Speculation: Which team has "too many" centers to be traded for?

[SpeakingOfTheDevils]

I'm not necessarily on board with it, but I'd expect Zacha to be a trade consideration for NJ.

We'd need an LHD coming back, ideally of similar age and with top-4 potential. I'm not sure DET is in a position to do that... and, frankly, it's a niche trade that will be difficult for NJ to get good value back, which is why I'd prefer to hang onto Zacha.

 

[itwasaforwardpass]

I'm not necessarily on board with it, but I'd expect Zacha to be a trade consideration for NJ.

We'd need an LHD coming back, ideally of similar age and with top-4 potential. I'm not sure DET is in a position to do that... and, frankly, it's a niche trade that will be difficult for NJ to get good value back, which is why I'd prefer to hang onto Zacha.

NJ has already tried to trade Zajac once according to his agent. Zajac has a NTC and turned it down. That'll be an obstacle trying to move him.

 

[catters078]

Dallas has good centre depth

Seguin
Hintz
Faksa
Dickinson

With Dellandrea hopefully hitting the NHL at some point next season as a 4th line centre, will probably open a spot up.

With Faksa a RFA next season, hes the type of centre all teams need. Physical two way centre who shutsdown top lines.

 

[Leviathan]

AZ have a lot of guys who can play down the middle. They dont have that much high end talent, but quite a bit of depth fwiw.

 

[elitepete]

Would rather we move sutter or beagle....

They have negative value

 

[Mick Jagr]

Clearly you're needing Galchenyuk... lol

 

[Bettman Returnz]

They have negative value

You don’t just offer up our future/ cheaper contract players (right now) though. What are we getting back to move gaudette and madden? We don’t exactly have an abundance of cap to take someone back.

 

[Just Linda]

I think there's only two names on the market that could fit that bill. Turris and Johnson. Turris filled in for 1c in Ottawa when they didn't have one, Johnson had a 72 point season once upon a day. Both are on large contracts and have popped up in trade rumours lots lately but both are likely on the start of the tail end of their careers (29 and 30 years old).

 

[nbwingsfan]

DET keeps with the rebuild. Maybe pursue some reclamation/cap dump projects ie. Weinberg or Turris?

Never thought of Wennberg but I kind of like that idea. A skill guy who was once very good, relatively young, but very overpaid for his stats the last two seasons so would be very cheap to acquire.

Only 3 more seasons where we won’t be contenders anyways so it won’t hurt us if he doesn’t rebound.

 

[ottawa]

I think Montreal would move Max Domi for the right offer.

He's cost controlled but he's having a bad year. Habs should either extend him at a discount and move him to LW and if he wants too much then label him as a 1C (realistically he's a 2C) and trade him

 

[BonMorrison]

I proposed Ryan Johansen for AA + a good prospect in another thread .

 

[Patagonia]

Never thought of Wennberg but I kind of like that idea. A skill guy who was once very good, relatively young, but very overpaid for his stats the last two seasons so would be very cheap to acquire.

Only 3 more seasons where we won’t be contenders anyways so it won’t hurt us if he doesn’t rebound.

He badly needs a new team and with his 3.5 years contract being a Cap Dump, maybe could be had for a 5th Round Pick.

 

[Captain Mountain]

He's cost controlled but he's having a bad year. Habs should either extend him at a discount and move him to LW and if he wants too much then label him as a 1C (realistically he's a 2C) and trade him

He's not even having that bad a year, just a less productive one. He got lucky last year points-wise (high shooting %) and has been unlucky this year (really low IPP). If Montreal had better health on the wings he'd probably look better.

 

[780il]

I'm not necessarily on board with it, but I'd expect Zacha to be a trade consideration for NJ.

We'd need an LHD coming back, ideally of similar age and with top-4 potential. I'm not sure DET is in a position to do that... and, frankly, it's a niche trade that will be difficult for NJ to get good value back, which is why I'd prefer to hang onto Zacha.

Caleb Jones is your man!

 

[bernmeister]

Not seeing any actual high end pivots available, barring an unexpected chemistry problem with some guy wanting to go elsewhere.

Decent potential investments may be available, but I'm not seeing any atm, and they are not cheap. For example NYR could theoretically put a guy like Howden on the table, but they've already invested significantly in his development. Don't see a fit for most clubs.

What's left are guys like NYR's Strome -- worth keeping but prefer cap flexibility if return is exp drf exempt futures.

 

[BlueDream]

Tyler Bozak will be available in the offseason for cheap. Yeah he’s not young, but any team that needs a solid 3C, he’s perfect for that.

 

[JesusNPucks]

Jim Nill’s middle name is “you can never have too many centers” so, yeah, Dallas definitely has some to spare.

 

[biturbo19]

Well I can flat out tell you Detroit wont be trading for a 1A center and teams typically dont have a surplus of their top line centers. I dont think Detroit has the assets to get a 1A centre without decimating their prospect pool.

That being said, there's a boatload of 3rd line Cs that can be had in free agency every year so save your assets.

This is really the long and short of it.

There isn't really such a thing as having "too many #1Centers". Maybe you get a wild situation where an organization has soured on a guy for some reason (like Seguin), or has that...while the other team has an improbable "surplus" of "#1Defencemen" a la the Johansen for Jones swap. But it's just not really something that happens.


On the other hand...while there are always 3rd line Centers available in Free Agency. There can be something of value to just getting that hard matchups lockdown #3C in order to help "shelter" your young developing Centers from the deluge of goals against that can flood in if they're pressed into too much, too soon defensively. Those aren't always the guys on the UFA market. How much to pay for a sacrificial lamb in assets though...is murky at best.