Proposal: Drouin to Edm at the draft

[HOPE]

There is a clutter of wingers right now in Montreal. Also have to remember that once Poehling comes in and a guy like Cozens, you have Domi moving back to LW.

You also have to account for Suzuki coming in on the right side, and several other prospects drafted in the past 2 years that will be pushing for a top 9 W spot (Ylonen, Ikonen, McShane, Teasdale, etc.)

Domi - Danault - Gallagher
Tatar - Kotkaniemi - Suzuki
Lehkonen - Cozens - Armia
Byron - Poehling - Shaw
Deslauriers/Peca/Hudon/Weise

As such, Drouin is definitely expandable since Suzuki will play a similar game to his.

4th OA (Cozens) + 33OA (Another guy in the mold of Romanov and Ylonen) for Drouin, a middle 1st, cap space for 2 years (that wouldn't be used anyway), and Lindgren + Fonstad?

That not only helps Edmonton replenish their prospect pool without sacrificing next year entirely as they still get to pick in the 1st round, it also reduces their cap hell with little to no effect on Montreal's cap situation.

lmao no way, tatar is the odd winger out if domi gets move to the wing...

 

[Kraken Jokes]

EDM can't afford to take on Drouin's cap hit without the Habs taking a cap dump.

Habs aren't interested in trading their 1st line winger for a 50/50 gamble, especially if they have to take on a cap dump on top of it.

/thread

 

[Scintillating10]

I think the Habs can hit for a way better prospect than Nurse with a 4th or fifth selection... I wouldnt do Drouin for Nurse 1 on 1 personally... LHD can be adressed in time and Josh Brook can play both sides so Im more interested by the pick personally... There is also Byram we could draft with that pick and would solve our LDH issue for a long time...

That pick is a few years away. Habs are contending next season.

 

[The Great Weal]

That pick is a few years away. Habs are contending next season.

According to who? Suzuki, Brook and Poehling will be in their first year of pro hockey while Romanov is still in the KHL.

 

[Goldenhands]

That pick is a few years away. Habs are contending next season.

What??? Is there something that Im missing or you have privilege infos?

 

[Scintillating10]

What??? Is there something that Im missing or you have privilege infos?

They are getting close

 

[Goldenhands]

They are getting close

Maybe if you sign a vet center like Stall and move Domi on the wing, but if you dont add a decent top 6 center, I cant see it happening since Kotkaniemi likely wont be ready for the tougher matchups for another year, physically he isnt there yet and probably wont be next year too...

 

[xNogaitx]

It certainly helps Edmonton. The point is that I think Montreal could do more with the assets they are giving up. Cozens is probably not ready to step in. If everything works out they have too many wingers yes, but they have a massive hole on LD. If MB is going to spend those kind off assets he spends it on LD not on a prospect centre when it seems the centre problems of the last 25 years have been resolved.

Domi - Kotkaniemi - Gallagher
Drouin - Danault - Suzuki
Tatar - Poehling - Byron
Lehkonen - Shaw - Armia
Deslauriers/Peca/Hudon/Weise

LD isn't as much of an issue as people make it. Montreal will be signing Jimmy Schuldt at the end of this season for the offseason and next few years.
If his stats are anything like that of Will Butcher, Montreal has a potential top 4 LD coming their way from the NCAA.

Then there's Romanov after next season, Mete will only improve, Kulak will do on the bottom fair for a few years to come I'd have to think.

Benn likely gets moved for a 3rd round pick at the TDL. Frolin will be the stop gap for the rest of the season and Cale Fleury will likely have his chances.

There is still a plethora of wingers that needs to be moved by the organisation.

What do stanley cup contenders and winners have in common? 2-3 years of being able to pick in the top 5:

Ovechkin, Backstrom
Toews, Kane
Crosby, Malkin, Fleury
Stamkos, Hedman
Matthews, Marner
And on, and on, and on.

Montreal needs another top 5 draft pick (that pans out) if they want to have a chance at becoming something, they need a game breaker.

They have lots and lots of more than capable players, that will give you the 30-50 points offense and lots of grind and effort, but to win championships, you need game breakers.

Drouin, Domi, and as of yet, Kotkaniemi are all guys that can do that from time to time but not consistently (although Kokta may evolve into one, he's still super young).

I would value a Cozens + a player like Ylonen drafted at 33-34OA over a Drouin any day.

 

[Halla]

top 3 pick for drouin + scraps?

yeah not happenin!

 

[Scintillating10]

Maybe if you sign a vet center like Stall and move Domi on the wing, but if you dont add a decent top 6 center, I cant see it happening since Kotkaniemi likely wont be ready for the tougher matchups for another year, physically he isnt there yet and probably wont be next year too...

The pick won't help for 3-4 years. By then Peice is 35, Weber 37 and Gallagher 30. Which is old for him as he plays hardnosed. Nurse helps now

 

[Hostile Offer]

Montreal should definitely consider moving Drouin and using that dead cap space if it guarantees them a guy like Cozens being drafted.

Danault 6'1
Kotkaniemi 6'2
Cozens 6'3
Poehling 6'2

That would be lethal.

I would rework the trade though:

Edmonton:
Drouin, Jonathan
Fonstad, Cole (5th rd 2018 pick, was supposed to go early 3rd, has improved his draft position significantly since.)
Lindgren, Charlie
2019 1st rd pick (17-23 range)
2019 Oilers 5th rd pick

Montreal:
Russell, Kris 4M AAV
Manning, Brandon 2.25M AAV
Benning, Matthew 1.9M AAV
2019 Oilers 1st rd pick (3-4th OA)
2019 Oilers 2nd rd pick (32-35th OA)

Oilers effectively move out 2.65M AAV in salaries. They still have a pick in the 1st round, just that they drop a 15ish spots to Yamamoto territory.

Horrific. Unless that Oilers pick is top 2, giving up Drouin+taking on some cap dumps to upgrade our pick is absolutely not worth it.

 

[bobholly39]

I mean Edmonton could end up with 1st overall pick or with the 14th overall pick....worlds of difference in terms of value

Hard to comment on whether or not i like this without knowing. Esp since the trade is proposed to happen at the draft after the lottery

 

[slybel]

Congratulations?

And yes, you overpaid. Sergachev has more value today. Even if you don't like him, his value is higher today than it was at the time of the trade. Drouin's is less. It was a mistake of a trade.

wow.... The guy is only 23 and doing well for us. Yes... being french Berg had to give a bit... but he will get better.

 

[xNogaitx]

Horrific. Unless that Oilers pick is top 2, giving up Drouin+taking on some cap dumps to upgrade our pick is absolutely not worth it.

More like a top 4 pick, and a pick in the 33-35 range.

With the other 2 2nds Montreal has, and the fact that the prospect pool is getting deep, Montreal can then afford to package those 2nds to go and land another 1st round pick around the 18-23 mark.
That's two solid picks in the first round for Montreal to accelerate the rebuild and strengthen the future core around Kotkaniemi.

Say it ends up being Cozens (C) & Broberg (LD). If those two live up to their potential (1B Center, and Top 4 LD), those assets are much more valuable than a non-elite 1st line LW.

 

[Hostile Offer]

More like a top 4 pick, and a pick in the 33-35 range.

With the other 2 2nds Montreal has, and the fact that the prospect pool is getting deep, Montreal can then afford to package those 2nds to go and land another 1st round pick around the 18-23 mark.
That's two solid picks in the first round for Montreal to accelerate the rebuild and strengthen the future core around Kotkaniemi.

Say it ends up being Cozens (C) & Broberg (LD). If those two live up to their potential (1B Center, and Top 4 LD), those assets are much more valuable than a non-elite 1st line LW.

That's a lot of if's. Drouin is young and a proven top 6 player. It would be plain stupid to trade him for magic beans unless those magic beans are can't-miss types, and I don't consider any of the prospects in the 2019 class to be that outside of Hughes and Kakko. Habs can stay the course, keep Drouin and the cap space and the prospects, draft someone in the mid 1st round and not gamble on the Oilers' pick. A top 5 pick disappointing big time is not a rarity.

 

[xNogaitx]

That's a lot of if's. Drouin is young and a proven top 6 player. It would be plain stupid to trade him for magic beans unless those magic beans are can't-miss types, and I don't consider any of the prospects in the 2019 class to be that outside of Hughes and Kakko. Habs can stay the course, keep Drouin and the cap space and the prospects, draft someone in the mid 1st round and not gamble on the Oilers' pick. A top 5 pick disappointing big time is not a rarity.

And then the Price, Galchenyuk, Kotkaniemi cycle can continue if that's the case.

Habs fall low enough one year to draft top 5, get a solid player, get back into the middle of the pack, have 2-3 good years, 2-3 middle ones, suck again, get another top 5 pick, have 2-3 other good years, 2-3 middle ones, suck again, get another top 5 pick, etc.

You need top end guys (more than one) to have a shot at the cup. Kotkaniemi can't carry this team alone, neither did Galchenyuk, nor did Price.

 

[Hostile Offer]

And then the Price, Galchenyuk, Kotkaniemi cycle can continue if that's the case.

Habs fall low enough one year to draft top 5, get a solid player, get back into the middle of the pack, have 2-3 good years, 2-3 middle ones, suck again, get another top 5 pick, have 2-3 other good years, 2-3 middle ones, suck again, get another top 5 pick, etc.

You need top end guys (more than one) to have a shot at the cup. Kotkaniemi can't carry this team alone, neither did Galchenyuk, nor did Price.

This is a weird strategy you're having, forcing something that makes us certainly worse today and in the near future, and possibly worse in the long term too. You're right, we need more guys around Kotkaniemi to contend, but Drouin is one of those guys. Most likely not the superstar we wanted him to become but players with his talent don't grow in trees either.