Confirmed with Link: McDonagh + Miller to Tampa Bay for Namestnikov + Howden + Hajek + 2018 1st + conditional 2019 1st

[Ori]

Brooks doesn't say it, but I wonder if Gorton was insisting on Hajek over Foote. What did the offer look
like before Yzerman relented on adding Hajek?

It`s possible, but I`m not a scout - and if they have scouted Hajek for years - I`ve notion they went for him instead of Foote in that deal.

 

[Edge]

Not saying it wasn't a good deal for the Rangers, but scouts get it wrong, and frequently. Even both look good now in the WHL doesn't guarantee they will hit their peak potential once they make it to the NHL.

Rangers won't know what they have with those picks for another 3 to 5 years.

I think we should have a decent idea about Howden and Hajek within two years. So that should at least help with some level of evaluation.

One of the things I like about Howden in particular is that he's very involved in the game. He's routinely one of the three stars and he contributes even on the occasions he's held off the score sheet.

 

[Ori]

Libor Hajek is an instant impact player in our D core next training camp in October @Edge - he is 20 already, soon 21.

 

[UAGoalieGuy]

I think we should have a decent idea about Howden and Hajek within two years. So that should at least help with some level of evaluation.

One of the things I like about Howden in particular is that he's very involved in the game. He's routinely one of the three stars and he contributes even on the occasions he's held off the score sheet.

100% agree, but people shouldn't be penciling players in the top 4 or 2nd line center before they step on NHL ice. Like the post above mine.

Both are quality prospects and I like both of their upsides. They have a good shot of hitting their ceilings or close to it from the games I've seen.

 

[Edge]

Libor Hajek is an instant impact player in our D core next training camp in October @Edge - he is 20 already, soon 21.

Perhaps.

Patience will be important with Hajek. He's very much a work in progress.

 

[Edge]

100% agree, but people shouldn't be penciling players in the top 4 or 2nd line center before they step on NHL ice. Like the post above mine.

Both are quality prospects and I like both of their upsides. They have a good shot of hitting their ceilings or close to it from the games I've seen.

Definitely agree. I've talked about Howden for the better part of six weeks now, but even I would be hesitant to over project him at this point.

 

[Section311]

Did we eat salary on mcdonagh’s contract in this deal?

 

[Tawnos]

It`s possible, but I`m not a scout - and if they have scouted Hajek for years - I`ve notion they went for him instead of Foote in that deal.

I wouldnt be surprised if Gorton kept asking for Foote when Hajek was his real target. Soften up the ground.

 

[Irishguy42]

I wouldnt be surprised if Gorton kept asking for Foote when Hajek was his real target. Soften up the ground.

Ah. Yes.

Keep asking for something you know they won't give up, and then "settle" for your real target.

The better question is: If you were targeting Hajek from the beginning, and Yzerman ended up relenting and saying "Okay, have Foote," what happens then?

 

[GAGLine]

Did we eat salary on mcdonagh’s contract in this deal?

Nope. Tampa didn't need us to, unfortunately, or we could have squeezed more out of them.

 

[Tawnos]

Ah. Yes.

Keep asking for something you know they won't give up, and then "settle" for your real target.

The better question is: If you were targeting Hajek from the beginning, and Yzerman ended up relenting and saying "Okay, have Foote," what happens then?

You say "tell ya what, keep Foote and Ill take Hajek and a 2nd"

 

[GeorgeKaplan]

Friedman made it sound like Gorton had been asking for Hajek for a while and the deal only got done when Yzerman relented and included him

 

[Mac n Gs]

Friedman made it sound like Gorton had been asking for Hajek for a while and the deal only got done when Yzerman relented and included him

I think Gorton or someone else said they've been targeting Hajek since his draft year

 

[haveandare]

I think Gorton or someone else said they've been targeting Hajek since his draft year

Yeah Gorton said that on the radio. Said they wanted to draft him but didn’t have a pick and have been coveting him ever since

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

https://nypost.com/2018/03/03/rangers-new-young-stud-real-close-to-playing-in-nhl-coach/

This is why I don't listen to fans analyzing trades. They basically have no clue who the prospects are. I've seen several places where they say this kid is going to be a top 4 defenseman with offense. Get that with a 1st, 2nd(maybe 1st), Howden and you get rid of lazy Miller and get a solid player in return. This deal will be a steal for Gorton very soon. I respect McDonagh but anytime you get two young players who are going to be very good players for you for a long time for 2 guys you really don't want to pay, it's a win. Not to mention the picks.

But you are sure to listen to the player's coach?

I hope he's right, but I'm not sure thats the most neutral source. I'd say the opinion of scouts and experts is probably more reliable than the opinion of the player's coach or the opinion of fans.

Absolutely nowhere did I see any reliable neutral source label the prospects we got as high-end.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Yeah why would the Rangers want a player who does everything and actually hits people. Those idiots.

Because there are at least 5 players better than him

 

[Joey Bones]

Yeah Gorton said that on the radio. Said they wanted to draft him but didn’t have a pick and have been coveting him ever since

Gorton Discusses Trade With Tampa, Rangers Direction

Gorton thinks Hajek is going to be a top defenseman in the league....

 

[Joey Bones]

There's this video, as well....

 

[haveandare]

But you are sure to listen to the player's coach?

I hope he's right, but I'm not sure thats the most neutral source. I'd say the opinion of scouts and experts is probably more reliable than the opinion of the player's coach or the opinion of fans.

Absolutely nowhere did I see any reliable neutral source label the prospects we got as high-end.

Our own scouts and experts who traded for him seem to think very highly of Hejak. I’ll trust them behfore anyone on this site. Our board was flipping out about Chytil because they didn’t like his pants

 

[Hi ImHFNYR]

Our own scouts and experts who traded for him seem to think very highly of Hejak. I’ll trust them behfore anyone on this site. Our board was flipping out about Chytil because they didn’t like his pants

This board also flipped out over step...but it also flipped over mcilrath. I would say in general this place sucks at evaluating hockey so its better to err towards the professionals while remembering that they can blow too

 

[AndreRoy]

I wouldnt be surprised if Gorton kept asking for Foote when Hajek was his real target. Soften up the ground.

Then he would have been wasting his time.

Putting aside the question of which prospect has the better NHL career ahead of him the Lightning organization as a whole is extremely weak on the right side and quite strong on the left. The only NHL defenseman under control after next season on the right side is Dotchin, while on the left we have Hedman, Sergachev, and Koekkoek (who due to the depth in front of him has hardly gotten a chance to play, to the point where we might end up trading him despite the promise he’s shown in the rare occasions when Cooper lets him see the ice.) The same is true of Raddysh vs. Howden: it’s not that Raddysh is a better prospect than Howden, but we’re loaded at center and left wing while we have a shortage of natural right wingers.

In short it wasn’t a matter of trying to shield our best prospects from Gorton - it was trying to shield our most needed prospects from him. Even if Hajek and Howden turn out to be better than Foote and Raddysh we can spare the former two much more easily than we can the latter two. Since the areas we are strong at happen to be areas of need for you guys I’d say it’s a deal that should work out well for both sides.

 

[Tawnos]

Then he would have been wasting his time.

Putting aside the question of which prospect has the better NHL career ahead of him the Lightning organization as a whole is extremely weak on the right side and quite strong on the left. The only NHL defenseman under control after next season on the right side is Dotchin, while on the left we have Hedman, Sergachev, and Koekkoek (who due to the depth in front of him has hardly gotten a chance to play, to the point where we might end up trading him despite the promise he’s shown in the rare occasions when Cooper lets him see the ice.) The same is true of Raddysh vs. Howden: it’s not that Raddysh is a better prospect than Howden, but we’re loaded at center and left wing while we have a shortage of natural right wingers.

In short it wasn’t a matter of trying to shield our best prospects from Gorton - it was trying to shield our most needed prospects from him. Even if Hajek and Howden turn out to be better than Foote and Raddysh we can spare the former two much more easily than we can the latter two. Since the areas we are strong at happen to be areas of need for you guys I’d say it’s a deal that should work out well for both sides.

All well and good, but even if Yzerman was more okay with giving up Hajek than Foote, that doesn’t mean he’s going to be willing to give up Hajek right off the bat.

Despite this board’s penchant for assuming so, trade negotiations are not a simple matter of each side stating their desires. Each side has to create an environment where the other side is amenable to giving up something they value.

One way you do that is by asking for something more than your target. Pretty basic, really.

 

[AndreRoy]

All well and good, but even if Yzerman was more okay with giving up Hajek than Foote, that doesn’t mean he’s going to be willing to give up Hajek right off the bat.

Despite this board’s penchant for assuming so, trade negotiations are not a simple matter of each side stating their desires. Each side has to create an environment where the other side is amenable to giving up something they value.

One way you do that is by asking for something more than your target. Pretty basic, really.

Of course there was negotiation; I’m just saying that it wasn’t as if Gorton used some brilliant tactic by insisting on Foote and then pretending to settle for Hajek. He may well have started with Foote and Yzerman with Masin, both of them fully aware that they would eventually agree on Hajek because that’s the guy who made the most sense for both sides in the deal. But Yzerman wouldn’t have budged on Hajek unless he was willing to give him up from the start - that’s just the way he operates.

 

[Larrybiv]

The older I've gotten, the more I tend to phrase things by saying "I think" or "Most likely" and other such qualifiers.

The truth is that we don't really know, we're all just putting guesses out there --- educated or otherwise.

Yeah, it is a very intelligent person that doesn't "put themselves out there" with statements of conviction of their "opinions".

 

[Irishguy42]