HF Habs: Trade Proposal Thread #90: 2024-2025 season part III

A 2nd and a 3rd is not nearly enough for those 2 players.
And it's not an equivalent to a (late) 1st in value. It's more 2 early-ish 2nds.

Arpon Basu talks about that in his latest article.
It says that the 2 players in a package could probably fetch more than a 1st.

I don't think Detroit is the only team that would be interested in the two together.
I'm thinking teams that don't have many right-handed forwards and/or have a bad PK.
Teams like LA, Minnesota, Vegas and NJ.
LA has the 4th best PK in the league and decent center depth.

Minny, Vegas and NJ don’t have 1st round picks.
 
Rackell from Pitt 2nd pick : not a C
Cozens 1st and 2nd: RH
Beriers 1st and 2nd : sure, but inlikely to be available.
Couturier 2nd pick : done and bad contract
Laughton 2nd pick : not the 2C type
Kryou 1st and 3rd : RH
he was listed as a centre on yahoo. so thought he could play C too
 
To me, Jersey seems like the obvious destination to send Evans, as there is clear interest (and need) in what he would bring to their team. Shoring up that third line center spot could be enough to put them over the top. Only thing left would be to negotiate the best deal possible.

I’d offer -

To New Jersey: Jake Evans, Joel Armia (@50 percent retention)

To Montreal: New Jersey 2026 1st round draft pick, Nathan Bastian.


Devils get their center and arguably the best penalty killing duo in the league for what they hope is a long playoff run.

Habs get another 1st, and a warm body for the bottom 6 to finish out the year (and to take back some salary).

That would give us 4 first round picks in the next two drafts. And with 4 (potentially 5) second round picks as well.

That’s currency to use in a blockbuster trade, or to move up in the draft for a player they really want.

At the draft you check to see what’s available for second line centers and what the cost would be.

On July 1st, you make offers to one or more of:

Sam Bennett: (my choice obviously, for reasons listed many times. Adds everything we need but may be expensive)

Morgan Geekie: Has put up back to back solid seasons for Boston, has great size and hands, should score 20 goals, and won’t cost a fortune. I like him on a 4 year deal, where he can hold down the second line center duties until Beck or Hage are ready to take over full time, where he could then switch to the wing.

Mikael Granlund: yes he’s an older veteran, but he can still play top minutes and would do very well for the Habs in a second line role. A left handed shot, Granlund plays a solid 200 foot game, and is an excellent puck distributor. Would be a solid veteran to have playing alongside Demidov. Maybe a 3 year deal as a placeholder?
 
To me, Jersey seems like the obvious destination to send Evans, as there is clear interest (and need) in what he would bring to their team. Shoring up that third line center spot could be enough to put them over the top. Only thing left would be to negotiate the best deal possible.

I’d offer -

To New Jersey: Jake Evans, Joel Armia (@50 percent retention)

To Montreal: New Jersey 2026 1st round draft pick, Nathan Bastian.


Devils get their center and arguably the best penalty killing duo in the league for what they hope is a long playoff run.

Habs get another 1st, and a warm body for the bottom 6 to finish out the year (and to take back some salary).

That would give us 4 first round picks in the next two drafts. And with 4 (potentially 5) second round picks as well.

That’s currency to use in a blockbuster trade, or to move up in the draft for a player they really want.

At the draft you check to see what’s available for second line centers and what the cost would be.

On July 1st, you make offers to one or more of:

Sam Bennett: (my choice obviously, for reasons listed many times. Adds everything we need but may be expensive)

Morgan Geekie: Has put up back to back solid seasons for Boston, has great size and hands, should score 20 goals, and won’t cost a fortune. I like him on a 4 year deal, where he can hold down the second line center duties until Beck or Hage are ready to take over full time, where he could then switch to the wing.

Mikael Granlund: yes he’s an older veteran, but he can still play top minutes and would do very well for the Habs in a second line role. A left handed shot, Granlund plays a solid 200 foot game, and is an excellent puck distributor. Would be a solid veteran to have playing alongside Demidov. Maybe a 3 year deal as a placeholder?
Man I don't think I would be ok with getting a late 1st in 2 years for those 2 guys. And I'm pretty sure they have more value than that (as a duo).

Would love Bennett but you know taxes, and blah blah blah so he won't accept to sign here. Geekie would be a good middle 6 option. If you can sign him for about 4M$, I would be good with it because at 4 M$, that's ok for a 3rd line center.
 
Maybe it's just me but I already see Owen Beck as a Sam Bennett type of player. He just needs to get physically stronger and mature a bit. He can definitely play that in your face type of gritty game and should have no problem matching Sam's production. I'm not sure why we'd go after and pay heavily for a possible redundancy. We certainly aren't winning anything in the two seasons it will take Beck to fully arrive. While Owen Beck probably won't be the POS Sam Bennett has become. I don't think that matters much as long as we have some other POS in our forward group.
 
Maybe it's just me but I already see Owen Beck as a Sam Bennett type of player. He just needs to get physically stronger and mature a bit. He can definitely play that in your face type of gritty game and should have no problem matching Sam's production. I'm not sure why we'd go after and pay heavily for a possible redundancy. We certainly aren't winning anything in the two seasons it will take Beck to fully arrive. While Owen Beck probably won't be the POS Sam Bennett has become. I don't think that matters much as long as we have some other POS in our forward group.
I don't see Beck having the offense that Bennett shows right now, which is 25-30 goals scorer. But if he can reach 15-20 goals on a yearly basis, and being solid at every other part of the game, he will be big part of our contending team.
 
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I don't see Beck having the offense that Bennett shows right now, which is 25-30 goals scorer. But if he can reach 15-20 goals on a yearly basis, and being solid at every other part of the game, he will be big part of our contending team.
It took Bennett 9 seasons to put up 20 plus goals he's actually at just over 14 goals per season average and a 40 point player. His numbers are a lot higher on a Stanley Cup contending team...
 
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It took Bennett 9 seasons to put up 20 plus goals he's actually at just over 14 goals per season average and a 40 point player. His numbers are a lot higher on a Stanley Cup contending team...
So when you say Beck shouldn't have problem reaching Bennett's production, you mean his average production since the start of his career??
 
So when you say Beck shouldn't have problem reaching Bennett's production, you mean his average production since the start of his career??
I mean exactly that matching his production in a season by season comparison. If we sign Bennett chances are his numbers would also take a dip. Don't get me wrong I like the player but is he really the answer we are looking for in a 2C? I'm more of a believer in home grown assets as core pieces at least until the big moves get made. I think we need a two year stop gap for now. We have three chances of finding a viable 2C in house.
 
Not saying they are available but I think those center could displace Suzuki:

McDavid
Mackinnon
Draisaitl
Hughes
Eichel
Point
Barkov
Matthews
Aho

And if it you don't take age into the equation (meaning thinking long term), current Crosby and current Kopitar most likely surpass him.
You're proving my point. You have 9 on your list. I would take Point & Aho off that list. I don't see them as winning hands down and pushing Suzuki to the 2nd line. So we're left with my original 7. You brought up a great point that I didn't make. Are they available? Let's assume they are. What would it cost to get one of those seven? My point is it would cost the gutting of our team.

The reason I was pressing the other poster was because Habs fans easily underrate Suzuki. Hell, until very recently I was still reading posts questioning whether Suzuki was a bonafide 1st line centerman.
 
Rackell from Pitt 2nd pick
Cozens 1st and 2nd
Beriers 1st and 2nd
Couturier 2nd pick
Laughton 2nd pick
Kryou 1st and 3rd

now you guys can rip me on the list :laugh:

You think anyone on that group would play a line higher than Suzuki? Those are the guys you think are going to make Suzuki a second line centre? Rackell isn't even a centre!

Kyrou is the only one that isn't flat out ridiculous and I'd still slot Suzuki in ahead of Kyrou.
 
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It took Bennett 9 seasons to put up 20 plus goals he's actually at just over 14 goals per season average and a 40 point player. His numbers are a lot higher on a Stanley Cup contending team...
On the other hand Evans the player beck would likely replace short term has an average in career of 9.6 goals every 82 games and never scored more than 13 goals in a season.
 
So when you say Beck shouldn't have problem reaching Bennett's production, you mean his average production since the start of his career??
More Anton Lundell if looking at Florida comparable. Heavy but not mean game. AL prob more of a passer tho.
 
so seems like the islanders want an established star forward for Dobson. Now I’m not sure he qualifies but if Boston does want to rebuild or retool and trade Brad Marchand, maybe we can swing a theee way deal

To Boston
Calgary 1st and Joshua Roy

To Islanders
Montreal 1st and Brad Marchand

To Habs
Noah Dobson
 

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