HF Habs: Trade Proposal Thread #91: 2025 Trade Deadline edition

[TheArch]

In a season where Stamkos was out with a season ending injury... Sort of a pointless comparison to make.

Pointless ? I'm pointing to an exemple of good management. TB, without Stamkos, were still vastly superior than Habs are right now. Yet, they did not convinced themselves to stay pat or buy "to please their players". They used this opportunity to unload bad contract (Fillpula) and UFA (Boyle, Bishop, Streit).

Here we have a mediocre team for the last 30+ years, we finally get a rebuild going, and at year 4 we have these fans and journalists crying for help, for signing Evans at wtv salary, etc.

It's year 4. If you fast track "we don't need 2nd round picks", you end up most likely with another mediocre team for a while.

Sell Evans, Armia, maybe Matheson, and even Anderson if there is takers, play your developing kids, and get a better draft pick (getting Desnoyer could be great, and being lucky and winning the lottery and ending up with Misa would be a dream).

If your team keep fighting, good for them.

Something i'd love is some sort of package deal to NJ for Gritsyuk. Most likely they won't trade him, but he would be a hell of a great fit.

 

[SisuHabsSisu]

Would NJ part with Mercer? I’m guessing not. I know we don’t want another “Maybe he really can play center” situation (he has played c in the past) but even on the wing… great contract too.

 

[vokiel]

Looks like Reilly Smith will move from the Rangers. A 2nd isn't far fetched..

We are sitting duck and happy with a mediocre season.

 

[Treb]

Would NJ part with Mercer? I’m guessing not. I know we don’t want another “Maybe he really can play center” situation (he has played c in the past) but even on the wing… great contract too.

Is it really a great contract the way he's played the last 2 years? He's on pace for a 30ish points season again.

 

[Beendair Donedat]

Looks like Reilly Smith will move from the Rangers. A 2nd isn't far fetched..

We are sitting duck and happy with a mediocre season.

Easy now, we have no idea what Hughes and Gorton are working on at the moment.

Comparing the Rags and the Habs situations isn’t fair either. The Rags are half in and half out, stuck in purgatory, with an aging core and few prospects or picks to fill the holes they need to remain competitive.

Meanwhile we are swimming in picks and prospects and a very young lineup, while progressing as a young team. The conundrum for Hughes is that if management cuts bait too soon while the Habs still have a chance to push for a playoff spot, they risk damaging some of what’s been gained, while potentially alienating the fans.

Trust in Hughes, he has done a terrific job so far in restocking the cupboards and building the foundation blocks. I’m sure he’ll have something coming before the deadline, but I wouldn’t expect any major moves.

 

[Treb]

To MIN: Armia and Evan's

To MTL: 1st + Hartman bad contract

Is it worth taking on Hartman's contract to get a 1st?

Not sure the Habs want to paint a target on their back with player safety by acquiring Hartman.

It's also a move for a team starting their rebuild, not one starting its rebound.

 

[Agalloch]

Not sure the Habs want to paint a target on their back with player safety by acquiring Hartman.

It's also a move for a team starting their rebuild, not one starting its rebound.

Hartman has a full NMC. Don't think he waves for MTL.

 

[vokiel]

Easy now, we have no idea what Hughes and Gorton are working on at the moment.

Comparing the Rags and the Habs situations isn’t fair either. The Rags are half in and half out, stuck in purgatory, with an aging core and few prospects or picks to fill the holes they need to remain competitive.

Meanwhile we are swimming in picks and prospects and a very young lineup, while progressing as a young team. The conundrum for Hughes is that if management cuts bait too soon while the Habs still have a chance to push for a playoff spot, they risk damaging some of what’s been gained, while potentially alienating the fans.

Trust in Hughes, he has done a terrific job so far in restocking the cupboards and building the foundation blocks. I’m sure he’ll have something coming before the deadline, but I wouldn’t expect any major moves.

We have a pretty good idea what other teams are working on. So the amount of demand diminishing means diminishing returns or worst sitting duck. Rags are stuck half in, half out? It seems this management is hoping for the same results, otherwise they would have moved already.

Here's the real issue I think: The picks are worth shit. It's a weak draft and no one wants to accumulate any of them.

I will never trust someone who hires his friends and only negotiates with his flock.

 

[Treb]

Hartman has a full NMC. Don't think he waves for MTL.

As I said, Montreal shouldn't target Hartman, so whether he has a NMC or not is completely irrelevant.

 

[Beendair Donedat]

We have a pretty good idea what other teams are working on. So the amount of demand diminishing means diminishing returns or worst sitting duck. Rags are stuck half in, half out? It seems this management is hoping for the same results, otherwise they would have moved already.

Here's the real issue I think: The picks are worth shit. It's a weak draft and no one wants to accumulate any of them.

I don’t think Riley Smith being traded really moves the needle for anything or anyone. He’s a depth player, and not a high end one.

Chris Drury and Kent Hughes couldn’t be more different with their approach and style. One of them is an extremely shrewd hockey executive who has shown a ton of vision, and the other is Drury.

Hughes has stated multiple times, he’s not really interested in picks (unless it’s another first) he wants young, NHL ready prospects/players.

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

Ryan O'reilly would make for an excellent Monahan substitute for a couple seasons IMO. He can still produce and he's as durable as they come. If the preds are going full firesale I'd target him hard.

 

[Miller Time]

I will never trust someone who hires his friends and only negotiates with his flock.

NHL teams/GMs Hughes has negotiated a deal with in his first 3 years as GM:

Pittsburgh
Calgary
Winnipeg
Colorado
Florida
Chicago
NYI
San Jose
Nashville
Edmonton
Columbus
NJ
Buffalo
Anaheim
Dallas
Los Angeles
Tampa
Minnesota
Vegas
Washington
Buffalo

That's a pretty big flock

 

[TheArch]

Ryan O'reilly would make for an excellent Monahan substitute for a couple seasons IMO. He can still produce and he's as durable as they come. If the preds are going full firesale I'd target him hard.

You will ended paying some good assets for a stop gap, while next year there is a generational talent as a consolation price if we're lucky enough to suck once more.

You spend valuable assets for a player that will help the team for the long run, not for a quick fix.

 

[Whitesnake]

If we are REALLY working under a plan.....making the playoffs THIS YEAR can't be it. Selling will be to really show there's actually a plan here. Unless you believe that this team is the one you think will go to higher places (it won't), you then have to sign every player that plays great for us which include Evans and Armia. Not selling them and losing them for nothing while missing the playoffs or getting out at round 1 is NOT a plan.

 

[vokiel]

I don’t think Riley Smith being traded really moves the needle for anything or anyone. He’s a depth player, and not a high end one.

Chris Drury and Kent Hughes couldn’t be more different with their approach and style. One of them is an extremely shrewd hockey executive who has shown a ton of vision, and the other is Drury.

Hughes has stated multiple times, he’s not really interested in picks (unless it’s another first) he wants young, NHL ready prospects/players.

Smith and Armia are very comparable, a team acquiring Smith is unlikely to have any demand for Armia afterwards. So yes Hughes has stated many times he's sitting duck with expectations that are out of context for the TDL. If he did attempt to flip his glut of 2025 picks for 2026 or 2027, then he deserves an A for effort. Otherwise the man lacks initiative.

It seems, we'll be happy with a mediocre season anyhow.

 

[Miller Time]

If we are REALLY working under a plan.....making the playoffs THIS YEAR can't be it. Selling will be to really show there's actually a plan here. Unless you believe that this team is the one you think will go to higher places (it won't), you then have to sign every player that plays great for us which include Evans and Armia. Not selling them and losing them for nothing while missing the playoffs or getting out at round 1 is NOT a plan.

The plan has always been the same. Stated over and over again.

Thus far, hard to argue that they've been anything but consistent in their approach. There is clear vision, strategy and tactics recognizable in their approach to each decision. Not every decision works out favorably, and even that seems well understood and considered by this leadership group.

You may or may not agree with their decisions along the way, but it's silly to complain that there is "no plan" just because you don't like how they are executing it.


What the plan most certainly is not, is to accumulate a bunch of picks just for the sake of it. And that's a good thing imo, as much as fans love draft picks lol

 

[Guy Larose]

You will ended paying some good assets for a stop gap, while next year there is a generational talent as a consolation price if we're lucky enough to suck once more.

You spend valuable assets for a player that will help the team for the long run, not for a quick fix.

I guess you haven't been following what's going on. We're not sucking hard next year, they are planning on going hard this summer to improve. This perpetual losers attitude on this board is something else.

 

[sampollock]

so the wild now wont want evans I bet

as well, this team needs a 2nd centre now. great if they draft a guy but that buy is 3/4 years away

 

[Skip Bayless]

Ryan O'reilly would make for an excellent Monahan substitute for a couple seasons IMO. He can still produce and he's as durable as they come. If the preds are going full firesale I'd target him hard.

I don't think it's wise to spend assets for a stop gap at this point. For the 2 C, it's best to wait until the post season.

If we spend assets, let it be for long term solutions.

That being said, we are entering a very tricky part of the rebuild. The depth chart is starting to get clearer, and the available options on the market to bolster the lineup in a meaningful way, are quite limited.

Only thing I see happening at the TDL, now that Dach is gone, is Evans getting dealt for an overpayment and/or a blockbuster for a top 6 C.

 

[vokiel]

so the wild now wont want evans I bet

as well, this team needs a 2nd centre now. great if they draft a guy but that buy is 3/4 years away

There are no 2nd centers to be traded at the TDL, unless you're buying a rental. It's not the right context for doing hockey trades. If there were any trades to be made of this kind, they would have made them happen after the Christmas break.

 

[DAChampion]

If we are REALLY working under a plan.....making the playoffs THIS YEAR can't be it. Selling will be to really show there's actually a plan here. Unless you believe that this team is the one you think will go to higher places (it won't), you then have to sign every player that plays great for us which include Evans and Armia. Not selling them and losing them for nothing while missing the playoffs or getting out at round 1 is NOT a plan.

The perfect is the enemy of the good.

And you shouldn't expect every plan to survive contact with reality unscathed.

It could be that Hughes wants to go for the playoffs, is keeping these players, and it doesn't work out, that's fine.

We live in a world of probabilities, not certainties. There are no guarantees in real life. The team might miss the playoffs with Armia and Evans, and might make it without them. The second rounders acquired from trading them could turn into Lehkonen, Hutson, Romanov, and Subban, or into Ylonen, etc.

 

[TheArch]

I guess you haven't been following what's going on. We're not sucking hard next year, they are planning on going hard this summer to improve. This perpetual losers attitude on this board is something else.

I'm following more that most. I follow each single rebuild / reset out there for the last 20 years. We are at year 4. If you just look at your team and never compared to others, you may convince yourself "we are there". But reality is, to be there, you need at least 3 more major pieces, and you won't get these if you throw away the farm for quick fix. You will endure the pain, and wait for the right opportunity.

You won't find one single good rebuild that took 4 years. Not a single one. It's always 6-7+.

I guess we are so used to follow a mediocre team that we get all excited when we finally have a few good players like Hutson / Suzuki etc.

Unfortunately, even if Demidov, Reinbacher, Slaf, Hage and Fawler hit the right side of their potential range, it's far from enough.

And even if they hit, they won't be in their prime for quite a while.

Good for you to hope for quick fix, and I'm sure O'Reilly would be great as a 2nd line center for 2 years.

But I prefer long term solutions, I prefer to "build" during a rebuild. Chu cave de même.

 

[Guy Larose]

I'm following more that most. I follow each single rebuild / reset out there for the last 20 years. We are at year 4. If you just look at your team and never compared to others, you may convince yourself "we are there". But reality is, to be there, you need at least 3 more major pieces, and you won't get these if you throw away the farm for quick fix. You will endure the pain, and wait for the right opportunity.

You won't find one single good rebuild that took 4 years. Not a single one. It's always 6-7+.

I guess we are so used to follow a mediocre team that we get all excited when we finally have a few good players like Hutson / Suzuki etc.

Unfortunately, even if Demidov, Reinbacher, Slaf, Hage and Fawler hit the right side of their potential range, it's far from enough.

And even if they hit, they won't be in their prime for quite a while.

Good for you to hope for quick fix, and I'm sure O'Reilly would be great as a 2nd line center for 2 years.

But I prefer long term solutions, I prefer to "build" during a rebuild. Chu cave de même.

So you don't know how to read either...show me where I said I'm looking for a quick fix, let alone getting O'Reilly? I'm telling you what the team said, period. But go on with thinking you know it all.

 

[TheArch]

Easy now, we have no idea what Hughes and Gorton are working on at the moment.

Comparing the Rags and the Habs situations isn’t fair either. The Rags are half in and half out, stuck in purgatory, with an aging core and few prospects or picks to fill the holes they need to remain competitive.

Meanwhile we are swimming in picks and prospects and a very young lineup, while progressing as a young team. The conundrum for Hughes is that if management cuts bait too soon while the Habs still have a chance to push for a playoff spot, they risk damaging some of what’s been gained, while potentially alienating the fans.

Trust in Hughes, he has done a terrific job so far in restocking the cupboards and building the foundation blocks. I’m sure he’ll have something coming before the deadline, but I wouldn’t expect any major moves.

Ironically, so far his worst moves has been with the intention to accelerate the rebuild. Dach / Newhooks.

 

[Miller Time]

I don't think it's wise to spend assets for a stop gap at this point. For the 2 C, it's best to wait until the post season.

If we spend assets, let it be for long term solutions.

That being said, we are entering a very tricky part of the rebuild. The depth chart is starting to get clearer, and the available options on the market to bolster the lineup in a meaningful way, are quite limited.

Only thing I see happening at the TDL, now that Dach is gone, is Evans getting dealt for an overpayment and/or a blockbuster for a 2nd line C.

I think ROR would actually be a perfect stop gap move for us...

I'd prefer a better option like Crosby or Malkin, of course, but a mid-30s vet with high character/competitiveness & able to hold down a top 6 C spot reliably for the next 2-3 seasons is exactly what we need.

Hage, Beck, Kapanen give us 3 legit shots at internally developing a quality top 6C, in 3-4 years it's reasonable to expect that if any of them are going to hit that level, they'd be showing it by then.

Malkin and Crosby have both stated they prefer to wrap things up in Pitt... But if either change their mind, I bet KH would make sure the Habs are front runners and make a competitive offer