Rumor: Victor Mete + Paul Byron on the block

[HuGo Sham]

montreal just had a nightmare of an off-season and jettisoned all the cap space into the orbit. mete signed his contract just on the 9th of october and now needs to be moved?
here the summary of bergevin's work:
- paid a 3rd and 7th for allen, a contract stl probably would have paid to dump later on
- paid a 5th for the ufa rights of edmundson
- extended edmundson for 4yrs/3.5m and handing out a m-ntc and a bonus structure, which makes a buy out less attractive
- extended petry for 4yrs/6.25m although he was signed for another season
- traded rfa rights of domi and 3rd for the rfa rights of anderson
- extended anderson for 7yrs/5.5m and handing out a m-ntc
- extended mete for 1yr/735k
- signed toffoli for 4yrs/4.25m

toffoli is clearly the best value here. seems bergevin had zero handle on the new financial environment. overpaying in every early move and now lacking the cap space to profit from a buyers market. just horrible work.

if i was a canadiens fans i would be furious.

well...this is a ...take. fortunately you're not a habs fan. Curious to know what team you're a fan of?
You can question the deals, but habs had the money and picks to make those moves. And guess what?
they'll have the money to resign their key pieces too.
Petry is great value for being one of only 7 dmen in the league to have 40+ pts the last 3 years.
Anderson is a player they've needed forever. is it risky? absolutely, but in line with what Tom Wilson-type would make.
Nit picking mete at 700K is just idiotic, and exposes your hate.
Allen is only signed for one year while primeau develops.
And guess what? habs have 14 picks next summer + allen off the books, tatar off the books + weal etc...they'll have 12-15 mill minimum to play with and more if they deal byron.
and the cap will be up within 2 years so they'll have more space

so no, most are not furious

 

[HuGo Sham]

I couldn’t be happier myself . The Habs blue line e is quickly becoming the wall of pain and we have more size and scoring up front . Solid backup . There is literally hundreds of posts over the years of Anderson to the leafs and even bruins fans have admitted they wish they had him .

and we're all furious knowing habs EASILY have a top 3 prospect pool on D

 

[Roadhouse]

Harris' stock increased allot last year while Fleury and Brook kind of decreased. I would rank Harris behind Romanov and Norlinder. Harris played a top role for the US in the u-20 world cup and was the most or second used D on Northwestern with an average of 27 min per night.

From an interview with his coach:
Madigan estimates Harris will soon arrive on the NHL scene and eventually develop into a top-four defenceman — certainly on the basis of his sound defence and his fluidity, but also on the strength of his character.
"High-end character," Madigan says. "He just does all the right things. He’s a mature kid. He’s a serious kid. He’s a focused kid. He’s a very quiet kid. There’s a confidence to him. There’s humility to him. He’s not a kid who’s ever going to have diarrhea of the mouth, because that’s not him. He’s not going to be up there yelling and screaming.
"But he is so driven to be good. He works at his game on and off the ice. He’s got tremendous character. He comes from a father that played the game as a goaltender at the collegiate level, so he’s been around hockey a long time, and Jordan is just a delight and a joy to coach."
If you want a sense for how in-tune Madigan is with his players, off the top of his head he precisely notes he played Harris an average of 27:07 per game this past season.

Five intriguing Canadiens prospects: Struble, Harris 'will be good NHL players' - Sportsnet.ca

Behind those two, I can see that. And there's bits in this interview that relate to the 'complete player' aspect I was mentioning. If I'm not mistaken his skating and positioning may be up there with Romanov's if not at times better than Romanov's, if I recall some of the recaps from @montreal correctly. Smooth, mistake-free hockey albeit with no potential to become a serious offensive weapon.

 

[HuGo Sham]

And I agree. Notice I did not defend the other poster's proposal at all? Just Harris' standing on our D prospect list.

yes sir. Several scouts have him just behind norlinder

 

[MarkovsKnee]

What happened with Mete exactly? The Habs seemed to high on him.

Was put into the NHL at 19, but it was way too early for him. Has amazing speed and can skate the puck out. He's gotten better in the corners but still gets beat in front.

Doesn't really pk nor work the pp.

Moving him isn't about getting below the cap. We can do that easily enough.

More about giving him stronger opportunities elsewhere because he's falling fast in our depth chart.

 

[Brownies]

Mete is an interesting player.... Skates like the wind and can be really good to bring the puck to the opposing zone, has some nice instincts on when to join the rush and has good positioning in the D zone. He just loses too many puck battles for now and his weak shot is an issue. He's young, so I would not be surprised to see him improve defensively as he gets more experience in the league, which will allow him to also get back some of the mojo he had on offence in his junior days. I'm a believer but would not be surprised to see him blossom with another team... It happens.

 

[Roadhouse]

yes sir. Several scouts have him just behind norlinder

Yes ok. That's not what @Cenzo_ had originally said though, which was "some rank him the Habs best D prospect". I agree having him behind Romanov and Norlinder is reasonable.

 

[Wats]

I think the hope was he could develop his offence and become a Torey Krug type. Hindsight is 20/20, but he would have been better off staying another year in junior and at least a season in the AHL playing big minutes and developing an all round game like Krug was able to. The habs buggered up his development.

Rushing him to NHL never made sense then, still doesn't now. Oddly enough people seem to want to do same with Romanov.

 

[Cenzo_]

Yes ok. That's not what @Cenzo_ had originally said though, which was "some rank him the Habs best D prospect". I agree having him behind Romanov and Norlinder is reasonable.

I had read an article last spring where the scout was ranking him #1 from our D prospect pool but can't find the article

 

[Roadhouse]

I had read an article last spring where the scout was ranking him #1 from our D prospect pool but can't find the article

That kinda sorta rings a bell to me too. Julien would love him.

I think the big picture here is that since Markov we haven't had much success on the left side and our prospect pool, right now, looks like it can change that.


Now what's this about Gallagher extension talks stalling.....................

 

[DC Comics]

Mete is good depth...or AHL fodder...only 735k too...easily buried
Byron, tbh, will be tougher to move, but if a team needs somoene in their bottom 6 who is excellent on the PK and good defensively, he'll fit in

Mete is cheap and was able to play RD during play-off which Habs might need since Fleury, Juulsen and Brook are ready. LD is crowded so Kulak might me on the way out.

 

[Junohockeyfan]

Bottom lime is we are not dumping Byron without some pain. Believing that some team will just take him off our hands without a decent sweetener is Leaf-like behavior. We are better than that!

 

[Zahra Starker]

Lol.... Mete + Byron + what of value to take these 2 off the Habs hands?

I’d take Armia back to WPG, but not with these 2 attached.
Armia + Mete might work

What are you saying dude? Mete makes league minimum. He's a positivive valued asset. He's only 21. 0 knowledge.

 

[Zahra Starker]

What are the chances we end up having to bury Byron in the minors next season?

0 chance. Tatar will leave, Allen is gone, 2m less in the alzner buyout. Weal is gone.

Replaced by poehling, primeau, caufield. Thats about 13 million cap right there. Gallagher might leave as well.

 

[Junohockeyfan]

Re-signing Danault will be important to Gallagher. If i am MB, i get Danault re-signed. Let go of Tatar. Then sign Gally to another team friendly deal !

 

[japhi]

Habs aren’t going to give Byron away for free.

Two way forward with blazing speed, first wave PK and can pot 18/18 in 14 mins a game. Injuries have been a problem but healthy Byron at 3.4mm isn’t even a bad deal, and for a team that plans on contending is a nice piece in the top 9. He is a really good player, anyone that doesn’t know who he is check out his production the past few years.

Kulak and Weal are redundant and have no place in the lineup.

Just don’t see MB moving anyone unless it’s a hockey trade that improves his team or Laval. Love him or hate him, he is very good at asset management and giving away players is not his MO, Covid or not.

 

[Junohockeyfan]

Habs aren’t going to give Byron away for free.

Two way forward with blazing speed, first wave PK and can pot 18/18 in 14 mins a game. Injuries have been a problem but healthy Byron at 3.4mm isn’t even a bad deal, and for a team that plans on contending is a nice piece in the top 9. He is a really good player, anyone that doesn’t know who he is check out his production the past few years.

Kulak and Weal are redundant and have no place in the lineup.

Just don’t see MB moving anyone unless it’s a hockey trade that improves his team or Laval. Love him or hate him, he is very good at asset management and giving away players is not his MO, Covid or not.

No-one denies he is a good player . But he will be on the 4th line earning 3.4M. That’s not a good management of cap.

Same with Lehkonen. He’s a 3rd liner now on the 4th line. Will see how this shakes out.

I have a feeling the Habs will run 4 x lines with a high pace of play to wear down teams.

 

[japhi]

No-one denies he is a good player . But he will be on the 4th line earning 3.4M. That’s not a good management of cap.

Same with Lehkonen. He’s a 3rd liner now on the 4th line. Will see how this shakes out.

I have a feeling the Habs will run 4 x lines with a high pace of play to wear down teams.

Sure, but team can easily get under the cap without moving him. So unless you can improve the team, you roll with a great 4th line. Keep in mind Julien rolls all 4 lines so Byron with his PK time is going to play close to 14 mins no matter where he lines up.

I don’t see a problem that would be solved by trading Byron and getting nothing in return. I mean you would have to replace him so the question is, is saving 1.5-2mm worth giving up your best PK guy, a guy that has produced close to 18/18 the past few years.

 

[Junohockeyfan]

Sure, but team can easily get under the cap without moving him. So unless you can improve the team, you roll with a great 4th line. Keep in mind Julien rolls all 4 lines so Byron with his PK time is going to play close to 14 mins no matter where he lines up.

I don’t see a problem that would be solved by trading Byron and getting nothing in return. I mean you would have to replace him so the question is, is saving 1.5-2mm worth giving up your best PK guy, a guy that has produced close to 18/18 the past few years.

I see your point. Will see how MB manages the remaining capspace. Weal and Oulette will be in the AHL for sure to free up space.

 

[FerrisRox]

the only problem is, if he was successful (i have my doubts) and montreal seriously improves, he won't have the cap space to keep the team together and i can assure you, the bad contracts won't be a joy to move next off-season. the price for cap space will only increase, guarantee.

Again, I'm not sure what you're talking about.

Next year, Jake Allen's contract will expire and he will move on as a free agent, ditto for Jordan Weal. That gives them nearly six million in cap space right there.

Depending on the development of Nick Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi, it's pretty unlikely that Philip Danault will be in the Canadiens plans for the 2021-22 season so his expiring contract frees up another $3 million giving the Habs nearly $10 million to issue raises to Brendan Gallagher, Kotkaniemi, Joel Armia and Tomas Tatar. Cole Caufield's development might also push someone like Tomas Tatar out of the picture or at the very least to the point where re-upping him will be unlikely.

I don't see the issue you see in "keeping the team together."

 

[glenbuis]

well...this is a ...take. fortunately you're not a habs fan. Curious to know what team you're a fan of?
You can question the deals, but habs had the money and picks to make those moves. And guess what?
they'll have the money to resign their key pieces too.
Petry is great value for being one of only 7 dmen in the league to have 40+ pts the last 3 years.
Anderson is a player they've needed forever. is it risky? absolutely, but in line with what Tom Wilson-type would make.
Nit picking mete at 700K is just idiotic, and exposes your hate.
Allen is only signed for one year while primeau develops.
And guess what? habs have 14 picks next summer + allen off the books, tatar off the books + weal etc...they'll have 12-15 mill minimum to play with and more if they deal byron.
and the cap will be up within 2 years so they'll have more space

so no, most are not furious

Well said sir

 

[glenbuis]

Bottom lime is we are not dumping Byron without some pain. Believing that some team will just take him off our hands without a decent sweetener is Leaf-like behavior. We are better than that!

Yeah I agree Byron plus a 2021 third for a 2022 5th

 

[HuGo Sham]

Well said sir

thank you

 

[LePenseur]

Again, I'm not sure what you're talking about.

Next year, Jake Allen's contract will expire and he will move on as a free agent, ditto for Jordan Weal. That gives them nearly six million in cap space right there.

Depending on the development of Nick Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi, it's pretty unlikely that Philip Danault will be in the Canadiens plans for the 2021-22 season so his expiring contract frees up another $3 million giving the Habs nearly $10 million to issue raises to Brendan Gallagher, Kotkaniemi, Joel Armia and Tomas Tatar. Cole Caufield's development might also push someone like Tomas Tatar out of the picture or at the very least to the point where re-upping him will be unlikely.

I don't see the issue you see in "keeping the team together."

You missed the part of nearly $10 millions to give raises and hire 3 players (UFA, graduate from jr/AHL or trade), this is clearly $3 million there.

3 roster spot players need to be replaced, you do not simply run a team or 20players. Unless we have near ready quality youth to replace those guys leaving you just go back to terrible backup to Price and more plumber on your team.

 

[TBF1972]

Again, I'm not sure what you're talking about.

Next year, Jake Allen's contract will expire and he will move on as a free agent, ditto for Jordan Weal. That gives them nearly six million in cap space right there.

Depending on the development of Nick Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi, it's pretty unlikely that Philip Danault will be in the Canadiens plans for the 2021-22 season so his expiring contract frees up another $3 million giving the Habs nearly $10 million to issue raises to Brendan Gallagher, Kotkaniemi, Joel Armia and Tomas Tatar. Cole Caufield's development might also push someone like Tomas Tatar out of the picture or at the very least to the point where re-upping him will be unlikely.

I don't see the issue you see in "keeping the team together."

if you guys are happy with bergevin's work i am happy for you.

my impression is he rushed his actions and missed out on better values, once the prices adjusted to a buyers market. right now it would cost an asset to move allen as a back-up and he didn't use his leverage in the contract talks.