Speculation: Habs just gained $3.75 million in cap space. Trade incoming?

[Captain97]

How about Hall and Ristolainen for Byron, Lehkonen, Leskinen, Kulak, and a 1st rounder...

Go big or go home I say. We've got some great veteran leadership in Weber, Petry, Staal, and Perry and some solid offensive pieces with Toffoli and Anderson but we need to keep adding talent to get past Toronto and Winnipeg.

Can Risto play on the left? If not we'd have to run basically 3 pairs with almost even icetime 5v5.

Edmunson - Petry
Romanov - Weber
Chiraot - Risto

Now I would hat to play against that dcore in a 7 game series. Your gonna get crushed every shift. Our softest Dman would be Petry which is a fun thought.

 

[sansabri]

Habs should start thinking of perhaps moving Tatar and Danault!! They're not getting passed Toronto in the 1st round IMO

thanks for your input

 

[JBear]

I picked Montreal to win the division. On paper their forward group looks really good. What are they missing?

 

[HabsDood]

I picked Montreal to win the division. On paper their forward group looks really good. What are they missing?

Gallagher and Drouin is MIA

 

[Captain97]

I picked Montreal to win the division. On paper their forward group looks really good. What are they missing?

They're biggest problem is a true star forward.

Suzuki, KK, and/or Caufield could all become one but they are all very Young and because of that they are inconsistent. Suzuki and KK have had games where you think they are what we need and other games where you remember how young they are.

 

[Le Magnifique 66]

thanks for your input

My pleasure!! Good luck to you guys!!

 

[JBear]

They're biggest problem is a true star forward.

Suzuki, KK, and/or Caufield could all become one but they are all very Young and because of that they are inconsistent. Suzuki and KK have had games where you think they are what we need and other games where you remember how young they are.

That makes sense thank you. Other than that though, the Habs do have consistent scoring throughout their lineup with Anderson and Toffoli as their big guns. Two players all teams would love on their roster. It's funny because a team like Edmonton heavily relies on it's two top guns but Montreal I would say is the direct opposite. Toronto is maybe a mix of the two in the middle?

 

[John Mandalorian]

Seattle being the bottom feeder team. EJ won,t agree to waive

You just said they'll be looking for young and cheap players.

If you're going to troll, at least be consistent and not contradict yourself immediately after you said the opposite.

 

[Captain97]

That makes sense thank you. Other than that though, the Habs do have consistent scoring throughout their lineup with Anderson and Toffoli as their big guns. Two players all teams would love on their roster. It's funny because a team like Edmonton heavily relies on it's two top guns but Montreal I would say is the direct opposite. Toronto is maybe a mix of the two in the middle?

You are on the right track, our dependable "big guns" are Toffoli, Gallagher, and Anderson. With guys like Tatar, Danault, Perry, etc all helping out.

Gallagher is injured and expected to be back right as the playoffs begin (fractured thumb).

I actually feel like Winnipeg is a better mix of the two. They have star power in their top six and a severely underrated 3rd line.

 

[Mersss]

You just said they'll be looking for young and cheap players.

If you're going to troll, at least be consistent and not contradict yourself immediately after you said the opposite.

EJ won't take the chance of being selected (Sakic could pay SEA to pick him)

Therefore, he won't waive. He has NO reason to do so whatsoever. Yeah SEA will be looking for younger guys, but if Francis contacts Sakic and tell him he'd pick EJ for a 1st + Bowers (for ex), pretty sure Sakic would accept

 

[John Mandalorian]

EJ won't take the chance of being selected (Sakic could pay SEA to pick him)

Therefore, he won't waive. He has NO reason to do so whatsoever. Yeah SEA will be looking for younger guys, but if Francis contacts Sakic and tell him he'd pick EJ for a 1st + Bowers (for ex), pretty sure Sakic would accept

You just said Seattle wants young and inexpensive players. That's not an unreasonable observation. By that logic, EJ is neither, he wouldn't need to worry.

You're right in how they will likely be trying to weaponize cap space. This would mean drafting someone like MacDonald (not Graves). EJ has no value to them.

I'm not saying its impossible that they pick Graves but if they're truly embracing the strategy of weaponizing cap space, it will most likely be MacDonald.

 

[The Marsh King]

Gallagher and Drouin is MIA

Yep pretty much this. I'm secretly hoping that the habs package drouin+ for a first line LW if such a deal is possible. Habs have more than enough depth everywhere, time to trade talent for talent where possible.

 

[Sparksrus3]

Hoffman with retention by the Blues?

retain his girlfriend and teams will welcome the player

 

[HuGo Sham]

I picked Montreal to win the division. On paper their forward group looks really good. What are they missing?

a top 4, puck moving left D-man

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

a top 4, puck moving left D-man

It’s only been a hole for 4 years, cut MB some slack

 

[HuGo Sham]

It’s only been a hole for 4 years, cut MB some slack

 

[MSSLYNX]

Yep pretty much this. I'm secretly hoping that the habs package drouin+ for a first line LW if such a deal is possible. Habs have more than enough depth everywhere, time to trade talent for talent where possible.

Got to define +... drouin gets you nothing much when you consider production vs salary.
+ will have to be significant to land a lw1.
What are you secretly offering as a +?
Some unknown prospect? A 5th that could turn into a 4th?
Spare parts Armia, Byron, Lehkonen, Mete?
Not sure about depth everywhere.

 

[Grand Admiral Thrawn]

I would like Drouin and Tatar to somehow be replaced by Hoffman and Schwartz.

We'll throw in our 1st in 2021, Brook, Struble and a toaster strudel

 

[Grand Admiral Thrawn]

Habs should start thinking of perhaps moving Tatar and Danault!! They're not getting passed Toronto in the 1st round IMO

Oh they will face TO in round 1 and they will eliminate TO in that same round.

 

[Didalee Hed]

It’s not every guy that gets to sign multiple six year contracts in any professional sport, never mind two of them with the same team.

 

[glenbuis]

I would like Drouin and Tatar to somehow be replaced by Hoffman and Schwartz.

We'll throw in our 1st in 2021, Brook, Struble and a toaster strudel

No need to give up assets . Tatar can walk at the end of the year . Drouin can be shipped somewhere I hope . If toffoli is cool on the left side we need two good left wingers and a puck moving left d .

maybe Taylor hall and Schwartz .
Halll danault gallagher
Schwartz suzuki Anderson
Toffoli kotkaniemi caufield

 

[Goal Caufield50]

Could see Montreal taking a flyer on Hall.

I expect they will be outbid

 

[Freudian]

We shall see. No way he waves in order to go to a bottom feeder team, no reason too. He'll make more money forcing the Avs to buy him out and gettinf another contract.

So either they go 4-4, and lose Kadri, or go 7-3 and lose Toews if they decide no to buy out EJ.

It'll be fun to watch

Seattle won't pick a 33 year old defender that can't stay healthy with a cap hit of $6M. EJ is perfectly safe waiving his NMC for the expansion draft.

There is zero chance Avs risk Toews getting claimed by Seattle.

 

[Baksfamous112]

Either your math is terrible or you don’t know how buyouts work. It’s $2mm for four years. Plus we get relief in 2022 and 2023 vs what would have been his $6mm AAV.

he also knows seattle won’t take him. Hockey players waive NMC all the time. He’ll waive his and Seattle will take Graves or Donskoi anyway.

I’m not saying this will automatically happen but didn’t a similar scenario happened with Phaneuf and he ended up never waiving his NMC?

Depends on the team. Graves is 3rd pairing on the AVs, but playing on the Habs would be 2nd pairing.

Nice sell job on Graves but he’s been very underwhelming this season compared to last year. Reminds me a bit of the Kulak situation with Montreal. I personally am not interested in adding Graves and its cap hit to Montreal as I think it serves no purpose and he isn’t better than of our top 6 D (or is much a minimal upgrade that it isn’t worth it)

 

[Baksfamous112]

Seattle won't pick a 33 year old defender that can't stay healthy with a cap hit of $6M. EJ is perfectly safe waiving his NMC for the expansion draft.

There is zero chance Avs risk Toews getting claimed by Seattle.

They probably won’t pick him but they can surely leverage Sakic/EJ clan into thinking they would pick him if he waived, therefor making it impossible to EJ and his clan to safely waive his NMC.

When you think of it, why would Francis tells Sakic/EJ clan « Yeah, no issues there, you can waive buddy and I ain’t going to pick you. That way you guys can protect an asset in Toews that would make a lot of sense for me to pick »

It makes all the sense in the world for Francis to tell Sakic « I’m interested in a veteran and leadership. If EJ waive, he’s my guy - Just so you know » and back Sakic into a corner where he has to pay a premium to SEA to not take Toews or let him unprotected and pick up a very solid PMD in his prime. Either way, SEA end up on the winning side of this negotiation. This is called leverage.