HF Habs: Trade Proposal Thread #88: 2024 Off-Season Thread

[Draft]

Why does the top six need to improve? We are unlikely to make the playoffs with or without an addition there. Our green blueline will almost certainly ensure this.

What is the goal? Is it to sneak into 8th? Is it to build towards a cup winning team?

If you're saying the top six needs to improve to contend for a cup, that's true. But it will improve just by virtue of time. All those guys will be as good or better in three years and there will be additional players in the lineup. We won't be cup contenders now if we add someone or not. It's going to be a few years before we real contenders anyway.

So why the need for a better top six? I don't see it. (Note: this is not the same thing as saying it can't be improved.)

We will very likely go up in the rankings regardless.

Again, we will improve just by virtue of time.

Do we? I don't really think so. Again, it depends on your objective.

And he'd be taking ice from Roy. That's just a fact.

Does that help us? How? I'd rather we invest in Roy than invest in a player who probably won't be here in two years anyway.

They might want to put CC with Dach anyway. That might be a better fit and you'd get a better balance. Roy or Newhook moves up and you've still got two solid lines. Demidov comes in next year and Newhook or Roy move down.

Not sure I agree. Laine would be taking ice time away from Roy in the same way Monahan took it from Dach - i.e. he didn’t because we have no depth and a prospect doesn’t need to be put in a position where they sink or swim in the top-6.

Roy might even be lucky enough to play with Laine in the top-6/9 - what an opportunity if his alternatives are going to be Anderson and Gallagher.

Also, we improve now so that our young players have a chance to play in meaningful games throughout the year. Have a legitimate shot at battling for a playoff spot rather than mailing it in or relying on “buying into the process” for the last half of the season for the umpteenth time. Improve our shot at signing FAs. Get lucky and get some playoff experience. Lots of good things to come from it. You already know we’re not going from 5th last to cup contender, so why wouldn’t we start changing gears now when we’re improving organically and likely to be in no-man’s-land anyway?

Cost to acquire, Laine’s desire to play here, and possible opportunity cost if we have another deal cooking are my biggest question marks. Playing time for a rookie already penciled in for middle-6/PP2 duties regardless of the move or a lack of desire to have a more competitive team this year don’t feel like very good reasons to not do this deal.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Not sure I agree. Laine would be taking ice time away from Roy in the same way Monahan took it from Dach - i.e. he didn’t because we have no depth and a prospect doesn’t need to be put in a position where they sink or swim in the top-6.

Roy might even be lucky enough to play with Laine in the top-6/9 - what an opportunity if his alternatives are going to be Anderson and Gallagher.

Also, we improve now so that our young players have a chance to play in meaningful games throughout the year. Have a legitimate shot at battling for a playoff spot rather than mailing it in or relying on “buying into the process” for the last half of the season for the umpteenth time. Improve our shot at signing FAs. Get lucky and get some playoff experience. Lots of good things to come from it. You already know we’re not going from 5th last to cup contender, so why wouldn’t we start changing gears now when we’re improving organically and likely to be in no-man’s-land anyway?

Cost to acquire, Laine’s desire to play here, and possible opportunity cost if we have another deal cooking are my biggest question marks. Playing time for a rookie already penciled in for middle-6/PP2 duties regardless of the move or a lack of desire to have a more competitive team this year don’t feel like very good reasons to not do this deal.

The question we should ask with every move is this: Does this move help us get closer to a cup? That's it. If it helps us get to 8th in the short term but does nothing for us longterm, then don't do it. We have to be single minded in our objective.

The way you get there (a repeatable proven way)

1. Amass top picks and prospects
2. Develop those prospects
3. Add pieces as you become a contender

That's it. Don't bother with shortcuts. Don't bother with getting a player who will improve you in the short term. Make sure you give ice time and strong linemates to your prospects.

 

[Draft]

The question we should ask with every move is this: Does this move help us get closer to a cup? That's it. If it helps us get to 8th in the short term but does nothing for us longterm, then don't do it. We have to be single minded in our objective.

The way you get there (a repeatable proven way)

1. Amass top picks and prospects
2. Develop those prospects
3. Add pieces as you become a contender

That's it. Don't bother with shortcuts. Don't bother with getting a player who will improve you in the short term. Make sure you give ice time and strong linemates to your prospects.

Doesn’t adding a strong linemate while players develop, putting the team in more competitive situations, and acquiring a potential long term top-6 option not get us closer to the cup? Never mind the potentially massive payout of a healthy and committed player with Laine’s talent level whether he’s kept short term, re-signed, or moved for assets if we aren’t competitive or can’t sign him. This isn’t a short term move.

Sounds like a better situation for nearly everyone’s development, including Roy. What do Suzuki, Caufield, Slafkovsky, Dach, Newhook, Guhle, Hutson, Xhekaj, Struble, Barron, etc. get from us continuing to suck?

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Doesn’t adding a strong linemate while players develop, putting the team in more competitive situations, and acquiring a potential long term top-6 option not get us closer to the cup? Never mind the potentially massive payout of a healthy and committed player with Laine’s talent level whether he’s kept short term, re-signed, or moved for assets if we aren’t competitive or can’t sign him.

Maybe...

But does the player bring us something we lack? Are they bringing us more of what we already have? Is this somebody we'd have long term?

Could we make another move that would move the needle more for the long term?

This isn’t a short term move.

Isn't it?

You have some posters here saying he'd be a patch fix until his contract came up. What does this really do for us? Are we going to re-up with him in two years for what he's making or more?

Sounds like a better situation for nearly everyone’s development, including Roy. What do Suzuki, Caufield, Slafkovsky, Dach, Newhook, Guhle, Hutson, Xhekaj, Struble, Barron, etc. get from us continuing to suck?

Who says we're going to continue to suck? I think we'll improve this year. If things go right we might even make the playoffs as is.

Next year we'll be even better, esp if guys like Roy get a bunch of ice this year. The year after that we'll be better. And we'll be better the year after that... It's a young developing team.

Just by the virtue of time we will improve. In three years all these guys will be as good or better than they are now.

 

[DAChampion]

Why does the top six need to improve? We are unlikely to make the playoffs with or without an addition there. Our green blueline will almost certainly ensure this.

What is the goal? Is it to sneak into 8th? Is it to build towards a cup winning team?

If you're saying the top six needs to improve to contend for a cup, that's true. But it will improve just by virtue of time. All those guys will be as good or better in three years and there will be additional players in the lineup. We won't be cup contenders now if we add someone or not. It's going to be a few years before we real contenders anyway.

So why the need for a better top six? I don't see it. (Note: this is not the same thing as saying it can't be improved.)

We will very likely go up in the rankings regardless.

Again, we will improve just by virtue of time.

Do we? I don't really think so. Again, it depends on your objective.

And he'd be taking ice from Roy. That's just a fact.

Does that help us? How? I'd rather we invest in Roy than invest in a player who probably won't be here in two years anyway.

They might want to put CC with Dach anyway. That might be a better fit and you'd get a better balance. Roy or Newhook moves up and you've still got two solid lines. Demidov comes in next year and Newhook or Roy move down.

A team should try to improve even if the contention window is three years away rather than definitely confirmed to be zero years away. Waiting until after the contention window is opened is risky, as you never know when good players are going to be available, and almost all teams lose their first few playoff appearances regardless.

Another risk of just waiting to improve organically is that it's not as guaranteed as you think. Some teams stay in the basement indefinitely, think of it as an engine that needs a spark.

Not sure I agree. Laine would be taking ice time away from Roy in the same way Monahan took it from Dach - i.e. he didn’t because we have no depth and a prospect doesn’t need to be put in a position where they sink or swim in the top-6.

Laine wouldn't take ice time from Roy -- that can only happen if you assume as LG does that there will be zero injuries.

Fact is even if Laine is added, Roy can play 80 games in the top six.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

A team should try to improve even if the contention window is three years away rather than definitely confirmed to be zero years away. Waiting until after the contention window is opened is risky, as you never know when good players are going to be available, and almost all teams lose their first few playoff appearances regardless.

Another risk of just waiting to improve organically is that it's not as guaranteed as you think. Some teams stay in the basement indefinitely, think of it as an engine that needs a spark.

The team has consistently improved over the years. Last year we'd have been much better had Dach stayed healthy. I think we'll improve with or without Laine.

Again, we have to be single minded. Does the move help us win a cup? If not, don't do it.

I don't care about 8th place. I don't care about quick fixes. There may be side benefits to it but at the end of the day it's about building towards something. I don't think Laine takes us in that direction. I think he's somebody who comes in and provides scoring depth over a couple of years and then leaves. Not terrible. Maybe it helps us... but we certainly don't NEED to do it.

I keep reading that we NEED to do something. No we don't.

 

[themilosh]

As I said, if we can get him dirt cheap... say we offload Anderson? Sure. But I wouldn't pay much for him.

I just think the kind of player we need is a power forward type. I'd much rather pony up more to get that. It makes way more sense to build towards the future and a Matthew Knies type (I'm not suggesting we trade with the Leafs) would be amazing. THAT is where I'd try to go in terms of another forward.

Like a Sennecke ?

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Like a Sennecke ?

Yeah, somebody in that vein. A Lidstrom, Ryan Leonard type guy. That would give us a really nice dimension that we lack.

 

[DAChampion]

The team has consistently improved over the years. Last year we'd have been much better had Dach stayed healthy. I think we'll improve with or without Laine.

Dach might be healthy, but we should statistically expect 80 man games from whatever you pencil in as the top-six. The team has also lost Monahan.

I keep reading that we NEED to do something. No we don't.

Waiting until the 2027 or 2028 campaign to add someone has its own risks. It means the team is not accumulating playoff experience in that period, and may acclimatize to a losing culture.

 

[Hacketts]

Maybe...

But does the player bring us something we lack? Are they bringing us more of what we already have? Is this somebody we'd have long term?

Could we make another move that would move the needle more for the long term?


Isn't it?

You have some posters here saying he'd be a patch fix until his contract came up. What does this really do for us? Are we going to re-up with him in two years for what he's making or more?

Who says we're going to continue to suck? I think we'll improve this year. If things go right we might even make the playoffs as is.

Next year we'll be even better, esp if guys like Roy get a bunch of ice this year. The year after that we'll be better. And we'll be better the year after that... It's a young developing team.

Just by the virtue of time we will improve. In three years all these guys will be as good or better than they are now.

Galaxy braining this man.

You don't get many opportunities to trade for a guy like Laine too often at these prices, especially him being only 26.

This isn't Alexander Semin.

Yes, there are red flags, we all know them.... BUT if there is one organisation as of late that seems to be a good environment for these reclamation projects. It's ours. We have the ideal coach for him, great support staff, and a team that are becoming brothers. I personally am of the mind that the bright lights will bring out his best.

Guy has gone through it in his early career.. trades, injuries, whatever his issues are... and he lost his father not to long ago. That's a pretty quick way to derail ones life.

It's a massive swing, and if we hit... this expedites our timeline in a major way. It elevates us big time.

If it doesn't... he's gone in 2 years and will probably be on LTIR for some of it.

The whole notion that he doesn't bring something we lack is hilarious, he's a PPG player when he's on. Isn't that all we bitch about here? Not enough scoring?

With all due respect to Roy... if he's a player, he'll earn his spot.

 

[Saundies]

With all due respect to Roy... if he's a player, he'll earn his spot.

Right?

Roy looked pretty good last year. But I wouldn't pencil him into permanent top 6 duties this year at all, developing or not. He could very well end up there, which, fine, but i'd feel a lot better if he earned it like you said and not "Well, he's the best we've got left out of this scrubs, so..."

Honestly, the way MSL operates I fully expect Anderson to start there (if we do nothing from here on out) and then it's based on merit after that. Not saying I agree with it but I can definitely see it.

 

[Miller Time]

Yeah, somebody in that vein. A Lidstrom, Ryan Leonard type guy. That would give us a really nice dimension that we lack.

He's not as big or heavy as those guys, but the player I'd love to see us try to add next summer is Sam Bennett.

He'll be 29 and likely looking for a pay day Florida will have trouble affording (especially with Verhaeghe & Ekblad also UFAs).

His grit, versatility and playoff tested experience & performance would be an excellent complement to our top 9 as we push to playoff focus.

 

[Habby4Life]

Galaxy braining this man.

You don't get many opportunities to trade for a guy like Laine too often at these prices, especially him being only 26.

This isn't Alexander Semin.

Yes, there are red flags, we all know them.... BUT if there is one organisation as of late that seems to be a good environment for these reclamation projects. It's ours. We have the ideal coach for him, great support staff, and a team that are becoming brothers. I personally am of the mind that the bright lights will bring out his best.

Guy has gone through it in his early career.. trades, injuries, whatever his issues are... and he lost his father not to long ago. That's a pretty quick way to derail ones life.

It's a massive swing, and if we hit... this expedites our timeline in a major way. It elevates us big time.

If it doesn't... he's gone in 2 years and will probably be on LTIR for some of it.

The whole notion that he doesn't bring something we lack is hilarious, he's a PPG player when he's on. Isn't that all we bitch about here? Not enough scoring?

With all due respect to Roy... if he's a player, he'll earn his spot.

Haha, Habs are so good they don’t need Laine.

He is 26 and was a PPG the two years prior to last and has 200+ goals in 8 seasons. Why get better, because that’s what they are supposed to do.

If the fear is Roy development or lack of is stopping the Habs from acquiring another top 6 forward, we are destined to more of the same old, being irrelevant..

Do people think NS, CC or anyone else want to continue not playing meaningful games after November!

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Galaxy braining this man.

You don't get many opportunities to trade for a guy like Laine too often at these prices, especially him being only 26.

This isn't Alexander Semin.

Yes, there are red flags, we all know them.... BUT if there is one organisation as of late that seems to be a good environment for these reclamation projects. It's ours. We have the ideal coach for him, great support staff, and a team that are becoming brothers. I personally am of the mind that the bright lights will bring out his best.

Guy has gone through it in his early career.. trades, injuries, whatever his issues are... and he lost his father not to long ago. That's a pretty quick way to derail ones life.

It's a massive swing, and if we hit... this expedites our timeline in a major way. It elevates us big time.

If it doesn't... he's gone in 2 years and will probably be on LTIR for some of it.

The whole notion that he doesn't bring something we lack is hilarious, he's a PPG player when he's on. Isn't that all we bitch about here? Not enough scoring?

With all due respect to Roy... if he's a player, he'll earn his spot.

i think you’re overestimating what he’d do here. I personally would look elsewhere if we’re going to shore up the top six. Someone healthier and without the baggage.

Again though, if they want to trade for for Anderson? Sure. But they’re going to want more than that.

And again, I don’t see what he does for us long term

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Dach might be healthy, but we should statistically expect 80 man games from whatever you pencil in as the top-six. The team has also lost Monahan.

Yeah that’s fair.

Again, not wholly against adding depth. But I still want us to give the top six ice to Roy as much as we can.

Waiting until the 2027 or 2028 campaign to add someone has its own risks. It means the team is not accumulating playoff experience in that period, and may acclimatize to a losing culture.

We don’t have to wait that long. All I’m saying is that I hope we give the ice to our developing players. Demidov is here next season and that will also help.

If we add someone, great. I just hope it’s a power forward type player.

 

[Draft]

Maybe...

But does the player bring us something we lack? Are they bringing us more of what we already have? Is this somebody we'd have long term?

Could we make another move that would move the needle more for the long term?


Isn't it?

You have some posters here saying he'd be a patch fix until his contract came up. What does this really do for us? Are we going to re-up with him in two years for what he's making or more?

Who says we're going to continue to suck? I think we'll improve this year. If things go right we might even make the playoffs as is.

Next year we'll be even better, esp if guys like Roy get a bunch of ice this year. The year after that we'll be better. And we'll be better the year after that... It's a young developing team.

Just by the virtue of time we will improve. In three years all these guys will be as good or better than they are now.

Sorry, on my phone, so less structured/coherent than your nicely quoted reply.

I think that Laine brings us something we can use more of skill-wise and something we lack - whether that’s elite skill or just the ability/experience to play in the top-6. I’d prefer a Tkachuk in terms of playing style, but those seem to be in short supply.

No, not a short term move IMO. He’s 26 and his next (potential) contract fits the window. If he performs and we can’t re-sign him, we do the same thing we did with Monahan. If he’s bad, it would be no different than taking a risk on a prospect and it not working out. If he’s good, we’ve got a top-6 player that fits with the core. Additional moves can address deficiencies elsewhere on the roster.

I also think we’ll organically improve, but I think there’s a gaping hole in the top-6 whose patching would significantly improve that rate of improvement.

I think the root of where we differ is in whether this should be seen as a short or long term move. I don’t particularly care if we make the playoffs next year, but I do think adding a talented player and potentially increasing how competitive our team is would be very positive for our young players. It is very difficult to consistently lose, play with bad linemates, or be forced into minutes/situations you’re not prepared for. If we get a long term top-6 option at the same time, even better. If Laine comes back healthy and dedicated and we get something more than an inconsistent second line option? That’s a franchise changing, Forsling/Bennett type of move.

 

[Hacketts]

i think you’re overestimating what he’d do here. I personally would look elsewhere if we’re going to shore up the top six. Someone healthier and without the baggage.

Again though, if they want to trade for for Anderson? Sure. But they’re going to want more than that.

Maybe.

Hopefully we get a chance to find out.

Regarding the power forward comment, I love those types of players... but for next season Anderson is probably are best bet. Hope he comes to camp hungry & angry.

 

[JianYang]

lol, when he scored 44, 30, 36 for the jets, he didn’t help make that team better, ok then.


It’s ludicrous to argue he wouldn’t make the habs better. Team is starving for talent, easily be one of their top 3 players.

It's not ludicrous at all. He hasn't played anything close to a full season since his 3rd year in the league for various reasons on and off the ice. You can't help while sitting out. He's not a particularly good skater either, and that weakness gets more glaring as you get older. If he's not scoring, he doesn't contribute much else and is actually a liability, if anything.

He has one 40 goal season which happened all the way back in his 2nd season.

The questions about whether he can withstand the Montreal market are completely reasonable too.

This is a case where a player has a larger brand name than actual results.

 

[ReHabs]

Not sure why you think it'd be optimistic for Roy to get 50 points in a season in his career. He's a damn good prospect. I also don't understand why you think McGroarty would have much more offensive upside given that he's not even an NHLer.

McG is a more prestigious prospect, and especially so if you take their ages into account. You couldn’t trade Roy for McG 1-for-1. McG is a “playoff style” player, highly coveted for his upside.

But my point isn’t to put Roy down, it’s to poke at the BS argument that we shouldn’t acquire any scoring depth “in order to develop” Roy’s game. That’s typical Habs losing obsessed miserly thinking.

Good teams horse-trade and try to ice the best possible team. Crap teams train their fans to expect nothing and be happy with even less.

We were a bottom6 team in Goals For and have a top6 that consists (generously) of five players. I want another piece there — and so does Hughes, he said as much and we know he pursued Marchessault on a shorter term deal.

And if we do acquire McG and he does turn out to be interesting and helpful? We can always trade away Newhook or Dach or Roy or Caufield. What’s the problem?

It's not ludicrous at all. He hasn't played anything close to a full season since his 3rd year in the league for various reasons on and off the ice. You can't help while sitting out. He's not a particularly good skater either, and that weakness gets more glaring as you get older. If he's not scoring, he doesn't contribute much else and is actually a liability, if anything.

He has one 40 goal season which happened all the way back in his 2nd season.

The questions about whether he can withstand the Montreal market are completely reasonable too.

This is a case where a player has a larger brand name than actual results.

Should be noted Laine was PPG in the two seasons preceding last one (and on a bad team).

Should also be noted we didn’t have a single PPG player in any of the past three seasons.

Scoring has gone up like crazy the last two years, if Laine was healthy he would’ve feasted. I don’t think it’s relevant to be concerned about his skating speed — he is 26 and signed for two more years.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

But my point isn’t to put Roy down, it’s to poke at the BS argument that we shouldn’t acquire any scoring depth “in order to develop” Roy’s game. That’s typical Habs losing obsessed miserly thinking.

Cut the strawman crap. Nowhere did I say this.

I simply called you out on your BS that our top six is terrible. And when I challenged you on it you ran away.

Saying we don't have scoring depth is not the same as saying our top six is shit.

 

[ReHabs]

Cut the strawman crap. Nowhere did I say this.

I simply called you out on your BS that our top six is terrible. And when I challenged you on it you ran away.

Saying we don't have scoring depth is not the same as saying our top six is shit.

There’s only one BS peddler here. Notice how you’re bickering with everyone and repeating yourself, not absorbing or acknowledging a single thing others say? Keep shovelling!

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

There’s only one BS peddler here. Notice how you’re bickering with everyone and repeating yourself, not absorbing or acknowledging a single thing others say? Keep shovelling!

Disagreeing with someone is fine. Misrepresenting what they say is not.

 

[JianYang]

McG is a more prestigious prospect, and especially so if you take their ages into account. You couldn’t trade Roy for McG 1-for-1. McG is a “playoff style” player, highly coveted for his upside.

But my point isn’t to put Roy down, it’s to poke at the BS argument that we shouldn’t acquire any scoring depth “in order to develop” Roy’s game. That’s typical Habs losing obsessed miserly thinking.

Good teams horse-trade and try to ice the best possible team. Crap teams train their fans to expect nothing and be happy with even less.

We were a bottom6 team in Goals For and have a top6 that consists (generously) of five players. I want another piece there — and so does Hughes, he said as much and we know he pursued Marchessault on a shorter term deal.

And if we do acquire McG and he does turn out to be interesting and helpful? We can always trade away Newhook or Dach or Roy or Caufield. What’s the problem?


Should be noted Laine was PPG in the two seasons preceding last one (and on a bad team).

Should also be noted we didn’t have a single PPG player in any of the past three seasons.

Scoring has gone up like crazy the last two years, if Laine was healthy he would’ve feasted. I don’t think it’s relevant to be concerned about his skating speed — he is 26 and signed for two more years.

There have been alot of ifs associated with him for the last few years. I'm not a fan of his game... and definitely not a fan when he doesn't have the puck on his stick.

Id prefer to keep the cap space. Maybe a better a opportunity or two comes available in the next year or so, and you will be better positioned to pounce on more reliable assets.

 

[Habby4Life]

It's not ludicrous at all. He hasn't played anything close to a full season since his 3rd year in the league for various reasons on and off the ice. You can't help while sitting out. He's not a particularly good skater either, and that weakness gets more glaring as you get older. If he's not scoring, he doesn't contribute much else and is actually a liability, if anything.

He has one 40 goal season which happened all the way back in his 2nd season.

The questions about whether he can withstand the Montreal market are completely reasonable too.

This is a case where a player has a larger brand name than actual results.

And the two seasons prior to last he had 22 and 26 goals in 50+ games.

In 21-22 he had more goals than any hab, and in 22-23 his 22 goals would have been second in goals. Yeah, Habs don’t need any of that, lol.

 

[Habs10Habs]

The question we should ask with every move is this: Does this move help us get closer to a cup? That's it. If it helps us get to 8th in the short term but does nothing for us longterm, then don't do it. We have to be single minded in our objective.

The way you get there (a repeatable proven way)

1. Amass top picks and prospects
2. Develop those prospects
3. Add pieces as you become a contender

That's it. Don't bother with shortcuts. Don't bother with getting a player who will improve you in the short term. Make sure you give ice time and strong linemates to your prospects.

That's kind of an unfair question to ask. Since none of us know how Laine or any player we add. Will increase the teams chances of winning the Cup.

Adding Laine may just help us reach 8th in the short term. He may also work out and become a long term solution for our team. Or he may curl up in the fetal position, sucking his thumb. From the mass pressure of playing in Montreal.

Which IMO is way overblown. I've been around players, both super stars and average ones for years. To quote Mitch Marner, they're all treated like Gods. I've never seen a fan come up to a player and start bad mouthing them like some of the key board warriors here do. Sure they'll bug them for a picture or an autograph. But the majority of the time, they give them a simple nod. Or yell out something positive. Gally for example, hated here by some on HFB. Yet loved in person on the streets of Montreal.
We really haven't heard a player boo'd during a game, since Brisebois. As for the local and social media outlets. Most of the players don't pay attention to any of that. Or atleast they shouldn't. Sorry, for going a little OT from this post I"m replying too. I've just seen many state that due to Laine's mental health. Montreal would be the last place he should play. I disagree.


1. Amass top picks and prospects - (Yes we've done that)
2. Develop those prospects - (Yes we've done that and are still in the process of doing that.
3. Add pieces as you become a contender

This 3rd one is where we disagree. We're not in the beginning of our rebuild anymore. Now is the time when we should be adding pieces, since you never know when they'll become available. I was a little confused that you would want to wait. I think it's more you're not a Laine fan. Since you've mentioned several times, that you'd be okay with a more physical type of top 6 player.

Also I don't consider adding Laine to be a short cut. Adding Stamkos, Perron etc, those are moves that I considered to be a short cut. Laine, if he works, could be a long term solution to the team. Something none of the older players could potentially provide. Which is why I"m glad we didn't add any of them.

I won't go into detail, as many others have already said this. Adding Laine or a player of your choice. Will not hold back Roy or any other of our young prospect forwards. If Laine sucks, they'll get a chance right away. If he doesn't, then those young prospects will have to work harder. Also add in injuries, which seem to happen a lot with our team lol

Also, I"m curious. For you and those of you who feel Roy is ready to step into a top 6 role right away. What's stopping Roy from becoming the next RHP? Both did quite well during meaningless games at the end of the season, for a short period of time. You could also say that RHP did better than Roy (two seasons ago), over a longer period of time. Only to come crashing back to earth last season.