Thats a terrible take lmao. On top of that, Suzuki will be 29 in 5 years, thats a short window to win. The fact that you think dumping Campbell would only cost them basically Holloway is delusional at best (plus the fact that Newhooks value is already more than what we paid for him).
For starters, Suzuki will be the oldest of the young core in 5 years and entering that season -- with three years left on his current contract (Caufield will have four left) -- as a fresh, 28th-yr-old pivot in his prime. It is, in fact a perfect time for a three-year window at trying to win Montreal's 25th Stanley Cup!
Suzuki will be 28
Caufield will be 26
Dach will be 26
Slafkovsky will be 23
Roy will be 24
Holloway will be 26
Heineman will be 25
RHP will be 28
Guhle will be 25
Reinbacher will be 22
Mailloux will be 24
Hutson will be 23
Xhejkaj will be 26
I stated that I expected, all along, that Montreal would make some serious damage only in 5 years. That means, challenge for a Cup run.
I agree that Montreal should be challenging for a playoff spot after two more years (this one and the next one) -- that's three years from now, not after this season, meaning two years from now.
That's after contracts to Dvorak, Armia and Savard are off the books and after, in my proposed scenario, Montreal has added 5 more 1st round picks, 3 more 2nd round picks and 3 more 3rd round picks, or, most likely, used some these to acquire an impactful, young forward or two and a starting G via the trade route and the UFA front..
Look at the age bracket of the core listed above. Are you actually delusional enough to think we would challenger a Cup run before Year 5 from now (this season included), or after four more seasons have passed?
For the holy love of whatever, ou oldest D will be Xhekaj at 26 -- And that's the least impactful of the five core Ds that we will have, likely a #5 on the pecking order, if not a #6.
We don't even have a bead on who'll be the starting G for a Cup run!? It won't be Montembeault, I'm positive of that.
Our forward group will just be recently in their prime, or just entering it.
Those expecting a team that is ready for full glory as soon as next year, in some cases, or the year after are forgetting development of youngsters takes time and that experience often needs to kick in before they have a genuine Cup-winning impact at the NHL level.
What's a terrible take is expecting this team to be ready to contend before four more years have gone by!
My take gives Newhook because Evans is worth nothing and Montembeault is worth only slightly more, plus, I'm asking for an extra 1st round pick, compared to the original proposal, togo along with Holloway.
I think Holloway may well copout as an excellent power forward type, but not necessarily an elite version of that.He'dbe an eventual replacement for Anderson (in year 5 from now), either to go along with Heinemann in that role, or to be that instead of Heineman who would have failed to become that with the Habs.
My goal is to have loads of draft capital over the next two seasons, but not to simply draft and develop, risking to always chase the Cup window, where current players with talent are on the downswing as future drafted players with upside are only starting to perform at Cup-winning levels.
I expect Hughes to package some veterans (maybe Anderson in the 2025 offseason),prospects that are talented, but redundant and higher draft picks to add an elite scorer by 2025 and, necessarily, a younger version of that because the core of this team will stile couple foyers away from truly maturing into contender mode.
Hughes will also draft players that will accompany the team's upward swing and, as they develop, reinforce the ageing core at cheaper cap hits.
That's how Huighes can deliver on the promise of presenting a perennial contender over a longer time frame.
Not through wishful thinking where fans believe everything will magically come together in short order with still inexperienced NHLers that aren't generationnal talents.
Montreal has not been in the playoffs forty years now and likely won't be for two more years. None of the current younger players outside of Suzuki and Caufield will have experienced the playoffs and learnt from adversity faced in the postseason.
As we saw many times in the past, good teams need to lose before knowing how to win in the playoffs. It happened with dynasties such as the Oilers, even with Gretzky and the stellar supporting cast on that roster. It happened with TB, just recently. It happened with Colorado.It happened with Pittsburgh and Crosby, earlier in his career. It happened with Ovechkin's Capitals, and soon, and so on.
Montreal might make the playoffs in three years, two years if they are extremely lucky, but it won't be contending before year 5.
The division and conference is much too stacked right now for that to happen. With PIT, WAS and BOS likely nearing (if not already in) rebuild mode by Year 5 from now, despite other currently rebuilding or emerging teams being a challenge, Montreal will have a clearer path forward to the Cup finals.
TB will also be ageing and, to a somewhat lesser degree, so will Colorado as competition in the other conference.
Perfect storm, as Montreal becomes a mature, but still rather young roster.
I only indulged fortune in this stupid scenario where we would get anything from Edmonton for Evans and Montembeault, while agreeing to taken four years of Campbell's contract, but my expectations for there being no contention status before five years from now is based solid analysis, not some pipe dream.
But, a lot of things still need happen for that to be true. Lots of work for Hughes, but still a lot of assets coming up over the next two off-season, before any other are even acquired; three first round picks, two 2nd round picks, four 3rd round picks -- and I'm not counting multiple 4ths, multiple 5ths and multiple 7ths over those two drafts.
