Proposal: MTL-UTAH Jordan Harris for Jack McBain

[Habs Halifax]

LOL of course.

Illuminate me.

From what I see / know Harris is a small, soft offensive type D that has not put up many points yet. He is a 5/6/7 guy and likely waiver fodder if a few Montreal prospects make the jump.

Meanwhile Xhekaj and McBain are both big, mean physically imposing players with upside. Xhekaj is an RFA while McBain is signed.

GM Armstrong loves big, mean players. Zero chance he trades McBain for Harris. The value is not there nor is the fit.

Keep trying with the Xhekaj vs McBain narrative. I would agree that the Harris/McBain flip does not work and I already said that. But it got worse on the other side by trying to switch Harris with Xhekaj.
Xhekaj as a RFA means nothing to his trade value. Xhekaj is going to be making more than McBain on his bridge deal. Why? Because he is better value on the ice. Possible the Habs try to sign him long term if the AAV fits. He is a valuable piece on the back end and many teams would love to have a chance to have him.

Xhekaj >> McBain.

So MTL's prospect gets an absolute best case scenario development as a "likely" scenario while the other teams player doesn't progress at all?

If you had Xhekaj in your system, you would be pumping him up more than we are now.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

Keep trying with the Xhekaj vs McBain narrative. I would agree that the Harris/McBain flip does not work and I already said that. But it got worse on the other side by trying to switch Harris with Xhekaj.
Xhekaj as a RFA means nothing to his trade value. Xhekaj is going to be making more than McBain on his bridge deal. Why? Because he is better value on the ice. Possible the Habs try to sign him long term if the AAV fits. He is a valuable piece on the back end and many teams would love to have a chance to have him.

Xhekaj >> McBain.

I think the only point he is making is that Harris for McBain for Utah is the equivalent of Xhekaj for McBain for Montreal. Both players aren't getting traded unless it is for an overpayment, and nobody wants to overpay.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

Like all fan bases, some fans have no clue how to assess what they are watching...



Any team can add any player provided they are willing to pay the cost of acquisition.

Pretty straightforward.



Maybe because any player can be traded?

What is this even a response to? It has nothing to do with my post

 

[Heldig]

Keep trying with the Xhekaj vs McBain narrative. I would agree that the Harris/McBain flip does not work and I already said that. But it got worse on the other side by trying to switch Harris with Xhekaj.
Xhekaj as a RFA means nothing to his trade value. Xhekaj is going to be making more than McBain on his bridge deal. Why? Because he is better value on the ice. Possible the Habs try to sign him long term if the AAV fits. He is a valuable piece on the back end and many teams would love to have a chance to have him.

Xhekaj >> McBain.



If you had Xhekaj in your system, you would be pumping him up more than we are now.

YOU can prefer Xhekaj all you want. What makes his value >> than McBain?

 

[Habs Halifax]

YOU can prefer Xhekaj all you want. What makes his value >> than McBain?

Rare type of asset to acquire on D. Not saying he reaches Chara level but he could have that kind of impact if he keeps improving. Massive physical guy on D, knows how to fight, and plays with an edge. Skating is well above average for someone his size. Of course he may stall and be who he is but most see that potential.

McBain is likely a bottom 6F (used as a 4th line center). A good one yes. Xhekaj is already a bottom pairing quality and should reach top 4D. I believe McBain is one year older.

I'm aware of both of their games. Xhekaj has a fair amount of value over McBain. If the Habs want to trade Harris to unblock the clutter on D, we will shoot for a 2nd or 3rd rounder.

Xhekaj pts/game playing D is almost on par with McBain. Neither of them play PP.

 

[Mersss]

So MTL's prospect gets an absolute best case scenario development as a "likely" scenario while the other teams player doesn't progress at all?

We've seen Mcbain is a 20-30pts player. Kinda like Brian Boyle type (best case scenario)

Now that's bot saying a Brian Boyle type isn't something teams need, just notso.wthing you trade a d like Xhekaj for

 

[Heldig]

Rare type of asset to acquire on D. Not saying he reaches Chara level but he could have that kind of impact if he keeps improving. Massive physical guy on D, knows how to fight, and plays with an edge. Skating is well above average for someone his size. Of course he may stall and be who he is but most see that potential.

McBain is likely a bottom 6F (used as a 4th line center). A good one yes. Xhekaj is already a bottom pairing quality and should reach top 4D. I believe McBain is one year older.

I'm aware of both of their games. Xhekaj has a fair amount of value over McBain. If the Habs want to trade Harris to unblock the clutter on D, we will shoot for a 2nd or 3rd rounder.

Xhekaj pts/game playing D is almost on par with McBain. Neither of them play PP.

Khekaj was 10th in TOI on the Habs D (8th if you remove Hutson and Mailloux). 9th in ppg.

Funny that he has this great potential yet McBain does not.

Highly doubt you can get a 2nd or 3rd for Harris btw. His type are available for free all the time.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Khekaj was 10th in TOI on the Habs D (8th if you remove Hutson and Mailloux). 9th in ppg.

Funny that he has this great potential yet McBain does not.

Highly doubt you can get a 2nd or 3rd for Harris btw. His type are available for free all the time.

Habs have been managing all our young D with time and we have a plan with grooming them. I will respect you assessment on McBain but I have my own with Xhekaj. Big mobile nasty guys like this on the back end are just not readily available.

What is Harris's value? Not sure. A lot of devalue going on with him but he does play a well rounded game. He is a bottom pairing quality but I don't have top 4D potential with him. I think he is who he is at this stage. Will mature a little more but don't think he becomes top 4D in his prime.

Do the Habs put him on waivers? Possible but we have the tools to avoid it. We should not be rushing Reinbacher, Hutson, and Mailloux and they are exempt from waivers.

 

[FinnishCoyote]

When you ask Utah fans what players you don't want to trade in order, you will find McBain very high in every list. Only behind our core prospects/players.

You would need to overpay for him a lot. Makes no sense for us to trade him

 

[dgibb10]

Rare type of asset to acquire on D. Not saying he reaches Chara level but he could have that kind of impact if he keeps improving. Massive physical guy on D, knows how to fight, and plays with an edge. Skating is well above average for someone his size. Of course he may stall and be who he is but most see that potential.

McBain is likely a bottom 6F (used as a 4th line center). A good one yes. Xhekaj is already a bottom pairing quality and should reach top 4D. I believe McBain is one year older.

I'm aware of both of their games. Xhekaj has a fair amount of value over McBain. If the Habs want to trade Harris to unblock the clutter on D, we will shoot for a 2nd or 3rd rounder.

Xhekaj pts/game playing D is almost on par with McBain. Neither of them play PP.

Mentioning chara in any context is awful.

Arber Xhekaj is one of the worst defenseman in the NHL.

-Very bad defensively
-Unable to contribute anything on either special teams units
-Cannot handle anything other than the easiest possible competition
-The least disciplined player in the NHL

Zdeno Chara was a 1st pairing dman at age 23. Xhekaj is an Depth/AHL caliber dman that you have to figure out how to hide.

 

[The Devilish Buffoon]

Xhekaj >> McBain.

No, not really. Xhekaj may have more upside but not by a significant amount and he is at greater risk of not figuring it out (source: McBain is an everyday NHLer and Xhekaj is not).

 

[Dead Coyote]

Rare type of asset to acquire on D. Not saying he reaches Chara level but he could have that kind of impact if he keeps improving. Massive physical guy on D, knows how to fight, and plays with an edge. Skating is well above average for someone his size. Of course he may stall and be who he is but most see that potential.

McBain is likely a bottom 6F (used as a 4th line center). A good one yes. Xhekaj is already a bottom pairing quality and should reach top 4D. I believe McBain is one year older.

The moment you said he could have the same kind of impact as Chara if he keeps improving you lost all credibility. Yeah, he's big and mean and physical. That's where the comparison ends. He could be a Norris level defenseman? Lead the league in games played as a defenseman? Win the stanley cup?

Yeah, you're right. I guess if McBain keeps improving he could also become the next Eric Lindros and be one of the best centers of all time too. All the things you said about Xhekaj are true about McBain too. Saying one could be equivalent to one of the best physical defensive d-men of all time and the other isn't going to progress at all and stay as a 4th line center? Yeah, that's disingenuous at best. I think Xhekaj arguably has more value than McBain but it's certainly a lot closer than you think.

 

[Dead Coyote]

If you had Xhekaj in your system, you would be pumping him up more than we are now.

Well we have Simashev and I haven't seen anyone compare him to Zdeno Chara yet...

 

[Habs Halifax]

Well we have Simashev and I haven't seen anyone compare him to Zdeno Chara yet...

Chara was an anomaly. Not many realize or remember how long it took him to reach the level he did in his prime. Sens picked Redden over Chara (before Chara signed with the Bruins). Habs trading Xhekaj for low value today could back fire like that.

Player comparisons can get fans tied in a knot at times. But when I look at Xhekaj, I do see some parallels to Chara (before he broke out). Xhekaj could stall and be who he is and I get that part but man, the potential of him being a top 4D physical stud who is intimidating is there.

Simashev has to play NHL and add a lot of weight before he is in the Chara/Xhekaj heavy weight division. He's just over 200 lbs... light for his height.

 

[Habs Halifax]

The moment you said he could have the same kind of impact as Chara if he keeps improving you lost all credibility. Yeah, he's big and mean and physical. That's where the comparison ends. He could be a Norris level defenseman? Lead the league in games played as a defenseman? Win the stanley cup?

Yeah, you're right. I guess if McBain keeps improving he could also become the next Eric Lindros and be one of the best centers of all time too. All the things you said about Xhekaj are true about McBain too. Saying one could be equivalent to one of the best physical defensive d-men of all time and the other isn't going to progress at all and stay as a 4th line center? Yeah, that's disingenuous at best. I think Xhekaj arguably has more value than McBain but it's certainly a lot closer than you think.

Don't be so gullible in your "got cha" game. Xhekaj has that same kind of potential impact in his own zone as Chara. I'd be a fool if I thought or said he would bring the same exact value and you would be a fool as well to assume it that way.

 

[Habs Halifax]

No, not really. Xhekaj may have more upside but not by a significant amount and he is at greater risk of not figuring it out (source: McBain is an everyday NHLer and Xhekaj is not).

Bookmark it. Lets see how this plays out over the next 2 seasons.

 

[vokiel]

KH kept three goaltenders, almost the whole year, he won't waive Harris.

He'll be forced to waive someone else, same result imho. MTL needs to add or dangle more valuable pieces.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Mentioning chara in any context is awful.

Arber Xhekaj is one of the worst defenseman in the NHL.

-Very bad defensively
-Unable to contribute anything on either special teams units
-Cannot handle anything other than the easiest possible competition
-The least disciplined player in the NHL

Zdeno Chara was a 1st pairing dman at age 23. Xhekaj is an Depth/AHL caliber dman that you have to figure out how to hide.

Go look at Chara before he played with the Bruins in his prime. You're not getting the point very well. Sens picked Redden over Chara bud. Chara was not the Chara we know today before his time with the Bruins. Took Chara 8 seasons from age 19-26 to reach his high level. Both the Islanders and Sens gave up on him. Xhekaj is age 23 today.

Some of you need to chill with your "got cha" game. Do I think Xhekaj will be the next Chara for sure? NO. Do I think he could have a similar impact where he is intimidating and is a physical monster. Yes.

Multiple reports of several GM's calling the Habs about Xhekaj. They certainly see what I see in potential and want to buy low. Habs are not selling low and he is an important part of our back end.

 

[TBF1972]

Preach. Thank you.


Can you go into the other 16 threads with Harris and keep saying this?

are you sure you haven't missed some?

 

[TBF1972]

YOU can prefer Xhekaj all you want. What makes his value >> than McBain?

the logo on the jersey

 

[TBF1972]

When you ask Utah fans what players you don't want to trade in order, you will find McBain very high in every list. Only behind our core prospects/players.

You would need to overpay for him a lot. Makes no sense for us to trade him

unfair from you to use a habs fans trademark sentence

 

[The Devilish Buffoon]

Go look at Chara before he played with the Bruins in his prime. You're not getting the point very well. Sens picked Redden over Chara bud. Chara was not the Chara we know today before his time with the Bruins. Took Chara 8 seasons from age 19-26 to reach his high level. Both the Islanders and Sens gave up on him. Xhekaj is age 23 today.

Some of you need to chill with your "got cha" game. Do I think Xhekaj will be the next Chara for sure? NO. Do I think he could have a similar impact where he is intimidating and is a physical monster. Yes.

Multiple reports of several GM's calling the Habs about Xhekaj. They certainly see what I see in potential and want to buy low. Habs are not selling low and he is an important part of our back end.

This is hilariously incorrect lmao.

Nearly the entire Sens staff revolted at that decision, it was made by the GM after a dozen staff members told him to do otherwise. Chara had also been top 5 in Norris votes. NYI traded him in a package for a recent Hart Trophy finalist. You are out to lunch on this specifically and its clear you weren't watching or paying attention to Chara at all

 

[Habs Halifax]

This is hilariously incorrect lmao.

Nearly the entire Sens staff revolted at that decision, it was made by the GM after a dozen staff members told him to do otherwise. Chara had also been top 5 in Norris votes. NYI traded him in a package for a recent Hart Trophy finalist. You are out to lunch on this specifically and its clear you weren't watching or paying attention to Chara at all

Spins. At the end of the day, Chara broke with the Bruins at age 26/27. He didn't suck that much with the Islanders or Sens but he was certainly not the player he was with the Bruins.

Go away with your got cha game. It's overlooking the main point and a distraction

 

[The Devilish Buffoon]

Spins. At the end of the day, Chara broke with the Bruins at age 26/27. He didn't suck that much with the Islanders or Sens but he was certainly not the player he was with the Bruins.

Go away with your got cha game. It's overlooking the main point and a distraction

.... he finished 14th, 7th, 2nd and 4th in Norris voting in his four years in Ottawa . I'm sorry that you decided to talk about a player you have no clue about and clearly didn't watch closely, if at all.

You have no point besides, "I'm a Habs fan and I love our guys!"

 

[TBF1972]

.... he finished 14th, 7th, 2nd and 4th in Norris voting in his four years in Ottawa . I'm sorry that you decided to talk about a player you have no clue about and clearly didn't watch closely, if at all.

You have no point besides, "I'm a Habs fan and I love our guys!"

as he said close to AX today