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

[morhilane]

Dvorak will not play 4th line minutes when he's headed to UFA, healthy.

Based on his play the last two seasons, he doesn't have the talent nor the effort level to be above anyone on that top 9.

 

[vokiel]

Based on his play the last two seasons, he doesn't have the talent nor the effort level to be above anyone on that top 9.

He wasn't in a contract year. He's going to be 29 looking for a new deal. I doubt he plans on retiring, so I expect him to aim for top 6 minutes. The competition is going to be fierce.

 

[Rapala]

Based on his play the last two seasons, he doesn't have the talent nor the effort level to be above anyone on that top 9.

If we are keeping Jake Evans I hope they give him 3rd line minutes over Dvorak.
I think Evans has more value for us as a third as opposed to a fourth.

 

[morhilane]

He wasn't in a contract year. He's going to be 29 looking for a new deal. I doubt he plans on retiring, so I expect him to aim for top 6 minutes. The competition is going to be fierce.

That's not the excuse you think it is.

He's not going to get any top 6 minutes over healthy Slaf, Caufield, Suzuki, Dach, Laine and Newhook. At best, he's getting the 3rd line center role, because Newhook is on Dach's wing and Roy in the AHL to get minutes.

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

That's not the excuse you think it is.

He's not going to get any top 6 minutes over healthy Slaf, Caufield, Suzuki, Dach, Laine and Newhook. At best, he's getting the 3rd line center role, because Newhook is on Dach's wing and Roy in the AHL to get minutes.

Roy won't be in the AHL. He will be a 3rd line wing at worst.

He wasn't in a contract year. He's going to be 29 looking for a new deal. I doubt he plans on retiring, so I expect him to aim for top 6 minutes. The competition is going to be fierce.

Is it going to be worthwhile to showcase him. Even if he has a good season is any GM going to believe he will do more than sleep until his next contract year.

 

[Harry Wong]

With respect to Tuch, I may be, being a bit greedy, but many of the players drafted near his rank don't possess Tuch's combination of skating and size.

I just find it puzzling whether it's Florian or Tuch, people immediately pigeon-hole them as fourth line physical players because of their size. Florian for example, played a main role on the Bulldogs' power play last year. Fourth line enforcer/energy type players don't play on power plays at high level hockey. Particularly, on the point, which is where Florian played.

Florian still has a ways to go. But he has the tools, skills and skating to be something quite unexpected. But as we have learned to our delight in Montreal: never underestimate a Xhekaj. Do they have another brother? A cousin? If so, we should sign them. Now.

The promise of getting bigger and skilled and not really knowing what we've got in prospects and a plethora of future picks makes me hope that we will be patient.

 

[vokiel]

That's not the excuse you think it is.

He's not going to get any top 6 minutes over healthy Slaf, Caufield, Suzuki, Dach, Laine and Newhook. At best, he's getting the 3rd line center role, because Newhook is on Dach's wing and Roy in the AHL to get minutes.

I agree, it's still not what he should be aiming for though. I expect him to make a statement, otherwise Habs would be justified in just dumping his arse for a 4th rounder as soon as the offer comes in.

 

[vokiel]

Is it going to be worthwhile to showcase him. Even if he has a good season is any GM going to believe he will do more than sleep until his next contract year.

It might help if we need to send a contract back on a Buyer deal because we're in range of a playoff run. And honestly if the players we have who are on contract years are extra motivated, with ice time rewarded for performances, then we may need to keep them anyhow. It turns the team into a winning-first mentality, no longer a development-first one. It would mean the rebuild is over.

 

[Rapala]

With respect to Tuch, I may be, being a bit greedy, but many of the players drafted near his rank don't possess Tuch's combination of skating and size.

I just find it puzzling whether it's Florian or Tuch, people immediately pigeon-hole them as fourth line physical players because of their size. Florian for example, played a main role on the Bulldogs' power play last year. Fourth line enforcer/energy type players don't play on power plays at high level hockey. Particularly, on the point, which is where Florian played.

Florian still has a ways to go. But he has the tools, skills and skating to be something quite unexpected. But as we have learned to our delight in Montreal: never underestimate a Xhekaj. Do they have another brother? A cousin? If so, we should sign them. Now.

Tuch will be an interesting prospect to watch.
He was one of the most effective wingers for BU in their final game.
He's not a natural scorer but does a lot of things well.
Probably a four as I see Roy and Flojack as the third line probables.
We've been so bereft of quality wingers for so long it's hard to imagine where they all fall into place.
What happens with Laine will factor in to it but there really aren't that many slots available with Demidov likely coming next season.

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

It might help if we need to send a contract back on a Buyer deal because we're in range of a playoff run. And honestly if the players we have who are on contract years are extra motivated, with ice time rewarded for performances, then we may need to keep them anyhow. It turns the team into a winning-first mentality, no longer a development-first one. It would mean the rebuild is over.

Now at least if Dvorak has a good year and the Habs make the playoffs hopefully it continues in the playoffs. And then they can decide what to do with him after the season.

 

[Habby4Life]

Dvorak will not play 4th line minutes when he's headed to UFA, healthy.

He’s a perfect 3c. It wasn’t his fault he was thrown into this dumpster fire. If they can resign him for a decent term and $ I would be ok with it.

 

[Sterling Archer]

He’s a perfect 3c. It wasn’t his fault he was thrown into this dumpster fire. If they can resign him for a decent term and $ I would be ok with it.

He’s is but he doesn’t fit with this teams fast style of play and he’s going to be UFA. Rather get something and clear cap then nothing.

 

[Habby4Life]

He’s is but he doesn’t fit with this teams fast style of play and he’s going to be UFA. Rather get something and clear cap then nothing.

If they aren’t going to sign him, for sure you have to get something. However, I’m not opposed to signing him.

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

Hobbit Caufield is doing quite well. His size is irrelevant. Trade for him, let him produce, and trade him if there is no room for him or more size is needed up front.

One Hobbit ok, you can work around that and shelter him especially when he can shoot the puck like CC. Hobbits, in the plural form, has been a terrible experiment for us.

 

[Sterling Archer]

If they aren’t going to sign him, for sure you have to get something. However, I’m not opposed to signing him.

I would not sign him under almost any circumstances.

 

[Habby4Life]

I would not sign him under almost any circumstances.

Agree to disagree

 

[BaseballCoach]

Neither did Brady Tkachuk. Not saying he’s the same but NHL is different roles and teammates. Just never know how a player will develop in the right atmosphere.

Bray at least had a lot of assists in college.

 

[DAChampion]

Dvorak will not play 4th line minutes when he's headed to UFA, healthy.

This post was followed by five other posts saying "he", so it took me a while to figure out the conversation was about Dvorak.

IMO, Dvorak will play whatever MSL yields him, which might be 4th line center, and if nobody wants him at the deadline he will walk for free at UFA time, if anybody wants him, or he'll go to Europe.

 

[Habby4Life]

This post was followed by five other posts saying "he", so it took me a while to figure out the conversation was about Dvorak.

IMO, Dvorak will play whatever MSL yields him, which might be 4th line center, and if nobody wants him at the deadline he will walk for free at UFA time, if anybody wants him, or he'll go to Europe.

He’ll get an nhl offer. The league isn’t as sour on him as Hab fans. Dude never had a chance after the trade.

 

[Kimota]

What makes you think Draisaitl, a top5 player, is actually in the way of having a well-rounded team?

14 million reasons.

 

[Kimota]

Both agree & disagree with you...

Agree that the Oilers made a mistake with this decision. Drai @14M means McD will get at least that and Bouchard won't settle for less than 10M.

By next year, McD/Drai/Bouchard/Nurse will be ~50M... 60% of the cap tied up in 4 players is not a viable way to win a cup, especially with the thin/weak prospect (elc/RFA) group they have. If they don't win this year, they're going to quickly end up like the Sharks & Pens when they crested down from their cup/finals peak... Non PO teams with a few elite assets but a messed up cap situation requiring either a full rebuild (sharks) or a prolonged mediocrity run that wastes the last few years of elite play from their stars.

But I disagree on your Price/Habs comparison... Of all MBs idiotic blunders, Price's contract was not one of them (unless you have proof that his career ending injury was/should've been known at the time of signing). Had Price stayed healthy enough to play out his contract, building a contender around him was totally feasible. MB bungled it and yet we still hit a cup finals and an ECF. A half competent GM would've been able to better manage the other roster moves to give Price more run support...

At the time they signed him, the Habs were a bad team full of holes and you were not going to get close to the cup in the near future. All signing Price did was buying time. And sure they eventually went to the finals and that was because of Price but we didn't have the finish to win it cause it was a badly built team. We can blame MB for to have taken bad decisions to surround Price but not trading him for a good forward and not trading Subban for a forward was a big reason why we could never freaking finish! For lack of goals.

Keeping one or two(or sometime 3) great players around when you have badly built teams is a risk. We have seen it with the Habs and Price and we have seen it with the Oilers with McDavid/Drasaitl and the Leafs with Matthews/Marner/Nylanders. Do we keep these stars in the hope that the rest of the team eventually catch up or we trade one or two of them for many elements so we can actually become a real team and maybe be a contender? Look at the former Nords/Avs after they traded Erik Lindros and all the stuff they got in return. They became a force for decades. The Flyers got Lindros and sure he was great but could not assemble enough good pieces together to become champs. The Leafs still have not learned and they remained to the status quo. And brought in a bunch of garbage to patch the holes. And they are gonna have the same results.

 

[Beendair Donedat]

Dvorak going to Columbus makes too much sense for both sides. The Habs need to make some room up front, while the Jackets add a veteran center, soon to be UFA, which takes them almost exactly to the cap floor.

To Montreal: 4th round pick (acquired from St Louis

To Columbus: Christian Dvorak

 

[Deus ex machina]

Dvorak going to Columbus makes too much sense for both sides. The Habs need to make some room up front, while the Jackets add a veteran center, soon to be UFA, which takes them almost exactly to the cap floor.

To Montreal: 4th round pick (acquired from St Louis

To Columbus: Christian Dvorak

The Habs need to make room for who exactly?

I'm not the biggest Dvorak fan but he's still a proven NHL player who produced at a 45 points pace not so long ago.
Habs have no cap issues at the moment and he's UFA at the end of the season so there's no reason to get rid of him for nothing.

He has a NTC anyway. I doubt he wants to go to Columbus.

 

[DAChampion]

At the time they signed him, the Habs were a bad team full of holes and you were not going to get close to the cup in the near future. All signing Price did was buying time. And sure they eventually went to the finals and that was because of Price but we didn't have the finish to win it cause it was a badly built team. We can blame MB for to have taken bad decisions to surround Price but not trading him for a good forward and not trading Subban for a forward was a big reason why we could never freaking finish! For lack of goals.

The Habs team that was good enough to win three rounds was good enough to win four.

For one, the Lightning were 20 million over the cap, it was a fake team.

For two, that Lightning team was almost taken out by the Islanders. Could those Habs not have beaten those Islanders?

I didn't like the Price mega contract at the time, but hindsight proves it was a legitimate gamble.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

Based on his play the last two seasons, he doesn't have the talent nor the effort level to be above anyone on that top 9.

He is certainly pencilled in as the 3rd line center and there is nothing wrong with his effort, he just plays a very safe game. MSL has always had high praise for Dvorak's play. He is a center who plays a defensive role by assuming the F3 role more than an offensive center does. Hopefully MSL can get him out of his shell and use his skill a little more for offensive opportunities.

I see it as

Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovsky
Laine - Dach - Newhook/Armia
Roy - Dvorak - Armia/Newhook
Anderson - Evans - Gallagher

I prefer Newhook over Armia as the RW with Dach because he is left handed and can augment Dach's right handedness on set draws whereas Dvorak is left handed and Newhook would be less useful on his line.

Dvorak going to Columbus makes too much sense for both sides. The Habs need to make some room up front, while the Jackets add a veteran center, soon to be UFA, which takes them almost exactly to the cap floor.

To Montreal: 4th round pick (acquired from St Louis

To Columbus: Christian Dvorak

There is no rush to move Dvorak, especially for a 4th round pick. He will start the season as our 3C imo and be given an opportunity to either improve his trade value for later in the season or to be an integral part of a playoff push.