Farrell may end up being trade fodder for a heavy team needing an infusion of talent with high IQ.
Dreams of Farrell playing with his good buddy, Caufield, should be tempered, especially at 5 on 5. However, Farrell could become a playmaking, PP specialist on the point and could feed his buddy there, for a one-timer, on occasion.
Farrell just does not have the attributes that make Fantilli such a rare catch, for example, and, unfortunately, Montreal is trending towards being too much of a small, skilled lineup.
Yet, we hear some fans eager to trade Anderson for a pick, for example, or to play Newhook on the first line with Caufield and Suzuki.
Or, even, Harvey-Pinard.
Just imagine the playoffs with a roster that boasts this amount of size:
Caufield (5'7"), Suzuki (5'11"), Newhook (5'10"), RHP (5'9"), Farrell (5'9"), Gallagher (5'9"). Definitely a smurf squad.
Keep in mind, that's the team's measurements, often overly generous, compared to reality. Farrell, for example, doesn't really look bigger than Caufield...
Thank God we have Dach (6'4"), Slafkovsky (6'3"), Anderson (6'3") and Monahan (6'2") that can play in the top-9,including two as genuine top-6 Cs/Ws in Dach and Monahan!
Yet, we're unsure what ceiling Slafkovsky will reach and how long Monahan will remain a Hab. Imagine, now, trading Anderson for a pick!?
Dach and Slafkovsky may be the two remaining players with combination of size and skill on the whole starting day lineup next year, and we're unsure about both players' ceilings!
I doubt that, over the long haul, we keep more than two diminutive players in the top-9 from Caufield, Newhook, RHP, Farrell and Gallagher.
Gallagher looks like a keeper, by default, because of the albatross contract. Would he really be a 6.5M fourth liner?