Proposal: Montreal and their Centre woes
- Thread starter Captain Controversy
- Start date
BLNY
Registered User
None. No amount of rearranging deck chairs will address the center position this season. It's nothing but grasping at straws.
Looking at the two players you suggest, there are a myriad of issues.
1. You're talking about $10.4 million in salary. I can't think of one team interesting in taking on that much cap and/or have a player they'd be willing to part with.
2. Remove Galchenyuk from the LW discussion for a moment. Montreal's left side is crowded. Pacioretty, Drouin, Lehkonen and Byron. Lehkonen is poised for a 20g season. Byron showed what he could do given a chance. I expect a dip, but he'll still be valuable. Neither player is a 4th line player. Pacioretty is a first line lw. Drouin is a #2 at least. So, you've got 4 guys for three spots. I think Max should move to the rw as he scores so much from that side. Even so, you're still full on the lw. That means Alex is back at center. Trade him and you're not 'adding' you're simply moving out one piece for another and still have Plekanec as your likely #2.
Best to ride out the season.
Looking at the two players you suggest, there are a myriad of issues.
1. You're talking about $10.4 million in salary. I can't think of one team interesting in taking on that much cap and/or have a player they'd be willing to part with.
2. Remove Galchenyuk from the LW discussion for a moment. Montreal's left side is crowded. Pacioretty, Drouin, Lehkonen and Byron. Lehkonen is poised for a 20g season. Byron showed what he could do given a chance. I expect a dip, but he'll still be valuable. Neither player is a 4th line player. Pacioretty is a first line lw. Drouin is a #2 at least. So, you've got 4 guys for three spots. I think Max should move to the rw as he scores so much from that side. Even so, you're still full on the lw. That means Alex is back at center. Trade him and you're not 'adding' you're simply moving out one piece for another and still have Plekanec as your likely #2.
Best to ride out the season.
The Great Weal
Phil's Pizza
- Jan 15, 2015
- 52,693
- 65,776
Little, Backlund, Tavares, Duchene, RNH are some that might be a potential target in FA or forcing a team to trade one in order for that team to have some cap space.
Hostile Offer
Artist formerly known as Eagle Peninsula
We can't afford to lose Petry unless Juulsen is an NHL ready surefire top 4 dman, which he isn't.
Our centre problem is entirely overstated. Would adding an established piece be nice? Of course it would. But Galchenyuk was solid for 40ish games last year and another 25 or so the season before. We have too much depth on the wing for him to play anywhere but centre
To start the season.
Danault just had a 40 point year in his first full season at center. To demand that he has to be a third
Line center for this team to be successful is pandering.
Let's have some patience people. Let's see if maybe we have a 1C in Galchenyuk, and a 2C in Danault before trading our leading scorer or top draft pick in my lifetime for some cast off bottom third 1C making ourselves marginally better (debatable) this year only to be worse for the next 5. There should be some solid UFA centres available at the deadline this year if we need to improve. And by the deadline we Will know what we are looking at. And it won't mean mortgaging the future.
All this center talk and people continue to ignore that we have a huge hole next to Weber. Do people really think Jerabak or Davidsok or Schlemko is more likely to be successful as a top pairing D (assuming Alzner partners with Perry) next To Weber than Galchenyuk and Danault can be down the middle?
To start the season.
Danault just had a 40 point year in his first full season at center. To demand that he has to be a third
Line center for this team to be successful is pandering.
Let's have some patience people. Let's see if maybe we have a 1C in Galchenyuk, and a 2C in Danault before trading our leading scorer or top draft pick in my lifetime for some cast off bottom third 1C making ourselves marginally better (debatable) this year only to be worse for the next 5. There should be some solid UFA centres available at the deadline this year if we need to improve. And by the deadline we Will know what we are looking at. And it won't mean mortgaging the future.
All this center talk and people continue to ignore that we have a huge hole next to Weber. Do people really think Jerabak or Davidsok or Schlemko is more likely to be successful as a top pairing D (assuming Alzner partners with Perry) next To Weber than Galchenyuk and Danault can be down the middle?
Tankster*
Registered User
Warden of the North
Ned Stark's head
This reminds me of Leafs fans saying "our C depth is fine. We have Bozak, Kadri, and Grabovski".
It wasnt fine. Without a #1 to handle those hard minutes the rest are mis-cast. It has allowed Kadri and Bozak to properly slot where they should be.
Tankster*
Registered User
Oh please you were scoring on avg. 3-4 goals a game. Had you had a little defense and a goalie that could actually stop a puck you would have done alright.
Warden of the North
Ned Stark's head
You dont think any of the defensive problems were because the C was overmatched in almost every circumstance?
Who was the last Cup winner without a strong 1C?
I believe that Little and Tavares are UFAs next summer, so perhaps that is an option (assuming either or both make it to UFA status). It won't help Montreal this season, unless the Jets and/or the Isles decide to make a trade at the TDL. If that happens with Tavares, the price would likely be very high, at least much higher than a traditional UFA rental price IMO.
Duchene has two years left, so it seems foolish to wait that situation out in an effort to try to sign him in the summer of 2019. It would also mean that two seasons of Price's prime have passed and Weber is two years older, which would not be ideal if Montreal is in its current window to compete for a cup.
Tankster*
Registered User
My opinion was and still is, when you had these centers. You were scoring by bunches, but losing games 6-5. Sounds more like Defense and Goalie problems. The Leafs goalies have sucked for years.
I would think they would target RNH, with draisaitls new contract they need to save some money on their centers with mcdavid at 12.5, draisaitl at 8.5 and RNH at 6, RNH would come cheap
Cousin Eddie
You Serious Clark?
- Nov 3, 2006
- 40,146
- 37,298
Bergevin should and better trade his first round draft pick in 2018 at the trade deadline for someone like Bryan Little,if the Jets are not in playoff contention,if you are trying to win now with a veteran team.
I never said our center depth is fine. I said that we don't really know what our center depth is. Galchenyuk has had been really good as a center for significant stretches. Can he find a bit more stability this year at the position? I don't know, but I would rather give him a shot to start the season than to trade our leading scorer in Pacioretty for another question mark at center.
Danault is going into his 3rd full season. You mention Bozak, well if Danault can have the same jump in offense that Bozak did going from his second to third season than he'll be solidify himself as a 2C as he already has the defensive game.
So again, I would much rather give the guys we have a shot to establish themselves than give the high end assets required to acquire a center right now. This team has shown it's good enough to compete with the centers we have (something that your Leafs never did). If they aren't good enough, upgrade at the deadline.
Our centers have a shot at developing and being good enough, or LD likely does not. Hence fix that problem now, judge the centers tomorrow.
I don't think it is realistic to expect Montreal to throw in an extra first in that kind of proposal. Could be a one for one swap, it depends on what the particular teams think of the other player. Galchenyuk is a little younger and signed for one more year, but is also less proven as a consistent NHL center compared to Duchene. I am not sure that Galchenyuk will flourish as a center with Claude Julien. The Avs would have to change their expectations and their laser focus on defense to consider it.
Leafs team defence was poor early in the season when 9 rookies and new players were new to the team, After February 1st the Leafs were in the top half defensively. Realistically the Leafs Dmen collectively are far superior to the Habs group now.
I don't know really don't what the urgency is for the Canadians to get a top centre this year. This year seems to lost and the Canadian should start their cap and player strategy for 2020.
Last edited by a moderator:
