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

[LaP]

The report today is that Askarov advised the Preds that he will not report to the AHL if they send him down. And has asked for a trade. He clearly wants to go somewhere where he will play in the NHL.

Yeah but since Saros is signed until 2033 imo it would be advisable to not jump the gun. Ashkarov has 0 chance to be number 1 in Nashville almost ever so him asking for a trade is not a surprise at all. The AHL thing maybe is just a way to say "if i'm number two i'll give you more time to trade me but i wont waste my time in the AHL for you". Don't think it means he would necesearly refuse to report in the AHL for a team where he could realistically fight for a spot in the upcoming 2 years.

 

[Adam Michaels]

I cannot fathom going into this season with the same team as last year - Dach aside. It's crazy.

It depends. If they can be healthier than in recent years, that can help. Also, the fact it's not a menage-a-trois in nets should be beneficial.

And finally, last year, the Habs lost the most 1-goal games in the league. If they had won just 5 of those games, they would have been up there playing more meaningful games closer to playoffs. It worked out in the end because we got Demidov out of it.

But the point I'm making is that this team is better than their record shows, and the main reason that hurt them were the injuries, which has been a little too out of control the last few seasons.

 

[LaP]

I cannot fathom going into this season with the same team as last year - Dach aside. It's crazy.

Well you'll have to accept it. Gallagher and Anderson are untradeable. Dvorak, Savard and Armia will be worth more at the deadline and Dvorak/Armia would be hard to trade now without giving anything. Demidov is signed in russia. Our young goalies are not ready yet. This said i'm pretty sure one of Reinbacher or Mailloux will be in the NHL. Beside it wont be the same team all kids will be 1 year older. Slafkovski will be a much different player in 2-3 years than he was last season.

 

[Tyson]

Well you'll have to accept it. Gallagher and Anderson are untradeable. Dvorak, Savard and Armia will be worth more at the deadline and would be hard to trade without giving anything now. Demidov is signed in russia. Our young goalies are not ready yet. This said i'm pretty sure one of Reinbacher or Mailloux will be in the NHL. Beside it wont be the same team all kids will be 1 year older. Slafkovski will be a much different player in 2-3 years than he was last season.

The fact that the young D are now entering their 3rd season will make the D better.
No 3 goalie headaches to deal with.
2 forwards heading into their final year means they may have excellent seasons (tall order).
The Habs dropped the most 1 goal games in the league...that means for the most part they were very competitive.
A healthy Dach and Newhook will be huge if they can stay healthy.

 

[nhlfan9191]

Yeah but since Saros is signed until 2033 imo it would be advisable to not jump the gun. Ashkarov has 0 chance to be number 1 in Nashville almost ever so him asking for a trade is not a surprise at all. The AHL thing maybe is just a way to say "if i'm number two i'll give you more time to trade me but i wont waste my time in the AHL for you". Don't think it means he would necesearly refuse to report in the AHL for a team where he could realistically fight for a spot in the upcoming 2 years.

I mean he could be a number one goalie in Nashville if he really wanted. We’ve seen guys like Schneider push an older elite goalie in Luongo out of town. I just don’t think that’s in the best interest of the player or team. We should be all over this.

 

[Andy]

I cannot fathom going into this season with the same team as last year - Dach aside. It's crazy.

In theory, internal growth and health could improve the club.

It's not just Dach that missed a chunk of time, but also Dvorak. I like Evans, but Dvo is way more suited to that 3rd line centre spot than Evans.

Then there is the possibility that Newhook, Guhle, Arber, Harris, Struble, and Barron keep growing and become more reliable. There is also the wild card of Hutson added to the mix. Caufield had a down year in terms of expectations. And then there is Slaf who still have room to grow.

Of course, I am not saying everyone will improve, but if you get a healthy Dach that picks up where he left off, and you get a handful of the young players take the next step, you can see improvement internally.

The team is young enough where internal growth is still possible.

 

[HomaridII]

For those that want to trade for Askarov, a few days ago Friedman said the asking price was:

"an established NHL player that makes sense to acquire for Askarov or another high-ceiling prospect that is not a goalie"

Give them Matheson 1-1. (I jest)

 

[Gustave]

Monty and Askarov as a 1a / 1b would be so sweet.

There’s a trade there to be made I’m sure.

 

[LaP]

I mean he could be a number one goalie in Nashville if he really wanted. We’ve seen guys like Schneider push an older elite goalie in Luongo out of town. I just don’t think that’s in the best interest of the player or team. We should be all over this.

With all the money invested by nashville last summer very unlikely they go with a green goalie even if he does well. Beside Schneider was traded to NJ after being the number 2 for 3 years he did not push Luongo out of town. Luongo was tradde To Florida (after Schneider was traded to NJ) because the team sucked that year and he was replaced by Ryan Miller (a vet) the year after.

 

[le_sean]

In theory, internal growth and health could improve the club.

It's not just Dach that missed a chunk of time, but also Dvorak. I like Evans, but Dvo is way more suited to that 3rd line centre spot than Evans.

Then there is the possibility that Newhook, Guhle, Arber, Harris, Struble, and Barron keep growing and become more reliable. There is also the wild card of Hutson added to the mix. Caufield had a down year in terms of expectations. And then there is Slaf who still have room to grow.

Of course, I am not saying everyone will improve, but if you get a healthy Dach that picks up where he left off, and you get a handful of the young players take the next step, you can see improvement internally.

The team is young enough where internal growth is still possible.

Yes there will be natural growth from the young players on the team. The problem is the rest of the division got better this offseason. They likely deemed it not worthwhile to try and keep up. It’ll be another long year.

 

[WeThreeKings]

For those that want to trade for Askarov, a few days ago Friedman said the asking price was:

"an established NHL player that makes sense to acquire for Askarov or another high-ceiling prospect that is not a goalie"

Give them Matheson 1-1. (I jest)

He could go back to play in Russia this year or something silly because he doesn't want to report to the AHL - so that asking price/leverage might have to come down.

 

[Andy]

Yes there will be natural growth from the young players on the team. The problem is the rest of the division got better this offseason. They likely deemed it not worthwhile to try and keep up. It’ll be another long year.

I always see people use the "division got better" to downplay improvement by internal growth. It makes sense as a counter-argument, but I am not sure I buy it too much.

Boston, Tampa, Toronto's best players are aging. They haven't had a good influx of young talent in a long while. They have not really addressed their gaps in a meaningful way this off-season. All three teams look very beatable.

Ottawa, Detroit, and Buffalo consistently struggle to take the next step. I have not seen anything significant additions to expect them to move forward. Like the habs, they will also require internal growth to move forward. I was not impressed with Detroit at all last year. They look like a perpetual bubble team.

Florida is really the only team that will be difficult, but they also lost a key d-man in Montour.

 

[overlords]

For those that want to trade for Askarov, a few days ago Friedman said the asking price was:

"an established NHL player that makes sense to acquire for Askarov or another high-ceiling prospect that is not a goalie"

Give them Matheson 1-1. (I jest)

Mesar is high ceiling, right?

Right!?

 

[Vachon23]

I always see people use the "division got better" to downplay improvement by internal growth. It makes sense as a counter-argument, but I am not sure I buy it too much.

Boston, Tampa, Toronto's best players are aging. They haven't had a good influx of young talent in a long while. They have not really addressed their gaps in a meaningful way this off-season. All three teams look very beatable.

Ottawa, Detroit, and Buffalo consistently struggle to take the next step. I have not seen anything significant additions to expect them to move forward. Like the habs, they will also require internal growth to move forward. I was not impressed with Detroit at all last year. They look like a perpetual bubble team.

Florida is really the only team that will be difficult, but they also lost a key d-man in Montour.

Who knows if we can take the next step or we will struggle like Ottawa Buffalo

 

[le_sean]

I always see people use the "division got better" to downplay improvement by internal growth. It makes sense as a counter-argument, but I am not sure I buy it too much.

Boston, Tampa, Toronto's best players are aging. They haven't had a good influx of young talent in a long while. They have not really addressed their gaps in a meaningful way this off-season. All three teams look very beatable.

Ottawa, Detroit, and Buffalo consistently struggle to take the next step. I have not seen anything significant additions to expect them to move forward. Like the habs, they will also require internal growth to move forward. I was not impressed with Detroit at all last year. They look like a perpetual bubble team.

Florida is really the only team that will be difficult, but they also lost a key d-man in Montour.

Boston added Lindholm and Zadorov. They very obviously got better.

Toronto is Toronto. Whether or not they got better, they are better than the Habs

Tampa got better defensively. Guentzel is much better than Stamkos, people are just denying Steven’s clear downward trend.

Ottawa got a #1 goalie. We will see if that helps.

Detroit stink, not worried about them.

Buffalo has the talent, can they put it together? Who knows. At the very worst, they are like last season which is still better than the Habs.

Sorry but I’m not banking on the Habs to make up 15+ points just by adding a guy coming off a major ACL injury. The team is very clearly at least one or several steps behind everyone else in the division. It’s going to be a long season.

 

[gusfring]

Yes there will be natural growth from the young players on the team. The problem is the rest of the division got better this offseason. They likely deemed it not worthwhile to try and keep up. It’ll be another long year.

I agree. The playoffs will be out of reach by January.

They are extremely lucky they don't have to worry about selling tickets (instead they raised prices).

 

[Andy]

Boston added Lindholm and Zadorov. They very obviously got better.

Toronto is Toronto. Whether or not they got better, they are better than the Habs

Tampa got better defensively. Guentzel is much better than Stamkos, people are just denying Steven’s clear downward trend.

Ottawa got a #1 goalie. We will see if that helps.

Detroit stink, not worried about them.

Buffalo has the talent, can they put it together? Who knows. At the very worst, they are like last season which is still better than the Habs.

Sorry but I’m not banking on the Habs to make up 15+ points just by adding a guy coming off a major ACL injury. The team is very clearly at least one or several steps behind everyone else in the division. It’s going to be a long season.

I'm really not impressed by Zadorov or Lindholm. They also lost DeBrusk who I find difficult to play against. I do not think they improved that significantly.

Toronto: I'm glad we agree.

Tampa: lost Stamkos and Sergachev. Hedman turning 34. Added Guentzel, Moser, Geekie. I have a hard time saying they improved in any meaningful way, if it at all.

Ottawa's issues stem far beyond goaltending. They have players that produce points, but they have not shown to be able to play cohesively.

Buffalo: you did not say how they improved at all. I find them unimpressive.

All in all, the Atlantic looks very much as it did last year. Considering not much imrpovement within the division, I do think that adding a healthy Dach, Dvorak, and continued growth from a few key youngsters, and the possible addition of Hutson to the lineup, could see the habs move up within the division. I don't think they will make the playoffs, but I do expect them to be better than last year.

 

[ReHabs]

Sorry but I’m not banking on the Habs to make up 15+ points just by adding a guy coming off a major ACL injury. The team is very clearly at least one or several steps behind everyone else in the division. It’s going to be a long season.

I agree. The playoffs will be out of reach by January.

They are extremely lucky they don't have to worry about selling tickets (instead they raised prices).

I can't be the only one who thinks it's a damn shame to be out of the playoff picture halfway through a season. How can this team learn to play under pressure if they play so many meaningless games without any pressure to get results?

Ottawa's issues stem far beyond goaltending. They have players that produce points, but they have not shown to be able to play cohensively.

Buffalo: you did not say how they improved at all. I find them unimpressive.

If the Habs can "organically improve" so can other teams with young talent.

 

[HomaridII]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1825553351712309727

 

[Jaynki]

If the Habs can "organically improve" so can other teams with young talent.

A lot of it also depends on the quantity and ultimate potential of said young talent.

I think the Habs have the aces here. In the sense that they have more young talent uptrending than their peers.

 

[le_sean]

I'm really not impressed by Zadorov or Lindholm. They also lost DeBrusk who I find difficult to play against. I do not think they improved that significantly.

Toronto: I'm glad we agree.

Tampa: lost Stamkos and Sergachev. Hedman turning 34. Added Guentzel, Moser, Geekie. I have a hard time saying they improved in any meaningful way, if it at all.

Ottawa's issues stem far beyond goaltending. They have players that produce points, but they have not shown to be able to play cohesively.

Buffalo: you did not say how they improved at all. I find them unimpressive.

All in all, the Atlantic looks very much as it did last year. Considering not much imrpovement within the division, I do think that adding a healthy Dach, Dvorak, and continued growth from a few key youngsters, and the possible addition of Hutson to the lineup, could see the habs move up within the division. I don't think they will make the playoffs, but I do expect them to be better than last year.

Well let’s agree to disagree then. We have differing opinions on this and it’s fine.

The fact remains the Habs had a goal differential of -53. Even vastly improving that by 30 goals is still horrible and would put them 2nd last in the division last year. There’s just way too much work to do.

 

[WeThreeKings]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1825553351712309727

I can guarantee Fowler is not starting NHL games at the end of his season.

 

[nhlfan9191]

With all the money invested by nashville last summer very unlikely they go with a green goalie even if he does well. Beside Schneider was traded to NJ after being the number 2 for 3 years he did not push Luongo out of town. Luongo was tradde To Florida (after Schneider was traded to NJ) because the team sucked that year and he was replaced by Ryan Miller (a vet) the year after.

Schneider did push Luongo out of town. So much so that Luongo wasn’t happy staying even after they dealt him. The only reason that went on two/three years is because Vancouver’s management made a mess out of handling it and let it go on for too long. They were burning bridges left and right. That’s why I said it’s in the best interest for the player AND team in Nashville’s case to make a choice now. If Saros is their guy long term, which the contract extension indicates, then deal the younger guy before it turns into a headache.

 

[Andy]

If the Habs can "organically improve" so can other teams with young talent.

yes of course. Most teams actually do improve internally. This is why I find this particular counter argument rather lazy, since it applies to all teams at all times.

The question is whether the internal improvement is sufficient relative to other teams in the division. I do not find any particular club in the Atlantic to have improved in a significant way to nullify possible internal growth of the habs.

 

[Jaynki]

Askarov is a tough trade to grasp.

As much as we could use him and his potential, the goalie market is special.

The demand is always thin and the offer is always abundant.

The goalie that are part of the 1st tier are usually franchise player and untouchables. Past this tier, goalies are often available for B-pieces in trade value or through FA. Look at what Ullmark brought back and it is also a reason why team seldomly go for goalie in the 1st round anymore.

As for Askarov, as much as we can use him, we may already have better in the pipeline and his value will be entirely dependent on if he is capable of being a franchise number one goaltender. I would be very wary about giving an A-pieces for him. Mailloux for example is a no go in my opinion. Maybe we can dangle one of our LD + Primeau? It obviously don't feel a lot for Askarov from Nashville POV but this one is a potential mega blunder if we give an A pieces.