Proposal: Trade Proposal Thread: Gearing Up for the Off-season Editon

[montreal]

So what do the Habs do aside from fixing internal issues that likely won't be fixed. While people want Pac gone, we have too many RW's if all used there,

Galchenyuk
Drouin
Scherbak
Lehkonen
Gallagher
Shaw

The only I'm not sure about is Drouin, if he's at his best at RW or LW since it's clearly not at center.

Then there's the dreadful blueline unless Weber's injury is career ending, in no order,

Weber
Reilly
Petry
Mete
Juulsen
Alzner
Schlemko
Benn
Valiev
Lernout

That's 10, now either or both of Mete/Juulsen can go to the AHL without having to clear waivers and I'm sure any of Benn, Alzner and Schlemko would clear but if not who cares. Not that management would do that since I'm sure in their minds we are playoff bound for sure.

There's also the battle of the 4th liners,

DLR
Froese
McCarron
Deslauriers
Carr
waivers Shaw
Rychel

So clearly we have to make some moves either at the draft or before the season starts.

Click to read more...

 

[sampollock]

if the only thing MB can focus on is John T, then we are doomed,

love to sign him, but there is 15 other teams going to try as well.

 

[DXStriker]

I can totally picture and mostly expect MB to overpay MAJOR on Bozak or Statsny

 

[Rapala]

Wow that looks pretty bad.

One of the issues I run into when trying to determine what may or may not happen or indeed what should happen is End Game.
A few years back I thought we were getting close enough to reverse engineer the ideal team make-up for a SCF appearance at the very least. My Bad as management were happy to stand pat and simply try to make the dance. So if our goal is simply to return to the post season the moves will be far different than trying to build a young core geared towards building a championship team. As it stands our management is going to opt for door number one and this is leaving more than one fan apathetic.

 

[axman88]

Sign Tavares 12-13 per year

or

Sign 2 of the following at a combined 11-13 per year (or less depending on the players chosen)

Stastny/Filpulla/Thornton/Sedin/Vermette/Bozak

 

[voyageur]

I still think you are going to see Pacioretty to Columbus. They would like a scoring winger. They have a narrow window to win. And need to, because their attendance would sag considerably if they don't.

Boone Jenner is the kind of centre this team doesn't have. Big and mean. I mean there's McCarron, but nobody is optimistic about him. He can't skate. Pacioretty, Mc Carron for Columbus 1st, Jenner and a d prospect.

Add David Perron. He can score. Replaces Pacioretty. And RH shot adds another dimension.

Add Paul Stastny. Leader up the middle.

The two would come at about $14 million in cap space. Should be enough room for that. The loss of Pacioretty and Plekanec saves $10.5 million.

Drouin seems to be playing better without Galchenyuk. Lehkonen is a skater so that's two elite skaters on one line. I'd go with

Lehkonen-Drouin-Perron
Galchenyuk-Stastny-Scherbak

Top 2 centres are interchangeable. And if Drouin struggles, which is not a given, Danault could step up, move Drouin to the wing, push Lehkonen down to the 4th.

Byron-Jenner-Gallagher, shutdown line, Jenner adds that edge. As a guy who has scored 30, and now has 6, I'd say he could produce about 20 flanking those two wingers. If Poehling develops, Jenner moves to the wing.

Deslauriers-Danault-A. Shaw

Deslauriers gets in because he kills penalties.

I'd say PK ends up

Deslauriers-Danault
Byron-Gallagher (Captain kills penalties, rather well too)
Lehkonen-Jenner

That's a 4 line team though. With a lot more size and skill.

Hudon can hang around. I'd keep Froese. 4th line PKer, C/RW always good to have. Journeyman or not.

Defense:

Mete-Weber
Reilly-Petry
Alzner-Juulsen
Benn, Valiev

Benn is there to replace the bigger d, in relief, Valiev the better skaters.

Defense isn't slow. I mean Alzner is, but he and Juulsen form a PK duo.

As do Mete-Weber.

I think Lernout competes with Juulsen for a spot out of camp. Would be nice to add another LH defenseman for depth, so entry-level.

I'd trade DLR for whatever you can get. Someone to help Laval. Carr signs as a tweener, which he is.
Bring in a guy like Chaput for the Rocket, and a veteran goalie...Would Niemi play 3rd string in Montreal? Signed to a one way. He'd be good to have around, especially when integrating prospects like Ikonen. Taormina is already in the minors. So Schlemko should go, I say Edmonton would take him. They need PKers.

I think that's enough of a team to get to the dance.

1. Toronto (with Tavares)
2. Boston
3. Montreal
4. Tampa (because their d is slower

And you have 6 picks in the first 2 rounds. Something to build with.

 

[groovejuice]

Sign Tavares 12-13 per year

or

Sign 2 of the following at a combined 11-13 per year (or less depending on the players chosen)

Stastny/Filpulla/Thornton/Sedin/Vermette/Bozak

Expensive, temporary patches are not what's needed at this point. The foundation is rotten and putting a coat of paint on the fence isn't solving the fundamental problems.

This is probably exactly what Bergevin will try to do though; pricy, temporary additions that might get the team to the playoffs without addressing the flaws that he, himself has created through inaction and deluded evaluations of his players.

Nothing short of a complete turnover of management will suffice. 6 years is enough to determine that these guys cannot get the job done.

 

[Sterling Archer]

If you can’t draft a centre, you have to PAY for them.

 

[Price is Wright]

Trade Weber once he's 100% cleared.
Trade Pacioretty at the draft.
Trade Gallagher at the draft.
Get Petry's list and see if there's a fit.
Find Galchenyuk a new home where he isn't abused (and if you think it's all his fault you want him gone anyway so don't complain)
See if Price still wants to stay with a team that looks like that.
Play Shaw and Alzner 20+ minutes a game.

Should be able to draft some great players in 18-19 and 19-20 with that setup.

 

[EXPOS123]

Short of signing Tavares (which is a pipe dream), our only solution to getting a centreman is through a trade.

As discussed ad nauseam, we have Max to dangle, but then that would create a hole on the wing.

What do you guys think of James Van Reimsdyk?

Still relatively young with a potential to score 25-30 a year.

If we were to sign him and trade Patches to get that center, you would have a possible line of DROUIN- XXX JVR.

 

[groovejuice]

Nothing short of a total putsch will do. You don't keep hiring the handyman crew for your home who installed wiring that doesn't meet code, plumbing that leaks and insulation that's 50% asbestos.

Adding competency and imagination are the first steps to rebuilding. Anything else is likely to be a miserable failure.

 

[Hannibal]

Pacioretty will be trade for a center and first round pick at the draft.

Maybe Coyle, RNH, Jenner, etc

 

[jackeymoon]

Just an FYI for Habs fans;

Johnny T is never going to wear the blue, blanc and rouge. Let's say he does go to FA, why in god's name would he come to a team that has less depth than the Islanders, less prospects and an even worse scouting staff? Furthermore, it's not like JT has any allegiance to the city or team and frankly if he's going anywhere it's going to be Buffalo, where his father's name hangs in the rafters.

 

[Draft]

Short of signing Tavares (which is a pipe dream), our only solution to getting a centreman is through a trade.

As discussed ad nauseam, we have Max to dangle, but then that would create a hole on the wing.

What do you guys think of James Van Reimsdyk?

Still relatively young with a potential to score 25-30 a year.

If we were to sign him and trade Patches to get that center, you would have a possible line of DROUIN- XXX JVR.

Is there really a hole on the wing?

Drouin-xxxx-Gallagher
Galchenyuk-xxxx-Scherbak
Lehkonen-Danault-Hudon

 

[ClasslessGuy]

I want to see Big Bac as the center of the 4rt for 82 games no matter what

 

[Captain Mountain]

Is there really a hole on the wing?

Drouin-xxxx-Gallagher
Galchenyuk-xxxx-Scherbak
Lehkonen-Danault-Hudon

Scherbak is not a lock for the NHL, let alone being a top-6 guy. Gallagher is the only RH shot in that entire group, preferabbly you`d have more RH shots. Neither Drouin or Galchenyuk are really top line caliber (although they may develop into them). The wing depth is excellent, but isn`t ideal and there are holes.

 

[Kent Nilsson]

Sign Tavares 12-13 per year

or

Sign 2 of the following at a combined 11-13 per year (or less depending on the players chosen)

Stastny/Filpulla/Thornton/Sedin/Vermette/Bozak

Dude nice job you nailed the exact kind of patch job centers MB probably intents to go for.

 

[DXStriker]

Tavares would be awesome but hypothetically if he hits FA ... It just seems like STL would be the best fit lol and they have the space .

SJ would be a darkhorse as well

 

[Kent Nilsson]

Just an FYI for Habs fans;

Johnny T is never going to wear the blue, blanc and rouge. Let's say he does go to FA, why in god's name would he come to a team that has less depth than the Islanders, less prospects and an even worse scouting staff? Furthermore, it's not like JT has any allegiance to the city or team and frankly if he's going anywhere it's going to be Buffalo, where his father's name hangs in the rafters.

Dont forget we are the Leafs fans 5 years ago. People who believe we have even the slightest chance to sign JT tend to be the same people who think this team is not a complete tire fire. When JT signs somewhere else they'll just start talking about the next big UFA.

 

[blarneylad]

Lots of moving parts. If a cup favourite tanks hard in the 1st round that GM may consider a shakeup. Depending on what his situation looks like, who he has in the system and where they may identify a weakness. Maybe that means all of a sudden said team wasn't willing to trade futures for Pacioretty and all of a sudden are to save face in light of a disappointing playoff.

And lets keep in mind there is no team in the NHL with as bad of a center ice as the habs. Habs truly have the worst center ice. So if JT signs somewhere, that means that team maybe willing to move one of their other bodies.

So many scenarios that are yet to come to life. But if a team goes big on JT they just might be willing to trade a young center for pacioretty to play with JT.

 

[Draft]

Scherbak is not a lock for the NHL, let alone being a top-6 guy. Gallagher is the only RH shot in that entire group, preferabbly you`d have more RH shots. Neither Drouin or Galchenyuk are really top line caliber (although they may develop into them). The wing depth is excellent, but isn`t ideal and there are holes.

My bad, I only put Scherbak there because that's where he's been playing - not because I think he's a lock to be a top-6 next year. It could be any of Lehkonen/Hudon/Byron/Shaw/McCarron/other complimentary players.

If you look at the rest of the top-6 wingers in the league, Galchenyuk, Gallagher and Drouin could arguably be 1b/2a wingers and both Drouin and Galchenyuk can play their off wing. I think my point is that moving Pacioretty still leaves the Habs with several good wingers and three that could potentially crack 50pts (which, at this point in the NHL is essentially the cut-off for top line wingers based on this season's PPG).

 

[WinterLion]

I just don't want to sign a big long term contract that will handcuff us further. I'd rather pick up middle of the road players like Vegas did and let our young players grow.

 

[Unclewhalebone]

Dude nice job you nailed the exact kind of patch job centers MB probably intents to go for.

This might not be the worst thing as long as the guy(s) signed are on 2-3 year deals. Even if the $ is a little high. This way, when (if) the patch up doesn't work, we can turn those guys into futures in a year or 2.

I really think we have to make it a point to keep our draft picks in stable positions, and in places they can succeed. No call ups after 3 game pt streaks in the A. Let them pay their dues.

Gotta trade Patch and 1 of the 3 pylons on D at a bare minimum.

 

[Runner77]

Expensive, temporary patches are not what's needed at this point. The foundation is rotten and putting a coat of paint on the fence isn't solving the fundamental problems.

This is probably exactly what Bergevin will try to do though; pricy, temporary additions that might get the team to the playoffs without addressing the flaws that he, himself has created through inaction and deluded evaluations of his players.

Nothing short of a complete turnover of management will suffice. 6 years is enough to determine that these guys cannot get the job done.

Current management will not dispose of the toxic contracts they signed -- it will take new decision-makers who don't have any face-saving agendas to clean out what they can. Also, when you can't produce any offence and you've been out of the playoffs in 2 of the last 3 years, everyone on the roster should be made available. There is no plan, the team is poorly built, redundant assets abound. You're not going to get the surgery this team needs if the same management individuals are allowed to continue. Simple as that.

 

[DXStriker]

I just don't want to sign a big long term contract that will handcuff us further. I'd rather pick up middle of the road players like Vegas did and let our young players grow.

Statsny or Bozak totally screams this by MB soooo much .