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

[Egresch]

Devon Levi?

Nah, haven't you watched Jakub Carey Dobeš yesterday? We do not need any additional young goalie with Fowler, Dobeš and Volokhin in our pipeline.

 

[yianik]

None of our young D is getting traded any time soon. Mailloux, Barron are getting their chances, though I think it's Barron's last chance.

 

[Supersonic]

I think the team should trade for a vet RHD with 1-2 years left on a deal to plug that hole while RB and LM are taking their time in Laval.

Have no idea what players or teams would qualify for such a trade, though

 

[26Mats]

I think the team should trade for a vet RHD with 1-2 years left on a deal to plug that hole while RB and LM are taking their time in Laval.

Have no idea what players or teams would qualify for such a trade, though

Matheson - Guhle
Hutson - Savard
Xhekaj - Struble/Barron

Xhekaj-Struble could be a sick bottom.pair.

Can Struble play the right side?

 

[Benstheman]

Trading Mailloux is a bad decision imo and makes the RD far less promising. I think in 5 years you look back and say how could we trade a RD with a cannon of shot, offensive IQ, who's 6'4" and willing to mix it up.

Yes Mailloux has lots of great tools but also lots of negatives. You are right that in 5 years, we can look back at a trade like this and say woops that was a bad trade. But the opposite is also true.

Imo, Mailloux will be a number 4D if everything goes well but most likely end up as a very good 5/6.

There are two other aspects that make me think we could use Mailloux to upgrade our D in a good way :

1-Timing/experience : We cannot enter 2025-2026 season with Guhle-Reinbacher-Hutson-Mailloux as our top 4. That wouldn't work. Reinbacher is not ready for top pair duty and Mailloux is not ready for top 4 duty either. We definately need a bit more experience on that top 4 for at least a couple a year to let Reinbacher and Mailloux develop in what could become their respective ceiling. Maybe Savard is extended to give that veteran presence but even though i like him very much, we can't be succesful with Savard playing top 4 minutes for another 2 years after this one.

2-Better defensive D-squad. The way i see it, looking at the type of young Dmen we've got, we will need more defensive stability on the top 4. Hutson and Mailloux look to be defensive liabilities going forward and even if we extend the evaluation through the bottom pair, Xhekaj and Barron are not exactly defensive studs, to be polite.

Matheson - Guhle
Hutson - Savard
Xhekaj - Struble/Barron

Xhekaj-Struble could be a sick bottom.pair.

Can Struble play the right side?

That's horrible D to be honest.

 

[sampollock]

Send Reinbacher down
let's move on and let him develop down there. he is not even close to ready.

 

[sampollock]

hey all
are the habs not tough enough? should they get some tougher players? or are we ok.

just seems to me we are bigger but not tougher. thoughts??

 

[Deus ex machina]

Mailloux in a package for R.Andersson would make a lot of sense next summer, when we can extend the latter.

And it gives HuGo time to see what they got in Barron and Engstrom. I can see them being very useful bottom pair D for this team.

According to reports from Calgary, Rasmus Andersson will likely be traded before next trade deadline, unless the Flames overachieve this season and are competitive.
He will not want to stay on a rebuilding team.

Next summer will probably be too late, so if the Habs want him, they must do it soon.

Habs need an upgrade on the top 4 now and they'll still need it next season.
Other than Hutson, the yound Ds have been pretty underwhelming so far in pre-season.
I still have faith in Reinbacher but even if he makes the team next season, he should be eased in on the 3rd pair.

I don't see a problem with extending Andersson.
If not, there will still be time to trade him again.

 

[WeThreeKings]

According to reports from Calgary, Rasmus Andersson will likely be traded before next trade deadline, unless the Flames overachieve this season and are competitive.
He will not want to stay on a rebuilding team.

Next summer will probably be too late, so if the Habs want him, they must do it soon.

Habs need an upgrade on the top 4 now and they'll still need it next season.
Other than Hutson, the yound Ds have been pretty underwhelming so far in pre-season.
I still have faith in Reinbacher but even if he makes the team next season, he should be eased in on the 3rd pair.

I don't see a problem with extending Andersson.
If not, there will still be time to trade him again.

We need to be on it.. but he may see us as a rebuilding team and not want to extend.

It's a call we have to make.

 

[Sorinth]

I would be hesitant to go out and get that real top-4 RHD veteran right now. We need to get answers from some of our question mark players before we make any big moves because the answers to those questions change the timeline.

 

[26Mats]

Yes Mailloux has lots of great tools but also lots of negatives. You are right that in 5 years, we can look back at a trade like this and say woops that was a bad trade. But the opposite is also true.

Imo, Mailloux will be a number 4D if everything goes well but most likely end up as a very good 5/6.

There are two other aspects that make me think we could use Mailloux to upgrade our D in a good way :

1-Timing/experience : We cannot enter 2025-2026 season with Guhle-Reinbacher-Hutson-Mailloux as our top 4. That wouldn't work. Reinbacher is not ready for top pair duty and Mailloux is not ready for top 4 duty either. We definately need a bit more experience on that top 4 for at least a couple a year to let Reinbacher and Mailloux develop in what could become their respective ceiling. Maybe Savard is extended to give that veteran presence but even though i like him very much, we can't be succesful with Savard playing top 4 minutes for another 2 years after this one.

2-Better defensive D-squad. The way i see it, looking at the type of young Dmen we've got, we will need more defensive stability on the top 4. Hutson and Mailloux look to be defensive liabilities going forward and even if we extend the evaluation through the bottom pair, Xhekaj and Barron are not exactly defensive studs, to be polite.


That's horrible D to be honest.

How so?

 

[Deus ex machina]

We need to be on it.. but he may see us as a rebuilding team and not want to extend.

It's a call we have to make.

Habs are much further along than the Flames in their rebuild, especially if they add Andersson.
I think he'll like it here.
Of course, you never know but i think it's a risk worth taking since he can be traded again in case he doesn't.

 

[Benstheman]

How so?

Because the only D that can play some defensive D are a 22 yo who's playing on his off side and an old almost washed up D who is playing no.4 by procuration

 

[1909]

Matheson - Guhle
Hutson - Savard
Xhekaj - Struble/Barron

Xhekaj-Struble could be a sick bottom.pair.

Can Struble play the right side?

Xhekaj has still to show more than his fighting skills. Struble is better defensively than him.

 

[Benstheman]

Xhekaj has still to show more than his fighting skills. Struble is better defensively than him.

Agreed. If i'd have to pick, i'd say Xhekaj is better offensively than defensively. Off course is main trait is his presence and physicality.

 

[26Mats]

Because the only D that can play some defensive D are a 22 yo who's playing on his off side and an old almost washed up D who is playing no.4 by procuration

Well the young guys need to play to develop. It's still a development year.

Not sure Xhekaj and Struble can't play D. We'll see this year...

 

[WeThreeKings]

I would be hesitant to go out and get that real top-4 RHD veteran right now. We need to get answers from some of our question mark players before we make any big moves because the answers to those questions change the timeline.

Why wait for answers when you can acquire an answer.

 

[salbutera]

Well the young guys need to play to develop. It's still a development year.

Not sure Xhekaj and Struble can't play D. We'll see this year...

I’ll stick with my projection coming into the summer

Struble will be the pleasant surprise of the D group this year…

 

[Benstheman]

I’ll stick with my projection coming into the summer

Struble will be the pleasant surprise of the D group this year…

I like him. Unfortunately, there is no spot for him unless as a 6/7 D.

 

[Tyson]

I’ll stick with my projection coming into the summer

Struble will be the pleasant surprise of the D group this year…

And he is still developing.

 

[1909]

Agreed. If i'd have to pick, i'd say Xhekaj is better offensively than defensively. Off course is main trait is his presence and physicality.

Maybe they could send him upfront on the LW. He could become a perfect 4th liner.

 

[vokiel]

hey all
are the habs not tough enough? should they get some tougher players? or are we ok.

just seems to me we are bigger but not tougher. thoughts??

They're tough enough, maybe they're lacking 1 more Tuch in the pipeline, but that's not hard to find if we're really in need.

Now... Hutson isn't tough enough imho. He's gonna find it hard to win the Calder with a featherweight build.

 

[Sorinth]

Why wait for answers when you can acquire an answer.

Because if the answers to the questions are this player can't fulfill the role then as a team we have too many holes to start acquiring veteran players to fill them. If Dach can't be a good #2 C then we likely a minimum of 3+ years away from any sort of contention and adding a guy like R. Andersson doesn't change that calculus.

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

Why wait for answers when you can acquire an answer.

Because they may already have the answer.

 

[Treb]

hey all
are the habs not tough enough? should they get some tougher players? or are we ok.

just seems to me we are bigger but not tougher. thoughts??

We have Xhekaj and Pezzetta.

Tuch and Xhekaj in the AHL.

Protz in junior.

Don't think we need to overspend on toughness, but if a trade/signing make senses, sure.