rasmus Dahlin, doesn't make sense, and the party line (sensibly) is that they don't intend to trade him. But as always in the NHL, rumors abound, and if the Sabres don't shape up in the near future, we could see Dahlin himself request a trade.

Given that he would be the rare legitimately high-value player going onto the trade block, what might that return look like? 

A trade package that starts to balance the scales isn't something that we see often in the modern NHL, but let's take a swing at it anyway. If you think a package sounds insane, that's on purpose. If you think a package is insulting, that's also on purpose. I'm just trying to cover the whole range of NHL general managers here.

With all of these trades, I'm fudging a little to make the money work—math isn't my job, delivering you trade proposals so out of orbit Ken Holland would write them in his diary is. But I've tried to get close.

Carolina Hurricanes

Luke Hales/Getty Images

Shayne Gostisbehere

The Trade Offer: Rasmus Dahlin (D) for Shayne Gostisbehere (D), Ryan Suzuki (C)

Reasoning Why: 

The Carolina Hurricanes are 6-1-0, but you'd never know it from the chatter on The Platform Formerly Known as Twitter. Regardless of their on-paper record in late October, though, everyone is already looking ahead to the playoffs and whether the Hurricanes will once again look like a completely different team. They've been highly touted as Cup contenders for quite a few years now with nothing to show for it; they're going to be gunning hard for different results this year.

That's where acquiring Rasmus Dahlin comes in. 

Moving out Shayne Gostisbehere, much like Rielly in the Toronto trade proposal, is no slight to Gostisbehere. Frankly, to get value, you have to give up value, and Shayne Gostisbehere is a great player. If your captain, an excellent defenseman, requests a trade and you're somehow able to get a great defenseman in return, you jump at the chance. (This won't happen in the real NHL. No one is this sensible or generous.) And again, much like with Rielly, Gostisbehere is 32 to Dahlin's 25. The Canes get younger, the Sabres get an experienced veteran.

Ryan Suzuki is just in here to give him a fresh start that I personally feel he would benefit significantly from, and because it moves a little more money around to leave the Canes with flexibility.

Philadelphia Flyers

Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Owen Tippett

The Trade Offer: Rasmus Dahlin (D) for Owen Tippett (RW), Emil Andrae (D), conditional 1st-round pick

Reasoning Why: 

I wanted at least one "this doesn't really make sense, but why the hell not" option, because when a bidding war for a high-end player happens, there's always that one surprising team that comes out of the woodwork. The Philadelphia Flyers acquired Trevor Zegras over the summer. They're clearly working toward building a contending team. So why the hell not?

Acquiring Rasmus Dahlin gives the Flyers a true number one defenseman, and I say this with no shade to the talented defensemen they do have (I am a big Cam York liker, hopefully he is uninjured soon). Dahlin instantly elevates that blue line and frees up other defensemen to play to their strengths while he shoulders more heavy competition.

Going back the other way, the Sabres get a solid goal-scorer in Owen Tippett, a defenseman who needs a fresh start in Emil Andrae, and a first-round pick that I imagine would be conditional on the Flyers making it at least out of the first round of the playoffs, if not further.

New York Rangers

Vitor Munhoz/NHLI via Getty Images

Alexis Lafreniere

The Trade Offer: Rasmus Dahlin (D) for Alexis Lafreniere (LW), Brennan Othmann (LW), 1st-round pick with Buffalo retaining salary

Reasoning Why: Once you get past Adam Fox, the New York Rangers' defense gets a little dicey. Trading away K'Andre Miller isn't the smartest move in the book; who knew? Everyone knew.

As I imagine, the Rangers hired Mike Sullivan with the hope of getting deep in the playoffs sooner rather than later, and they, too, find themselves in need of a stellar defenseman to bolster that blue line. Rasmus Dahlin will do that. Provided he and Sullivan don't develop whatever low-simmering beef Sullivan seemed to have with Dahlin's fellow Swede Erik Karlsson in Pittsburgh.

In terms of return, Alexis Lafreniere is still a valuable forward who could be a real asset to the Sabres. And if I'm being frank, moving out his salary helps make the money work, though Buffalo would still have to retain some amount of salary. Lafreniere and our other forward, Brennan Othmann, could both benefit from a change of scenery—Othmann in particular, who has been yanked around a bit and would likely look much better with a confidence boost. Then we have that first-round pick thrown in to even out the value and make retaining more worthwhile.

Toronto Maple Leafs 

Nic Antaya/Getty Images

Morgan Reilly

The Trade Offer: Rasmus Dahlin (D) for Morgan Rielly (D), Nick Robertson (LW), 3rd-round pick

Reasoning Why: 

The Toronto Maple Leafs want to win a Stanley Cup so badly that I wouldn't be surprised if Brad Treliving is constantly seeing that trophy just out of the corner of his eye, haunting him like the spectre of a particularly bad ex-girlfriend.

You know what helps you win the Stanley Cup? A really good number one defenseman.

And this is absolutely no shade to Morgan Rielly, who is a very good player, but he's not quite that. And he's 31 to Rasmus Dahlin's 25. With a younger, intelligent defenseman who is an excellent skater, Toronto's blue line is instantly elevated. Buffalo gets back a veteran presence who is still an effective player (and captain material), which Buffalo would need after trading away Dahlin.

Including Nick Robertson is to both give Robertson a fresh start somewhere that isn't Toronto and to add a little bit of offense to Buffalo's lineup. I genuinely think that with Robertson in a new environment, we could see a different player (to be clear, the one we have seen isn't bad). And that third-round pick is to smooth out any rough edges. General managers love throwing in picks to finish off trades, like sprinkles on ice cream.