Speculation: Would you give Duchene 8M x 7 years in free agency?

[HabsWhiteKnightLOL]

Another option is for Danault to play the wing when KK and Poehling surpass him - or for him to play 4c.

I mean the only reason why they use danault on a top 6 is because of his faceoff % and ''defensive plays. Center is a must for him

 

[26Mats]

I mean the only reason why they use danault on a top 6 is because of his faceoff % and ''defensive plays. Center is a must for him

It's good to have center depth, in case of injury.

Danault does a lot more than win faceoffs and play defense.

He creates offense off of his forecheck - and even back check - often he'll steal the puck on a back check in the neutral zone and slip it to his wingers for an odd man rush and a goal. He could do this from the wing if he gets beat out at center.

he finished tied for 56th in the league with 41 assists - tied with Tavares, Landeskog, Larkin, Nugent-Hopkins, Chabot and Josi, and ahead of Mark Stone, Josh Bailey, Hertl, Nyquist, Kopitar, Granlund, Brayden Schenn, Kevin Hayes, Joe Thornton, Pierre luc Dubois, Bo Horvat, Marchessault, Riely Smith, Getzlaf, Clayton Keller, Alex Tuch, Eric Staal, Nico Hischier, etc...

 

[26Mats]

Great post! Danault has earned his spot and Julien and his coaching staff knows a heck of a lot more than some who don't think Danault is that good. Danault is not moving until Kotkaniemi and Poehling can earn their spots ahead of him. Placing them ahead of him so early in their development cause we are drooling over the future is very premature.

Duchene wants to play in Nashville , not here. I wouldn't touch a UFA that has his heart set on another city.

If Duchene goes to Nashville, you have to think Subban is traded. I don't see how they can afford both with all the pieces they have.

 

[BLNY]

Scoring is going up. Montreal, despite a good season, needs more goals. They need to start play with possession more as well. Duchene scores goals and wins draws regularly. Duchene is an excellent skater. His style should fit well.

He turned down 8x8 from Ottawa. I suspect it will take 9x7 to get him. Minimum. If I offered him a contract, I'd offer the 9x7 and set it up so that he got $8 million every July 1. Properly invested, or deferred, he can make up for a big slice of the losses from taxes.

 

[HabsWhiteKnightLOL]

It's good to have center depth, in case of injury.

Danault does a lot more than win faceoffs and play defense.

He creates offense off of his forecheck - and even back check - often he'll steal the puck on a back check in the neutral zone and slip it to his wingers for an odd man rush and a goal. He could do this from the wing if he gets beat out at center.

he finished tied for 56th in the league with 41 assists - tied with Tavares, Landeskog, Larkin, Nugent-Hopkins, Chabot and Josi, and ahead of Mark Stone, Josh Bailey, Hertl, Nyquist, Kopitar, Granlund, Brayden Schenn, Kevin Hayes, Joe Thornton, Pierre luc Dubois, Bo Horvat, Marchessault, Riely Smith, Getzlaf, Clayton Keller, Alex Tuch, Eric Staal, Nico Hischier, etc...

yeah idc about his 41 assists , 30 of them were secondary , hes not a good playmaker , hes a grinder. Hes been playing in the wrong chair since his arrival. A.K.A the center problem in MTL

 

[Habs]

If Duchene goes to Nashville, you have to think Subban is traded. I don't see how they can afford both with all the pieces they have.

I agree.

 

[Scriptor]

Scoring is going up. Montreal, despite a good season, needs more goals. They need to start play with possession more as well. Duchene scores goals and wins draws regularly. Duchene is an excellent skater. His style should fit well.

He turned down 8x8 from Ottawa. I suspect it will take 9x7 to get him. Minimum. If I offered him a contract, I'd offer the 9x7 and set it up so that he got $8 million every July 1. Properly invested, or deferred, he can make up for a big slice of the losses from taxes.

The Quebec agent for NFLer (and also doctor) Duvernay-Tardif clearly explained how superstar contracts could be structured in quebec to be more advantageous, tax-wise than all but a handful of US cities/states.

I'm not concerned about the tax situation in Montreal VS a majority of other NHL franchises, despite the talking point about higher taxes being hammered front and center. Most people yammering on about that are projecting their own tax situation onto multi-Millionaire small businesses that are players and have no clue what they are talking about.

That said, if Duchene rejected 8X8M from Ottawa for 64M total, if we're to expect him to accept 7X9M for a 63M total, we better hope he rejected the 64M because it was Ottawa and not for the total salary on the contract.

 

[Habs Halifax]

The real issue is that Duchene will ask more than 8m if he wants to play in Montreal. Also im sorry but If Duchene were to sign in Montreal

1- Domi should be sent to the wing and Kotka on 2nd line and Danault on 3rd and put Poehling on 3rd when hes ready and trade Danault at the end of this.

I don't think the Habs are safe with signing anyone above $8M AAV. It has risks in terms of trying to sign the youth in 2 or 3 years time if they turn out into impact players. If Duchene is interested in Monteal, the deal needs to work for him and the Habs. I think $7.75M AAV for 7 years fits. If he wants more, we talk and I might go as high as $8.5M but that's it.

I agree Domi likely moves to wing. This is what I would try..

Domi / Duchene / Shaw
Tatar / Danault / Gallagher
Drouin / Kotkaniemi / Armia
Lehkonen / Poehling / Byron
Weal, Peca, Deslauriers

Suzuki starts in the AHL and needs to push one of the RW out of the line-up. May take a year or two (believe it or not). Or we engage in a trade where we trade some of our top 9 depth. It's up to Suzuki to force his way into our line-up.

 

[BLNY]

The Quebec agent for NFLer (and also doctor) Duvernay-Tardif clearly explained how superstar contracts could be structured in quebec to be more advantageous, tax-wise than all but a handful of US cities/states.

I'm not concerned about the tax situation in Montreal VS a majority of other NHL franchises, despite the talking point about higher taxes being hammered front and center. Most people yammering on about that are projecting their own tax situation onto multi-Millionaire small businesses that are players and have no clue what they are talking about.

That said, if Duchene rejected 8X8M from Ottawa for 64M total, if we're to expect him to accept 7X9M for a 63M total, we better hope he rejected the 64M because it was Ottawa and not for the total salary on the contract.

Totally agree that these guys - through their agents - have shrewd tax attorneys and accountants to shelter their money. Deferred salary is a good way. Doan did it iirc. Defer salary till after retirement. Move to a place with less taxation. Claim it then.

Aware that 7x9 is slightly less than 8x8. I believe I said "at least" in that part. Montreal, or anyone else for that matter, could compensate a reduction in cap hit with that bonus structure. That said, there are only so many teams that can, or will, front that kind of lump sum. I do believe that the situation in Ottawa was a huge factor in the rejection though. They likely would have had to come in at 8x9 or more to get him to commit. I don't think his camp expects to get a 7x10, but you never know.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Maybe try to sign Myers if we cant trade for a D and take a shot at a gamechanger like Panarin . If we cant sign any UFAs and Duchene was the only one to want to sign here i would still pass as IMO hes overpriced. If i had no choice but to spend to the cap then maybe take a contract back for a pick or LD. Im good as long as its not Lucic.

Duchene and Edler are my realistic options. The rest are either not coming to Montreal or they are not worth signing. Myers is another option I would consider if he was interested in Montreal. I'm not signing him to a long term deal though. I'd offer Myers 3 or 4 years and Edler 2 or 3 years in term. I'm certainly offering Duchene 7 years cause some team will and I am not saying no to 7 years when he is 35 when the contract ends. $8M AAV in 3 or 4 years is like $6M today.

Lets flip the coin. Lets say we fail again at trying to convince a player to come to Montreal which is legit based on past history. What then?

 

[Habs Halifax]

Maybe try to sign Myers if we cant trade for a D and take a shot at a gamechanger like Panarin . If we cant sign any UFAs and Duchene was the only one to want to sign here i would still pass as IMO hes overpriced. If i had no choice but to spend to the cap then maybe take a contract back for a pick or LD. Im good as long as its not Lucic.

Duchene and Edler are my realistic options. The rest are either not coming to Montreal or they are not worth signing. Myers is another option I would consider if he was interested in Montreal. I'm not signing him to a long term deal though.

Lets flip the coin. Lets say we fail again at trying to convince a player to come to Montreal which is legit based on past history. What then?

 

[Dominator13]

I don't think the Habs are safe with signing anyone above $8M AAV. It has risks in terms of trying to sign the youth in 2 or 3 years time if they turn out into impact players. If Duchene is interested in Monteal, the deal needs to work for him and the Habs. I think $7.75M AAV for 7 years fits. If he wants more, we talk and I might go as high as $8.5M but that's it.

I agree Domi likely moves to wing. This is what I would try..

Domi / Duchene / Shaw
Tatar / Danault / Gallagher
Drouin / Kotkaniemi / Armia
Lehkonen / Poehling / Byron
Weal, Peca, Deslauriers

Suzuki starts in the AHL and needs to push one of the RW out of the line-up. May take a year or two (believe it or not). Or we engage in a trade where we trade some of our top 9 depth.

I don't hate that line-up at all.

The X-factor is obviously the 3rd line , but on paper I feel like they can match with anyone.

I absolutely adore the 1st line. Duschene would get personal best numbers playing with those 2 fiesty players.

We're still stuck with a porous core of left handed defensemen, but that's for another thread.

 

[NotProkofievian]

I don't think the Habs are safe with signing anyone above $8M AAV. It has risks in terms of trying to sign the youth in 2 or 3 years time if they turn out into impact players. If Duchene is interested in Monteal, the deal needs to work for him and the Habs. I think $7.75M AAV for 7 years fits. If he wants more, we talk and I might go as high as $8.5M but that's it.

I agree Domi likely moves to wing. This is what I would try..

Domi / Duchene / Shaw
Tatar / Danault / Gallagher
Drouin / Kotkaniemi / Armia
Lehkonen / Poehling / Byron
Weal, Peca, Deslauriers

Suzuki starts in the AHL and needs to push one of the RW out of the line-up. May take a year or two (believe it or not). Or we engage in a trade where we trade some of our top 9 depth. It's up to Suzuki to force his way into our line-up.

If we sign Duchene, we should trade Danault for a scoring winger.

 

[Habs Halifax]

I don't hate that line-up at all.

The X-factor is obviously the 3rd line , but on paper I feel like they can match with anyone.

I absolutely adore the 1st line. Duschene would get personal best numbers playing with those 2 fiesty players.

We're still stuck with a porous core of left handed defensemen, but that's for another thread.

They likely try several options but I do like that roster in terms of rolling 4 lines and sheltering Kotkaneimi and Poehling while they mature and learn how to be effective centers in the NHL for a full season.

As far as the LD issue. I like what I saw from Kulak towards the last 1/3 of the season when we were on a playoff push and we moved him up to play with Petry. Look where he falls in terms of production. Very similar production to Petry. Highest +/-, 2 GWG, and the shooting % is very solid. I'm OK with giving him a shot at a full time top 4D role. Bring back all the D shown below for depth. Add Juulsen and maybe Brook depending on how he looks.

Honestly, if we get this sample size from our D for a full season, the issues is not on D, it's goal scoring in tight games. Duchene helps this

Stats from Feb to end of season:

 

[robicgi]

Duchene and Edler are my realistic options. The rest are either not coming to Montreal or they are not worth signing. Myers is another option I would consider if he was interested in Montreal. I'm not signing him to a long term deal though.

Lets flip the coin. Lets say we fail again at trying to convince a player to come to Montreal which is legit based on past history. What then?

I agree and would prob offer 4 yrs for Myers as well. If no UFAs want to come here then what can you do. Doesnt mean we break the bank and overpay. Build from within and maybe take a bad contract on for picks or prospects.

I would love for us to land the big fish in UFA but id rather not overpay for players similar to what we have.

IMO if we land Duchene we need to trade Domi or Gallagher or Petry before they get new contracts as we would not be able to afford all 3 or maybe not even 2 of them with ELC finishing and new contracts needed. If Duchene is paid 8.5 and Domi outproduces him how much would Domi want? Id say his asking price would go up but who knows. Also the same with Gallaghers ask.

As for your what then question i will say there is nothing wrong with javi g a cap buffer or extra cap space if you tried to sign players but they did not want to sign. I wouldnt just panic and spend it on anything just because its there. Thats exactly how teams get into cap trouble.

 

[Habs Halifax]

If we sign Duchene, we should trade Danault for a scoring winger.

I am game for that but I rather keep Danault until Kotkaniemi and Poehling show what they can do in terms of being trusted middle 2C options. However, all depends on who we can get for Danault. Not going to say no if we have to add a pick on top of him and we get a solid goal scoring option. Someone will 30 goal potential or more.

 

[NotProkofievian]

I am game for that but I rather keep Danault until Kotkaniemi and Poehling show what they can do in terms of being trusted middle 2C options. However, all depends on who we can get for Danault. Not going to say no if we have to add a pick on top of him and we get a solid goal scoring option. Someone will 30 goal potential or more.

This way it would be a lot like adding 20 or 30 goals to our roster's total which is actually serious business. Takes a middle of the pack team into the top 10.

Running a top 9 center lineup of

Domi
Duchene
Kotkaniemi

You have the added offensive contributions of Duchene over Danault, but then you also get Danault's return's contributions over the winger he displaces from the lineup.

Tatar - Duchene - Gallagher
Winger - Domi - Shaw
Byron - Kotkaniemi - Armia

It looks better just because we have the magic box instead of Lehkonen somewhere in the top 9. Who knows we could even have 3 centers scoring more than 20 goals next year. When was the last time that happened?

 

[Habs Halifax]

I agree and would prob offer 4 yrs for Myers as well. If no UFAs want to come here then what can you do. Doesnt mean we break the bank and overpay. Build from within and maybe take a bad contract on for picks or prospects.

I would love for us to land the big fish in UFA but id rather not overpay for players similar to what we have.

IMO if we land Duchene we need to trade Domi or Gallagher or Petry before they get new contracts as we would not be able to afford all 3 or maybe not even 2 of them with ELC finishing and new contracts needed. If Duchene is paid 8.5 and Domi outproduces him how much would Domi want? Id say his asking price would go up but who knows. Also the same with Gallaghers ask.

As for your what then question i will say there is nothing wrong with javi g a cap buffer or extra cap space if you tried to sign players but they did not want to sign. I wouldnt just panic and spend it on anything just because its there. Thats exactly how teams get into cap trouble.

If we land Duchene, I hope it's a deal that works for him and for us. I'd give this guy a lot of respect by willing to come to Montreal for 7 years at $7.75M AAV. We can offer him bonus money in July for most of the term. This is the only advantage we got over some teams. If he wants to cash in and goes for the highest deal possible, I might pass. Highest I would go would be $8.5M and with hesitation.

I'm not trading Domi. Can't wait till he plays with skilled players on our roster. I think he bust out even more to be honest. I'd be interested in trading Petry only when Juulsen and Brook show they can handle a full time top 4D role for a full season. That may take another year or two. Best time to move Petry might be at the 2020 deadline (if we have a setback) or at the 2020 draft. Doubt the return is much less than what we get if we trade him this summer. Think Muzzin type return (+/-). Were not getting a low 1st (1-15 range) and it's going to be grade B prospects offered. I'm only trading Gallagher if someone offers pry away value. This guy is the heart of our team and he's part of my future plans.

 

[Habs Halifax]

This way it would be a lot like adding 20 or 30 goals to our roster's total which is actually serious business. Takes a middle of the pack team into the top 10.

Running a top 9 center lineup of

Domi
Duchene
Kotkaniemi

You have the added offensive contributions of Duchene over Danault, but then you also get Danault's return's contributions over the winger he displaces from the lineup.

Tatar - Duchene - Gallagher
Winger - Domi - Shaw
Byron - Kotkaniemi - Armia

It looks better just because we have the magic box instead of Lehkonen somewhere in the top 9. Who knows we could even have 3 centers scoring more than 20 goals next year. When was the last time that happened?

Decent option. Not sure what other teams would put value on Danault though. What would Danault and a 1st get us? Who has that scoring winger to spare where we think he fits with Domi?

Why not just try Drouin with Domi and Shaw for a full season? Trade Danault and our two 2nd's for the Oilers 8th OA pick? Pretty sure they need a center like Danault and they might bite. If they don't like the two 2nd's on top of Danault, maybe we can negotiate what we need to add? Imagine if we were able to draft Boldly? But hey, that might be what they are thinking.

What teams need a middle two center like Danault? Oilers comes to mind. What about the Pens? Danault for Kessel? Move Shaw to the left side?

Searching here and not sure who bites. Doubt Bergevin would trade Danault though.

 

[robicgi]

If we land Duchene, I hope it's a deal that works for him and for us. I'd give this guy a lot of respect by willing to come to Montreal for 7 years at $7.75M AAV. We can offer him bonus money in July for most of the term. This is the only advantage we got over some teams. If he wants to cash in and goes for the highest deal possible, I might pass. Highest I would go would be $8.5M and with hesitation.

I'm not trading Domi. Can't wait till he plays with skilled players on our roster. I think he bust out even more to be honest. I'd be interested in trading Petry only when Juulsen and Brook show they can handle a full time top 4D role for a full season. That may take another year or two. Best time to move Petry might be at the 2020 deadline (if we have a setback) or at the 2020 draft. Doubt the return is much less than what we get if we trade him this summer. Think Muzzin type return (+/-). Were not getting a low 1st (1-15 range) and it's going to be grade B prospects offered. I'm only trading Gallagher if someone offers pry away value. This guy is the heart of our team and he's part of my future plans.

I totally agree about Domi and i feel he has a lot of upside as a #1C seeing as this was his 1st season there. With better and even consistant wingers i see him at ppg.

Agree about waiting to trade Petry until we see if the kids are for real and if he doesnt ask for too much i would consider resigning him as hes solid and could mentor the kids. I worry more about Weber as i see a decline already i just hope its not a steep decline.

Gallagher is the heart and soul for sure but i dont know how i feel with paying him 7.5 or 8 (prob be his ask) as he gets goals and has great work etthic but hes a 50 to 60 pt player. Not sure how we can be a perrenial contender with contracts like that especially with Weber and Price already and Domi getting a raise and if we sign Duchene but i would try to make it work. If not he would get a nice return that may actually help us even more than Gallagher does and he helps a lot.

 

[slybel]

yeah idc about his 41 assists , 30 of them were secondary , hes not a good playmaker , hes a grinder. Hes been playing in the wrong chair since his arrival. A.K.A the center problem in MTL

Danault was 16 secondary assists to 25 primary.... confused..

 

[Kudo Shinichi]

Locker room cancer

 

[The Great Weal]

Locker room cancer

He's going to be getting over 9 million.

 

[HabsWhiteKnightLOL]

He's going to be getting over 9 million.

better than giving 7m to nylander xd

 

[Guns n Roses]

Locker room cancer

Duchene >>>>>> Drouin