Imagine if he only shot more, thats what I think most people have a problem with. I know that is my issue with him, he's a good player but until he plays like last year I don't think he is worth 5 million dollars. Right now he looks like the 40-45 point Flip from previous years.
Keep in mind though that he's only played 22 games. While it looks like a big difference when you extrapolate to a full season, right now it's only 3-5 points. Considering he's had next to nothing to work with on the PP, and was missing practices early in the year due to a nagging injury, that shouldn't be unexpected.
I think Tatar has more of a future with Detroit than Nyquist does. Trading Filppula and Nyquist in a package for a scorer makes a lot of sense. But would that be enough?
Not likely. Most deadline deals tend to be picks/prospects for roster players. Something like you suggest would have been more likely in the summer. We'd have to find someone looking to dump salary for next year, and dump players usually aren't all that good.
Our best return would probably come from someone actually looking for a rental. Chicago and Vancouver stand out, as both are looking for centers and both are already near the cap next year. Vancouver could make some moves to keep him long-term if they wanted, Hawks would probably trade his rights at the draft. I'd want something like a 1st and 3rd from them for him, maybe a 4th from the Canucks. It might then be possible to flip that 1st plus Gus for a sniper.
