You think about buying out Brouwer to open up cap space?

From a Rangers perspective that trade doesnt make sense:
1) We have plenty of defensive depth and a couple of defensive prospects anyway
2) We already have two good goaltending prospects in the wings and Henrik won't retire for a good 3-4 more years

The only thing I'd be slightly interested in would be Klimchuk but he wouldn't be enough to get Zucc on his own!

As for Brouwer, buying him out now is too soon. He would be on the books for 6 years. The consensus is to give him another year to see what happens, or try (without much luck I am sure) to move him retaining some salary during the season. Next summer he could be bought out and only on the books for another 4 years. He was good in the playoffs on the PP with Johnny and Mony.

What I am really looking at is a trade for a top forward from a team that misses the playoffs and has a scorer that can be added as the final piece. Sorry to say but I think the Rangers are in tough this season, but they always seem to make it into the playoffs.

After I did the trade, I had trouble finding a spot for Zucc. It goes something like this.

The weakness right now is a top RW, and Ferland is the pencilled in guy right now with JG and SM, but if they have had a great season and decide to make the final push by trading for a top forward, then Ferland has worked on line 1. If that's the case then you can't move him off the line. If it hasn't worked during the season, then it is not quite as good a chance to win it all, so you don't make the move for a top forward. A catch 22 really.

I was of the opinion that he Flames have done enough this offseason and should not do anything until it all unfolds in the fall, but after doing this team, I now think they need to make that one big trade for the top RW we have needed since Iggy got old on us.

As there is no clear place where Ferland can show his value. The Flames don't know how to use him, unfortunately. He should be trade bait for the top forward we need. Sad, he is my favorite Flame.

It's still preseason ... Players will over and under achieve and get injured. You're problems are strengths. There's a lot of players that can move around the line up to spark offense, fill in for injury, and opportunities for solid depth scoring. Brouwer's cap hit is the only issue I see and you have to room to handle it as long as ownership doesn't mind.

CAL has done pretty well to improve this year and you're moves add to that. It's looks like it's going to be tough to competing in the West.