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

[calder candidate]

1) It’s not as much money true, but they are also under the gun time wise, I believe they have 4 days left before the signings go through. That wasn’t a consideration before.

2) The Habs are one of the few teams in the league that are able to simply take on the hit on short notice, and willing to do so…. All the other GM’s are aware of the Oilers situation. It will cost them if they want out - this way they keep their young players and add a minor asset. Helps them save face.

They have 4 days to match but they can still go over the cap in the off season, they don’t need to solve the issue before they match… also 3.5m$ is not worth a 1st regardless of the situation + there probably 8 teams that could take that contract…

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

They have 4 days to match but they can still go over the cap in the off season, they don’t need to solve the issue before they match… also 3.5m$ is not worth a 1st regardless of the situation + there probably 8 teams that could take that contract…

They have no good prospects and a pick after 50 is not much value. Might need to include a 1st in a bigger trade.

MSN

www.msn.com

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

PTOs I'd like to see.

Austin Watson - punching bag, physical, pker. Would likely be fine with going in and out of the lineup as needed.

Matt Martin - can fight, hits to hurt. Would likely be the same in that he can sit against softer teams.

Both Watson and Martin add toughness and can lessen the fighting load for Xhekaj.

Cal Clutterbuck - really physical, can pk, should still have some skill left to be somewhat useful. Has some fighting prowess there, too.

JVR - one of the best net front presences in the game for a decade, if not longer. Not as good as he was, but could be an option to change things up if the main pp is stagnant.

 

[the]

PTOs I'd like to see.

Austin Watson - punching bag, physical, pker. Would likely be fine with going in and out of the lineup as needed.

Matt Martin - can fight, hits to hurt. Would likely be the same in that he can sit against softer teams.

Both Watson and Martin add toughness and can lessen the fighting load for Xhekaj.

Cal Clutterbuck - really physical, can pk, should still have some skill left to be somewhat useful. Has some fighting prowess there, too.

JVR - one of the best net front presences in the game for a decade, if not longer. Not as good as he was, but could be an option to change things up if the main pp is stagnant.

I personally think signing JVR would be a good idea. I’m surprised he’s barely mentionned. Great net presence that could help the 2nd PP unit instead of having the usual random scrub kill the play.

Excellent and honestly some much needed veteran intangibles. He would be a great player to fill the void left by Monahan.

He's past his prime but he was doing great for Boston for 3/4 of the season until he fell a cliff in February but that's fine since I would be looking to trade him during the trade deadline to send him to a contender so that he can win a cup.

He's good enough to be a replacement in our top 6 in case of an injury. We have the salary cap, I don't mind overpaying to acquire his services.

 

[Deus ex machina]

They have no good prospects and a pick after 50 is not much value. Might need to include a 1st in a bigger trade.

MSN

www.msn.com

Thanks for the link.

Edmonton might get squeezed more than i thought.

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

Thanks for the link.

Edmonton might get squeezed more than i thought.

Bowman is not the brightest bulb. No telling what he will do. If he doesn't get an offer he likes he can match, put Kane on LTIR if necessary, and keep trying to find a better deal until the season starts.

 

[BaseballCoach]

Indeed. I don't think Matheson was highly touted either in 2022. Its here that he unlocked his value.

His 2021-22 season was standout. Pittsburgh got fleeced.

Barron is also waiver eligible now and the Habs have too many Ds.

Getting a 1st pick instead gives them more flexibility.
It's a pick. They might get something better, or not.
Or they could use it in another trade.

Depends how you see Barron, i guess. I think they should try to get something of value for him before it's too late.
But i've never been a fan, so i might be biased.

Barron and Price for Ceci and Henrique

 

[Deus ex machina]

I appreciate your honesty.
I get the Barron bias I really do. The original hype including what Sydney Crosby had to say about him hasn't yet come to fruition.
Instead we all saw a big clumsy guy who has tools but was falling over himself who didn't use his size properly and who lacked confidence.
This was not the Barron I saw finishing up the season in Laval. Heck look at the goal he scored against Detroit.

I'm surprised it's not evident to people that we've already made a decision on Barron.
On the one hand we hear about how we want to start getting serious about winning games on the other hand Kovacevic was the one we cut loose.
Both Justin Barron and Arber Xhekaj found themselves in Laval to work on certain aspects of their games.
I think it's safe to say our staff were pleased enough with their progress in the areas they identified as problems to offer them bridge contracts.
The thing about it is both those players have attributes others don't have and Hughes has always stressed Balance.

I see i've offended some Barron fans.
One even tried to pass his opinion as common sense. Always a winner...
But i didn't want to start another debate on Barron. We already had that one.

My opinion of Barron is based only on what i've seen of him on the ice.
I wasn't that impressed with him in Laval. And so were the scouts present at the games according to Arpon Basu.
But i hope he proves me wrong if he sticks around.

As for Xhekaj, he was dominant in Laval. I think he was mainly there to work on his discipline. Seems he got the message.

 

[Deus ex machina]

Barron and Price for Ceci and Henrique

I doubt that Edmonton trades Henrique just after signing him as a UFA.

But i like the idea of sending them Price's contract. Another Weber/Dadonov type trade.
Might be an alternative to giving up assets for EDM.
They'll be operating on LTIR this season anyway if they put Kane there.

A Dman has to go back though if they add Ceci.
How about a deal around Barron and Price for Ceci and 2026 1st?
I'm not sure what is the negative value of Price's contract.

 

[Rapala]

I see i've offended some Barron fans.
One even tried to pass his opinion as common sense. Always a winner...
But i didn't want to start another debate on Barron. We already had that one.

My opinion of Barron is based only on what i've seen of him on the ice.
I wasn't that impressed with him in Laval. And so were the scouts present at the games according to Arpon Basu.
But i hope he proves me wrong if he sticks around.

As for Xhekaj, he was dominant in Laval. I think he was mainly there to work on his discipline. Seems he got the message.

Who exactly have you offended and what makes you believe you have that power.
Suffice it to say I see things one way and you see it another.
As for the scouts you mention and Arpon Basu It seems their opinions didn't sway anyone who mattered.

 

[Scintillating10]

Dobson.
It's gonna hurt like a mofo but we have the pieces.

Seriously tho, he's been eligible to sign his extension for over a month, what's up with that Lou?

Would you offer sheet Dobson?
I started a thread yesterday on offer sheets. He'd be an example.

Islanders are over the cap now. They have 11 million coming off next season but have to replace 2 top players and re-up Dobson and Romanov both.

 

[DiglettDangles]

Would you offer sheet Dobson?
I started a thread yesterday on offer sheets. He'd be an example.

Islanders are over the cap now. They have 11 million coming off next season but have to replace 2 top players and re-up Dobson and Romanov both.

No, offer sheets only work if you offer an overpayment for an unproven player. NYI would match instantly like for Aho.

My hope is that we start hearing that Dobson is hesitant to sign because that team is heading nowhere, and that we can offer a Mailloux +++ package because Barron/Engstrom/Konyushkov are trending above expectations.

 

[ReHabs]

Nah it happens often, check this season on game 1, pretty sure we'll be in the top 10 teams for cap space.

We have nothing to spend it on right now, being that we are in a rebuild.

It’s got nothing to do with Molson or any internal budget… in fact Molson insists he’s never put any limitation on the team’s spending.

 

[Deus ex machina]

Who exactly have you offended and what makes you believe you have that power.
Suffice it to say I see things one way and you see it another.
As for the scouts you mention and Arpon Basu It seems their opinions didn't sway anyone who mattered.

Sorry, I wasn't referring to you.
Some posters came to the defense of Barron when i suggested the Habs should trade him. Offended might've been a bit of an exaggeration...lol

As for the scouts, i'm not sure what you mean. They're the ones who recommend players to their bosses.

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

Dobson is darn close to being a franchise altering dman, if there was any sort of a possibility to get him, we'd be crazy not to put everything on the line to make it happen.

 

[vokiel]

We have nothing to spend it on right now, being that we are in a rebuild.

It’s got nothing to do with Molson or any internal budget… in fact Molson insists he’s never put any limitation on the team’s spending.

You never know, they've had that buffer for several seasons, far before the rebuild started. Oh they've always justified it in some manner to avoid saying internal budget, but it's a constant. We're always 7 to 10% away from spending to the cap since it increased passed the 80 mil mark.

 

[Whalers Fan]

You never know, they've had that buffer for several seasons, far before the rebuild started. Oh they've always justified it in some manner to avoid saying internal budget, but it's a constant. We're always 7 to 10% away from spending to the cap since it increased passed the 80 mil mark.

Just a couple of seasons ago the team had to put Price on LTIR before the season began to avoid being over the salary cap.

 

[vokiel]

Just a couple of seasons ago the team had to put Price on LTIR before the season began to avoid being over the salary cap.

They were going to do it regardless, and have his salary covered by insurance. So they didn't spend up to the cap right? They'll do the same this year too, nothing to do with the cap imho. Price is just pseudo-retired an it's an automatic move.

 

[HABitual Fan]

I agree that the cap space is unusable currently with both no players to spend it on, and very few teams in cap hell. I think the value will be at the TDL when contenders will need to move cap to make other moves. Montreal will have both cap space and roster spots for expiring or short contracts. As well, with only one retention spot left, in order to move Dvorak, Savard, Armia etc... Montreal May have to take a more expensive contract back to increase the return on them.

 

[vokiel]

With Price LTIR we end up with what? 17 mil in cap space... We're rich!

 

[John B]

PTOs I'd like to see.

Austin Watson - punching bag, physical, pker. Would likely be fine with going in and out of the lineup as needed.

Matt Martin - can fight, hits to hurt. Would likely be the same in that he can sit against softer teams.

Both Watson and Martin add toughness and can lessen the fighting load for Xhekaj.

Cal Clutterbuck - really physical, can pk, should still have some skill left to be somewhat useful. Has some fighting prowess there, too.

JVR - one of the best net front presences in the game for a decade, if not longer. Not as good as he was, but could be an option to change things up if the main pp is stagnant.

Any one of those four guys would be a solid addition. Don't even need a PTO just sign one of them to a one year deal. I think Watson would take a deal with the Habs in a heartbeat. I doubt he's getting many (if any) offers. Martin, Clutterbuck, and Van Riemsdyk may have a few more options out there.

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

PTOs I'd like to see.

Austin Watson - punching bag, physical, pker. Would likely be fine with going in and out of the lineup as needed.

Matt Martin - can fight, hits to hurt. Would likely be the same in that he can sit against softer teams.

Both Watson and Martin add toughness and can lessen the fighting load for Xhekaj.

Cal Clutterbuck - really physical, can pk, should still have some skill left to be somewhat useful. Has some fighting prowess there, too.

JVR - one of the best net front presences in the game for a decade, if not longer. Not as good as he was, but could be an option to change things up if the main pp is stagnant.

I'd very much like to have more of an identity on our bottom 6 or at the very least a true 4th line. I've never been a big fan of putting spare parts and a few lesser prospects together and calling it a line.

 

[sampollock]

%

After all the grief they took drafting him
Let's enjoy the product

 

[ReHabs]

You never know, they've had that buffer for several seasons, far before the rebuild started. Oh they've always justified it in some manner to avoid saying internal budget, but it's a constant. We're always 7 to 10% away from spending to the cap since it increased passed the 80 mil mark.

You do know the Habs have had a real payroll well higher than the cap ceiling, in 2021 and 2022 right?

We’re not “always” from the cap ceiling, it’s been a very recent thing and entirely a product of the rebuild.

With Price LTIR we end up with what? 17 mil in cap space... We're rich!

Yeah we could utilize it for cap dumps or take risks on high paid players quite easily.

 

[Tyson]

With 12 NHL regulars/high end D prospects something has to give as early as this training camp.
Some guys are waiver exempt but if they show they are ready something has to be done.
I am convinced Hughes will handle things right. He can't let this fester forever though.