Confirmed with Link: Tanner Pearson and 3rd (2025) Traded to Montreal for Casey DeSmith

[Miller Time]

Im not sorry but a slower and older version of Joel Armia is not positive at all for this team. Just another useless veteran whos probably gonna steal the spot of a kid.

Suzuki , Caufield , Gallagher , Dach , Dvorak , Anderson , Armia , NewHook , Monahan , Evans . Those 10 are not getting scratched.

That leaves Pearson , RHP , Pezetta , Ylonen , Slafkovski + perhaps new prospects making the team.

Also have 3 dead cap space already. Just to make happy some 3rd wheel goalie. Kids need to play , they are not gonna waive Gallagher and other vets like him.

Dvorak confirmed out until November.

Only 6 of the 15 you listed are over 25, and 4 are 23 & under.

"No room for youth" is not a concern for this roster. Even less so when you consider our young D.

 

[Goldthorpe]

Of all the players we received from the Hoffman trade tree, none have any value or significance whatsoever. All are basically dumps to make the trades work. All the actual value come from the picks.

People ripping up their shirts because they fear some 30 years old 4th liner will screw up their team have a fundamental misunderstanding of what the habs management is doing and why. None of these guys matter.

 

[HabsWhiteKnightLOL]

Dvorak confirmed out until November.

Only 6 of the 15 you listed are over 25, and 4 are 23 & under.

"No room for youth" is not a concern for this roster. Even less so when you consider our young D.

ok Dvorak will miss 3-4weeks. Big deal. The problem will occur once again in a month.

Also im talking to actual good young roster player , not players like Pezzeta or Ylonen. Players like Roy with actual skills. There is literally no space for them.

The actual young guys we have as forward with potential right now in the NHL are Slaf , Newhook , Dach. I wouldn't consider the other 5 with the potential they have.

 

[Jaynki]

Im not sorry but a slower and older version of Joel Armia is not positive at all for this team. Just another useless veteran whos probably gonna steal the spot of a kid.

Suzuki , Caufield , Gallagher , Dach , Dvorak , Anderson , Armia , NewHook , Monahan , Evans . Those 10 are not getting scratched.

That leaves Pearson , RHP , Pezetta , Ylonen , Slafkovski + perhaps new prospects making the team.

Also have 3 dead cap space already. Just to make happy some 3rd wheel goalie. Kids need to play , they are not gonna waive Gallagher and other vets like him.

Perhaps we should finally use some draft picks that we can't use properly for the last decade and perhaps send away some scrap so we can have space for the kids.

Even on defense we have 10 players and 8 if u remove Wideman and Orville. Literally no spots for anyone .

Dude, at worst Pearson is waived and goes to the AHL.

For acquiring Monahan who turned out a positive, for ditching Hoffman and Pitlick who were negative value assets and finally for getting 2.3M for 2 years on our cap.

We acquired a full year of drafting... 2025 1st, 2025 2nd, 2025 3rd, 2025 4th, Nathan Légaré, Gustav Lindstrom.

Listen i do agree that pearson is not a positive but who cares, he is not a problem either.

We turned a bag of dirt into a full year of drafting. Think about it for 2 seconds.

 

[HabsWhiteKnightLOL]

Dude, at worst Pearson is waived and goes to the AHL.

For acquiring Monahan who turned out a positive, for ditching Hoffman and Pitlick who were negative value assets and finally for getting 2.3M for 2 years on our cap.

We acquired a full year of drafting... 2025 1st, 2025 2nd, 2025 3rd, 2025 4th, Nathan Légaré, Gustav Lindstrom.

Listen i do agree that pearson is not a positive but who cares, he is not a problem either.

We turned a bag of dirt into a full year of drafting. Think about it for 2 seconds.

Im not saying hes a problem in terms of contract. Im talking about roster space. I don't see it at all Pearson going in the AHL. It makes it harder for upcoming prospect to have a tryout. We have some terrible contracts of players we cant waive , I just feel like adding a new one mostly at forward was not the best decision. I don't know why we just didnt get an ahler instead.

If Armia makes the team then i dont know why Pearson wouldn't . I think people are out a bit with my comment on this.

Pearson can win 1m or 800k for all i care , roster spots are also really important. At this moment we are about to ice the same team as last season. Minus Dadonov and Hoffman for Newhook and Pearson.

 

[Jeune Poulet]

You say this like we brought in Pearson to fix scoring woes to help compete.

No. Read my post again. What I was saying is that the post I responded to was not a reflection of what we really gave to get those assets.

Just the fact that Went Wughes transformed Mike Hoffman and Rem Pitlick to a Nathan Légaré, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, Gustav Lidstrom... that's amazing.

It would have been amazing but that's not just what happened.

Having said that, if you, and the usual cheerleaders prefer the inaccurate, rose-colored version, that's ok too.

 

[Miller Time]

ok Dvorak will miss 3-4weeks. Big deal. The problem will occur once again in a month.

Also im talking to actual good young roster player , not players like Pezzeta or Ylonen. Players like Roy with actual skills. There is literally no space for them.

The actual young guys we have as forward with potential right now in the NHL are Slaf , Newhook , Dach. I wouldn't consider the other 5 with the potential they have.

I think highly of Roy, Heineman, Farrell, Beck... but all 4 of them fit the profile of players that would benefit from at least a year of excelling in the AHL in top 6 roles vs getting limited minutes on bottom 6 roles in the NHL at this point in their development... Heinemann is perhaps the closest to take a top 6 role in this organization, but that's a stretch.

Pearson will be pushing out minutes from the guys you identify as not being concerned with.

I'd prefer seeing Ylonen get the regular spot, but I also think that he will get it if he takes it... if he's not demonstrably better than Pearson, Armia or Gallagher at this point, that's on him.

 

[Redux91]

It would have been amazing but that's not just what happened.

Having said that, if you, and the usual cheerleaders prefer the inaccurate, rose-colored version, that's ok too.

Are you a minority Owner of the Montreal Canadiens..?
Why are you freaking out about money that's not yours?

If your reply is "well 5 million $ can get you a really good player.."
WTF do we need a mid-level Free Agent for this season..?

Next year we will have even more money to spend, Petrys 2.3 mill won't break our bank or cap I can assure you. And we'll have even more cash the year after that. We're RICH dude, lol, we'll be OK.

Weaponizing mere 'cash' to obtain draft/trade assets is HOW you GM correctly.
Bergevin spending to the cap because 4th liners are making 4 mill$ a year is NOT how you GM.

 

[PettersonHughes]

Thanks from Vancouver, pleasure doing business. Enjoy the 3rd and thanks for taking Pearson and for DeSmith.

 

[sampollock]

Nothing, both are going to be injured by then.

tanner wont bring much, another 3rd?

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

ok Dvorak will miss 3-4weeks. Big deal. The problem will occur once again in a month.

Also im talking to actual good young roster player , not players like Pezzeta or Ylonen. Players like Roy with actual skills. There is literally no space for them.

The actual young guys we have as forward with potential right now in the NHL are Slaf , Newhook , Dach. I wouldn't consider the other 5 with the potential they have.

Roy shouldn't be in the NHL this year on a full-time basis.

None of our prospects should be.

That would leave RHP, Pearson, or Pezzetta in the outside looking in until someone gets hurt 7 minutes into the first exhibition game..

 

[Redux91]

Thanks from Vancouver, pleasure doing business. Enjoy the 3rd and thanks for taking Pearson and for DeSmith.

Good luck bud

 

[Captain Mountain]

If it was just that, it would be amazing. But you are conveniently lefting out the part where we took on a broken down Tanner Pearson who earns $3.25M, and on top of that we are uselessly burning a retention slot for two years at $2,343,750 to not hurt Petry's feelings or something.

That's not so amazing.

Pearson's cap hit is $3.25, Montreal is paying him $2.75. Plus moving DeSmith 1.8 mil hit (1.9 mil real salary).

Lets look at all the moves as one. First, focusing on contracts that can't being buried, the net cap effect is an extra 1.09 mil against the cap this season and an extra 2.34 mil against the cap next season, plus being down one retention spot. For that, they got a 2nd, 3rd and 4th in 2025. Plus, Pearson is better suited for a bottom line/extra forward role than Hoffman, and Lindstrom and Legare are more flexible depth pieces than Pitlick.

Would it have been better to have just kept Petry and waived DeSmith? Probably, although there's a risk element and human element being ignored. But unless you think Petry retained at this deadline would have netted Montreal a 1st, I'm not sure there's a big enough opportunity cost to be worth complaining about it. Especially since this upcoming season is probably the last in the current flat-cap environment. Retention and taking bad contracts wont have the same value next offseason as it did the last few.

HuGo inherited a team in 2022 with the worst cap outlook in 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 and have managed to add extra picks in each of the first four rounds of the 2025 draft exclusively through cap-centric moves.

 

[417]

Kent is very good at trading and extending contract . Next summer, we will see if he is good at signing/convincing free agent to sign with the Habs? Fans will be expecting to make the playoff by 2024-2025,

I don't expect free agency to be a tool the Habs are going to use next summer or much beyond that.

Free agency market gets worse every year, so fine by me personally.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

People certainly have found a way to twist themselves into being mad about this.

It is so true and so sad.....what is wrong with people?

 

[Jeune Poulet]

Are you a minority Owner of the Montreal Canadiens..?
Why are you freaking out about money that's not yours?

Why are you pretending I'm freaking out for simply pointing out facts about the trades? I'm just pointing out that the Habs did more than just trade Hoffman and Pitlick.

Weaponizing mere 'cash' to obtain draft/trade assets is HOW you GM correctly.

Then why does it get you riled up when I point out that we did, in fact, weaponize cash to get those picks?

Bergevin spending to the cap because 4th liners are making 4 mill$ a year is NOT how you GM.

Neither is dumbly extending a declining Jake Allen for 2 X $3,850,000 when there is absolutely no need to.

 

[Goldthorpe]

It is so true and so sad.....what is wrong with people?

I was just outside, thinking about this.

I've been member of this forum for a long time, only came back recently. Many current posters too (like you) have a long history here. And I recall all your nicknames, from discussion back in the 00', and the team back then, and koivu, and kovalev. But I especially remember the never-ending arguments around rebuilding. How necessary it was to be competitive for a window. How impossible it seemed to be in Montreal. The owner would never allow it. The fans would never allow it. But the topic remained, always unresolved, as the team never manage to really get it together (although a few runs were close, f*** Kreider).

But now it's completely different. The unthinkable has happened. A progressive GM convinced his owner that a real rebuild was necessary. And he has a well-layed plan about what he wants to do and why. And he's doing it! And, imho, pretty well overall! it's fabulous. I'm super happy to just be on this ride, and for the habs to have a GM who seem to leave no stone unturned. For once other teams long for our GM and coach. And our prospect poll is pretty cool. This should be nirvana in a board called Hockey Future. I don't know if we'll end up with a winner out of this whole process, but I sure will enjoy the ride.

And the camp is starting! At last! Lets go!!

 

[HabsWhiteKnightLOL]

Roy shouldn't be in the NHL this year on a full-time basis.

None of our prospects should be.

That would leave RHP, Pearson, or Pezzetta in the outside looking in until someone gets hurt 7 minutes into the first exhibition game..

Thank you for giving a good reply instead of bashing .
I agree with you , just that sometimes a surprise happen we'll see

 

[YukonCornelius 5thOA]

I was just outside, thinking about this.

Well that's two things you're doing that most people don't do these days.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

Thank you for giving a good reply instead of bashing .
I agree with you , just that sometimes a surprise happen we'll see

That's always a possibility and Roy would be thr closest as he has the most pro game, but I can't see him playing in the A and hopefully doing well will be a negative.

If he did make the team and let's say Armia was sent down, would Roy show enough to push a top 6 player down ? That's where I think he isn't quite there and should play as a 1st liner in the A. Same with Heineman that others are liking.

 

[Jaynki]

Neither is dumbly extending a declining Jake Allen for 2 X $3,850,000 when there is absolutely no need to.

When that is the one of the only thing you can whine about. Things are probably going well.

I mean, we should survive this contract quite easily.

 

[BLONG7]

I was just outside, thinking about this.

I've been member of this forum for a long time, only came back recently. Many current posters too (like you) have a long history here. And I recall all your nicknames, from discussion back in the 00', and the team back then, and koivu, and kovalev. But I especially remember the never-ending arguments around rebuilding. How necessary it was to be competitive for a window. How impossible it seemed to be in Montreal. The owner would never allow it. The fans would never allow it. But the topic remained, always unresolved, as the team never manage to really get it together (although a few runs were close, f*** Kreider).

But now it's completely different. The unthinkable has happened. A progressive GM convinced his owner that a real rebuild was necessary. And he has a well-layed plan about what he wants to do and why. And he's doing it! And, imho, pretty well overall! it's fabulous. I'm super happy to just be on this ride, and for the habs to have a GM who seem to leave no stone unturned. For once other teams long for our GM and coach. And our prospect poll is pretty cool. This should be nirvana in a board called Hockey Future. I don't know if we'll end up with a winner out of this whole process, but I sure will enjoy the ride.

And the camp is starting! At last! Lets go!!

Been here for years also..............a lot of great posters still here, and many have gone........
Seems it's more challenging these days to have discussions, , god forbid opinions differ with certain posters....

Habs rebuild is is good hands.................. will be glad to discuss actual hockey games soon....

 

[Miller Time]

I was just outside, thinking about this.

I've been member of this forum for a long time, only came back recently. Many current posters too (like you) have a long history here. And I recall all your nicknames, from discussion back in the 00', and the team back then, and koivu, and kovalev. But I especially remember the never-ending arguments around rebuilding. How necessary it was to be competitive for a window. How impossible it seemed to be in Montreal. The owner would never allow it. The fans would never allow it. But the topic remained, always unresolved, as the team never manage to really get it together (although a few runs were close, f*** Kreider).

But now it's completely different. The unthinkable has happened. A progressive GM convinced his owner that a real rebuild was necessary. And he has a well-layed plan about what he wants to do and why. And he's doing it! And, imho, pretty well overall! it's fabulous. I'm super happy to just be on this ride, and for the habs to have a GM who seem to leave no stone unturned. For once other teams long for our GM and coach. And our prospect poll is pretty cool. This should be nirvana in a board called Hockey Future. I don't know if we'll end up with a winner out of this whole process, but I sure will enjoy the ride.

And the camp is starting! At last! Lets go!!

Amen!

 

[Rapala]

Can we return Pearson to LTIR for the purpose of sending him to Laval on a conditioning stint? I seem to remember that on LTIR you can get Six Days or Three Games. I'm wondering if it can be done as a pre season maneuver and would it help the Cap Situation?

 

[Treb]

Can we return Pearson to LTIR for the purpose of sending him to Laval on a conditioning stint? I seem to remember that on LTIR you can get Six Days or Three Games. I'm wondering if it can be done as a pre season maneuver and would it help the Cap Situation?

You don't want to use off-season LTIR, it would make the Cap worse.