The Noon Number: 2,175,000

2,175,000.

This is the amount of cash the Vancouver Canucks will have to spend to pick up the following pieces from Sunday's trade:

• One (1) scoring line winger
• Five hundred thousand dollars (500,000) in salary cap space.

I'm sure as hell not paying Steven Reinprecht's salary, and neither are you. Canucks Sports and Entertainment is taking the full cheque to ensure that the Canucks get a couple of key assets as we head into the stretch drive November.

This is the new way that big money teams can capitalize on smaller-market franchises. Short one General Manager who could devise a way for Florida Panthers to spend less on players than the salary cap floor allows, the plucky Southern franchise instead decided to sign a bunch of veteran players to insane four-year contracts in the offseason.

I don't want to get too much into details of the trade because it's been analyzed to death already, but in David Booth, the Canucks are picking up a 25-30 goal scorer who has had concussion issues serious enough to make Dale Tallon worried about his long-term health. An injured player may not count against the cap when you put him on injured reserve, but you still have to pay him, so it's in Florida's best interest to give him up.

Nashville did it this summer when they traded Cody Franson to Toronto for Brett Lebda and what was essentially $7M in cash that was attached to Matthew Lombardi. How this more recent trade works out is that the Canucks get David Booth and a third round pick for two players Tallon can flip at the trade deadline for a couple of draft picks and $2,175,000—Steven Reinprecht's salary, or whatever left of it remains on the books. That salary will be eaten in Chicago by the Wolves, or he'll be waived, but this isn't a player the Canucks care about, and more of a nuisance to the Panthers since they don't have the money to pay the fellow.

I'd normally say that this is a deal that works out for both sides, but Florida got fleeced. They got Francesco Aquilini's couch change for a goal scorer who played 82 games last season. If reports are true and this is really Mike Gillis' guy, I'm sure Florida could have picked a little more out of the Vancouver system. Or any system.