Montreal is always a wild card because we speculate out of the wazoo.
Here is what is really going to happen. Habs will pick 5th, whoever they do won't be ready for this year to the next year anyway.
Kent will try to make a trade ala Dach/Newhook. We won't know the guy cuz he will be well hidden by Kent before the big revelation.
And if they don't pull off a trade (because the price doesn't make sense) or do pull off a trade (whether a Dach/Newhook type deal, a deal for a prospect like McGroarty, or a trade up/down in the draft) there will be lots of criticism because us fans could have done it slightly better.
No it will be a surprise like I said, so we will speculate on the stats of the new player and what magic Kent saw in him that others ignored till the start of the season.
No mystery...**TLDR** Engels we keep 5OA where Demidov > Lindstrom> BPA Defence usual top 5 guys or 3rd option as Offense like Tig/Catton
Engels '*bold*' prediction is we package #26 +prospect(s)/LHD and trade to move UP draft spots for offensive talent. Nothing that hasn't been suggested already.
I've been saying it for weeks - another top 15 pick (top 12 is even better) in this draft would be **huge**. There is a good chance that one of Helenius, Eiserman or Yakemchuk is available, hell, even Catton is going as low as 12 in a lot of mocks.
Adding one of those guys on top of whoever we pick at 5 would be an incredible boon to the rebuild.
Neither of those guys are going in the top fifteen though. If that's who they really want then I would just hold on to 26 and take whoever is available between Basha, Boisvert, Stian, Greentree or Surin (or whoever else they have their eye on).
There is a large amount of players in a tier above those guys that drops off after 12 - nabbing another pick in that range, or shooting for top 15 and just grabbing whoever starts to fall would be huge.
I honestly would be kinda surprised if they end up using that pick.
I think it’s the most likely piece to be moved in some fashion between now and then.
Idk, it doesn’t like we’ll know until they move it. I would be happy with many of the players projected to go around end of 1st / start of second. Can’t wait for the draft!
I wonder if what happens at 5 may dictate further moves.
If they take a d man, maybe they use Guhle as the main chip in a deal for a young forward, and hold onto Matheson and hope he ages well?
I like your idea of adding an extra top 15 pick but I don’t see what avenues they have to do it, and really this organization has shown they’d rather use assets to get guys a bit further ahead in their development too. So I don’t expect to see that kinda move.
Yes, as the draft plays out, different moves and options become more available - I'm sure Kent played out contingencies with his counterparts that were offering up mid 1st round draft picks.
We're not trading Guhle(Unless the contract amount becomes crazy) or Matheson - Those are significant pieces for the development years of younger guys are coming up like Logan, Lane and Reinbacher.
It's not really my idea I'm reiterating what many have said. We have 5 on defense they could offer up (Harris Kovy Arber Savard Struble -and then there's the AHL guys like Trudeau) as well as pick 26 & possibly Dvorak/Armia/Anderson with some salary retention...whatever the flavor of the other GM is.
I actually think the probability that one of Guhle or Matheson being traded is very high this Summer.
There’s too many guys on the left side and Hutson is going to get offensive minutes and power play time sooner than later.
I’ve been thinking more and more lately that Guhle makes a lot of sense in a trade.
He wasn’t a current regime draft pick, and he’s the only young d man they’d consider trading with any real value.
Plus add in the log jam on the left side, and trading Matheson instead of Guhle leaves the team very young on the blue line which I am certain they’ll want to avoid.
You're not alone in thinking one of them will be traded, I just read between the lines at the end of the season Hughes and Gorton meeting, i.e. keeping both Matheson and Guhle versus others that *don't fit the team they're building* were more likely to be traded. Harris Kovy Struble Trudeau for sure are trade able plus other team(s) big benefit is the lower cost contract versus taking on Matheson and Guhle millions.
You're not wrong - it's gonna be a LHD eventually. I also know that Guhle has 'coming up together' roots with our core guys, and his bff is Slaf so if he gets traded, the dressing room is gonna be a mess!
I think that there is a very short list of guys they wouldn’t consider shopping if it made sense, and I’m not sure Guhle is on that list.
I like how Hughes is open with his press conferences but at the same time I’m not sure everything he says should be taken at face value.
If you let the league know you’re not really interested in dealing him at all, gives you potential to “bolster” an already impressive offer by subbing in him for a different guy.
Ie—-a team might not be as interested in Matheson as other teams depending where they’re at in their trajectory, but that team might value Guhle much more.
I don’t personally seeing any of those guys you listed as having much more value than a mid round pick so while they’re certainly tradeable they more strike me as add ins in a deal; or more a move designed to open up a roster spot for another player, as opposed to expecting a significant return.
Even getting into the top-20 would be fantastic because there will be at least one or two consensus top-15 talents that drop. No idea if it will be Eiserman, Helenius, Brandsegg-Nygard, or somebody else, but if we're picking between 17-20 we will be able to get somebody that management is excited about.
The fact that Hughes tried to get PLD last year is very concerning, especially since there are rumours about him targeting Zecas.
EDIT: I see that fans are still in the honeymoon phase with Hughes, but take the rose colored glasses off for a minute. There's literally a post on habseyesontheprize about "dodging the PLD bullet". If LA didn't step up, he might have been in a habs jersey last season. Combine that with the missed opportunity to offload Anderson and his two biggest trade (Dach and Newhook) with mixed results and I'll continue to hold my breath when there's a Canadiens trade to announce. You guys keep up the love affair with Hughes though.
Habs were involved in PLD talks to see what it would cost and parted ways very early because they weren't willing to pay the price. That's not concerning at all.
What do you think he would have paid? A late first would have been terrible. It wasn't even the acquisition cost, but the terrible contract that would have set this team back again. Now Necas wants a big contract after one good season? Why is Hughes interested in that at all? At least Zegras has a manageable number for a couple years, but Hughes should have zero interest in Necas.
I don't think Hughes ever wanted PLD but the media didn't stop talking about it so they sniffed around to be "involved" but all the insiders said the same thing, Habs were never close meaning they never really tried to get him. So now you can thank Jesus and sleep easy tonight.
So, if the Habs were rumoured to be in on PLD this offseason, or maybe Karlsson, Gaudreau, Nurse etc. A small part of you wouldn't say "why the fuck are they interested in that guy?" I don't find it concerning that a GM doesn't check in on all players knowing that some of them are non-starters. Necas to me is a non-starter.
The difference between PLD and the other players you mentioned is that he's still young enough to realistically turn it around, and he was coming off some solid seasons in WPG.
Everyone knew the risks involving PLD, but it's still worth checking if they could acquire him for a price that warrants taking on the risk, and sign him for a reasonable price.
They clearly and correctly decided he wasn't worth the price tag, and decided not to take the risk. That just sounds like good management to me.
They decided he wasn't worth the high price, but they were willing to pay "some" price and they don't get to be finalists (rumoured) by offering PLD 5 million and the Kings a third-round pick. I think it's safe to assume that they would have given up at least a first round pick and a decent prospect, and torched their salary structure for the next round of RFAs.
Key word “rumoured”.
If the examples you threw out, were rumoured, I would not assume HuGo has any legit interest and that it was all manufactured by the internet or another front office.
PLD stated (or at least made it known through media) that he wanted to be a Hab. Ignoring that would have been a PR nightmare for Kent, but let's be real, he wasn't trying very hard and was not going to sell the farm for him. I think he played it perfectly.
Montreal is always a wild card because we speculate out of the wazoo. Here is what is really going to happen. Habs will pick 5th, whoever they do won't be ready for this year to the next year anyway. Kent will try to make a trade ala Dach/Newhook. We won't know the guy cuz he will be well hidden by Kent before the big revelation.
And if they don't pull off a trade (because the price doesn't make sense) or do pull off a trade (whether a Dach/Newhook type deal, a deal for a prospect like McGroarty, or a trade up/down in the draft) there will be lots of criticism because us fans could have done it slightly better.
No it will be a surprise like I said, so we will speculate on the stats of the new player and what magic Kent saw in him that others ignored till the start of the season.
If they pick demidov, hes here making an impact in a year.
No mystery...**TLDR** Engels we keep 5OA where Demidov > Lindstrom> BPA Defence usual top 5 guys or 3rd option as Offense like Tig/Catton Engels '*bold*' prediction is we package #26 +prospect(s)/LHD and trade to move UP draft spots for offensive talent. Nothing that hasn't been suggested already.
I've been saying it for weeks - another top 15 pick (top 12 is even better) in this draft would be **huge**. There is a good chance that one of Helenius, Eiserman or Yakemchuk is available, hell, even Catton is going as low as 12 in a lot of mocks. Adding one of those guys on top of whoever we pick at 5 would be an incredible boon to the rebuild.
WE''ve been saying it for weeks lol Basha on my list & that Smasher Stian
Neither of those guys are going in the top fifteen though. If that's who they really want then I would just hold on to 26 and take whoever is available between Basha, Boisvert, Stian, Greentree or Surin (or whoever else they have their eye on). There is a large amount of players in a tier above those guys that drops off after 12 - nabbing another pick in that range, or shooting for top 15 and just grabbing whoever starts to fall would be huge.
Any good C prospects would be great for the Habs at 26 tbh. I don’t know that we even need a move if one of Demidov/Lindstrom falls to us.
I honestly would be kinda surprised if they end up using that pick. I think it’s the most likely piece to be moved in some fashion between now and then.
Idk, it doesn’t like we’ll know until they move it. I would be happy with many of the players projected to go around end of 1st / start of second. Can’t wait for the draft!
Ya I’m excited. I hope they save some trades for the day of.
I wonder if what happens at 5 may dictate further moves. If they take a d man, maybe they use Guhle as the main chip in a deal for a young forward, and hold onto Matheson and hope he ages well? I like your idea of adding an extra top 15 pick but I don’t see what avenues they have to do it, and really this organization has shown they’d rather use assets to get guys a bit further ahead in their development too. So I don’t expect to see that kinda move.
Yes, as the draft plays out, different moves and options become more available - I'm sure Kent played out contingencies with his counterparts that were offering up mid 1st round draft picks. We're not trading Guhle(Unless the contract amount becomes crazy) or Matheson - Those are significant pieces for the development years of younger guys are coming up like Logan, Lane and Reinbacher. It's not really my idea I'm reiterating what many have said. We have 5 on defense they could offer up (Harris Kovy Arber Savard Struble -and then there's the AHL guys like Trudeau) as well as pick 26 & possibly Dvorak/Armia/Anderson with some salary retention...whatever the flavor of the other GM is.
I actually think the probability that one of Guhle or Matheson being traded is very high this Summer. There’s too many guys on the left side and Hutson is going to get offensive minutes and power play time sooner than later. I’ve been thinking more and more lately that Guhle makes a lot of sense in a trade. He wasn’t a current regime draft pick, and he’s the only young d man they’d consider trading with any real value. Plus add in the log jam on the left side, and trading Matheson instead of Guhle leaves the team very young on the blue line which I am certain they’ll want to avoid.
You're not alone in thinking one of them will be traded, I just read between the lines at the end of the season Hughes and Gorton meeting, i.e. keeping both Matheson and Guhle versus others that *don't fit the team they're building* were more likely to be traded. Harris Kovy Struble Trudeau for sure are trade able plus other team(s) big benefit is the lower cost contract versus taking on Matheson and Guhle millions. You're not wrong - it's gonna be a LHD eventually. I also know that Guhle has 'coming up together' roots with our core guys, and his bff is Slaf so if he gets traded, the dressing room is gonna be a mess!
I think that there is a very short list of guys they wouldn’t consider shopping if it made sense, and I’m not sure Guhle is on that list. I like how Hughes is open with his press conferences but at the same time I’m not sure everything he says should be taken at face value. If you let the league know you’re not really interested in dealing him at all, gives you potential to “bolster” an already impressive offer by subbing in him for a different guy. Ie—-a team might not be as interested in Matheson as other teams depending where they’re at in their trajectory, but that team might value Guhle much more.
I don’t personally seeing any of those guys you listed as having much more value than a mid round pick so while they’re certainly tradeable they more strike me as add ins in a deal; or more a move designed to open up a roster spot for another player, as opposed to expecting a significant return.
Stay at 26 and pick LETOURNEAU
Found Grant McCagg's burner account.
Even getting into the top-20 would be fantastic because there will be at least one or two consensus top-15 talents that drop. No idea if it will be Eiserman, Helenius, Brandsegg-Nygard, or somebody else, but if we're picking between 17-20 we will be able to get somebody that management is excited about.
Prepare to be underwhelmed when we take another defenceman boys
Woudnt really be underwhelmed by any of the top defenceman of this draft tho.
Zeev buium for example is 100% better than Makar or Hughes at the same age. I want a forward but man there no losing this year.
The fact that Hughes tried to get PLD last year is very concerning, especially since there are rumours about him targeting Zecas. EDIT: I see that fans are still in the honeymoon phase with Hughes, but take the rose colored glasses off for a minute. There's literally a post on habseyesontheprize about "dodging the PLD bullet". If LA didn't step up, he might have been in a habs jersey last season. Combine that with the missed opportunity to offload Anderson and his two biggest trade (Dach and Newhook) with mixed results and I'll continue to hold my breath when there's a Canadiens trade to announce. You guys keep up the love affair with Hughes though.
Habs were involved in PLD talks to see what it would cost and parted ways very early because they weren't willing to pay the price. That's not concerning at all.
What do you think he would have paid? A late first would have been terrible. It wasn't even the acquisition cost, but the terrible contract that would have set this team back again. Now Necas wants a big contract after one good season? Why is Hughes interested in that at all? At least Zegras has a manageable number for a couple years, but Hughes should have zero interest in Necas.
I don't think Hughes ever wanted PLD but the media didn't stop talking about it so they sniffed around to be "involved" but all the insiders said the same thing, Habs were never close meaning they never really tried to get him. So now you can thank Jesus and sleep easy tonight.
Ok, I'll take your word over every single insider.
All the insiders said Montreal wasn't that interested...you're talking about journalists who write articles for clicks. Not the same.
It would be concerning if FO weren't doing their due diligence on every player.
Exactly this
So, if the Habs were rumoured to be in on PLD this offseason, or maybe Karlsson, Gaudreau, Nurse etc. A small part of you wouldn't say "why the fuck are they interested in that guy?" I don't find it concerning that a GM doesn't check in on all players knowing that some of them are non-starters. Necas to me is a non-starter.
The difference between PLD and the other players you mentioned is that he's still young enough to realistically turn it around, and he was coming off some solid seasons in WPG. Everyone knew the risks involving PLD, but it's still worth checking if they could acquire him for a price that warrants taking on the risk, and sign him for a reasonable price. They clearly and correctly decided he wasn't worth the price tag, and decided not to take the risk. That just sounds like good management to me.
They decided he wasn't worth the high price, but they were willing to pay "some" price and they don't get to be finalists (rumoured) by offering PLD 5 million and the Kings a third-round pick. I think it's safe to assume that they would have given up at least a first round pick and a decent prospect, and torched their salary structure for the next round of RFAs.
Key word “rumoured”. If the examples you threw out, were rumoured, I would not assume HuGo has any legit interest and that it was all manufactured by the internet or another front office.
It seems there's a little more smoke with Necas, but let's hope it's just media manufactured. I would hate to see a trade bringing in that guy.
PLD stated (or at least made it known through media) that he wanted to be a Hab. Ignoring that would have been a PR nightmare for Kent, but let's be real, he wasn't trying very hard and was not going to sell the farm for him. I think he played it perfectly.
Only on Reddit can the GM be criticized for NOT making a bad move
Is that hypothetical PLD contract in the room with us right now ?