HF Habs: Trade Proposal Thread #93: Y'all got any more of those 2nd line centers out there?

[Captain Mountain]

We need a partner for Hutson, and we need to swap out Matheson for a RD vet. Pulock is way cheaper, and fits our team's needs much better than Dobson.

A Horvat + Pulock trade for futures gets us our two biggest positional needs, adds much needed size (while not sacrificing speed) and veteran stability on affordable long-term contracts.
Let Hughes and Gorton do another HuGo special and acquire a new early 20s player to pair with Dach on the 3rd line, and leave a spot open for camp.
Maybe an improved Newhook or Heineman take that spot, but we can't afford this year's Newhook or Heineman to get a starting role on this team. No more passengers.

Cole - Suzi - Slaf
Laine - Horvat - Demidov
Camp Standout - Trade - Dach
Andy - Evans - Gally
Newhook, Heineman

Hutson Pulock
Ghule Reino
Xhekaj Carrier
Struble

If we're making an argument for Pulock, then why not take a run at signing Ekblad first?

 

[Adam Michaels]

How much it would cost the Habs to trade his contract. Not really sure why we'd be acquiring anything for getting rid of a 10.5 million LTIR spot.

Habs will not need to add anything to offload the 10.5M. The cap is going up, but so is the floor. So teams will need the 10.5 to help meet that floor.

After Habs pay his 5.5M signing bonus, Price's actual salary will be 2M. And that is paid by insurance, not the owners (signing bonus is paid by team, salary by insurance). So in the end, Price will cost 0$ to the other owner in actual dollars. But the team will also still be able to use the 10.5 cap hit to reach the floor.

Habs won't need to add because they'll actually help the other team.

We thought Habs needed to add to offload Weber's deal (that still had term left), they didn't only not need to add, they actually got Dadonov back.

I think if they move Price, it could only be for Future Considerations.

 

[Beendair Donedat]

If we go for Pulock instead of Dobson, we definitely can do it without giving up Hage.

Pulock makes a ton more sense than Dobson. We already have our powerplay QB. We need a minute eating, defensive minded, steady right hand shot defender with a good first pass.

Dobson plays Matheson level of defense. We already have Matheson for that, and it drives most people insane.

 

[Runner77]

Yeah D'Amico is well connected in some areas. But the Dobson to Habs rumor started last season, around February, with Incarcerated Bob tweeting couple of times about it.

D’Amico is thin skinned and all too often, gullible. Last year, he was confrontational when fans called him out before the draft, for saying that Cayden Lindstrom’s back was OK. His source at the time: Lindstrom’s agent.

No basic fact checking, no obtaining credible third party sources, he just pinned Lindstrom’s agent’s subjective assessment at the top of his X account. He supposedly studied journalism but has no notion of vested interest and being used as a propaganda mouthpiece. This forum thrashes him for a reason. Or more.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

Pulock would be amazing we haven't had someone who can shoot the puck from the blue line since Weber retired

He has a full NTC though, so pointless

 

[sampollock]

need D men that are tough to play against.
habs were pushed around to much in their end.
beef and smart D is what they need
and not a project D

 

[Runner77]

need D men that are tough to play against.
habs were pushed around to much in their end.
beef and smart D is what they need
and not a project D

Then the Habs can move some of their D prospects to a rebuilding team and acquire the profile they’re after.

 

[morhilane]

Dobson tough enough to play against?

He's in the Matheson and Hutson style of "doesn't hit, get the puck, skate it out or giveaway".

You can't have Matheson, Hutson and Dobson in the same top 4.
And you still have the issue that that Habs needs a defensive minded RHD who can punish opposite players going deep into the dzone and clear the grease (crease, but I find grease funnier).

 

[Benstheman]

D’Amico is thin skinned and all too often, gullible. Last year, he was confrontational when fans called him out before the draft, for saying that Cayden Lindstrom’s back was OK. His source at the time: Lindstrom’s agent.

No basic fact checking, no obtaining credible third party sources, he just pinned Lindstrom’s agent’s subjective assessment at the top of his X account. He supposedly studied journalism but has no notion of vested interest and being used as a propaganda mouthpiece. This forum thrashes him for a reason. Or more.

Not trying to speak for him but he did get the Demidov thing right. Anyway I like Incarcerated Bob more as a source, particularly for New York teams.

 

[sampollock]

He's in the Matheson and Hutson style of "doesn't hit, get the puck, skate it out or giveaway".

You can't have Matheson, Hutson and Dobson in the same top 4.
And you still have the issue that that Habs needs a defensive minded RHD who can punish opposite players going deep into the dzone and clear the grease.

then pass on Dobson

 

[Benstheman]

Then the Habs can move some of their D prospects to a rebuilding team and acquire the profile they’re after.

Yeah. If St-Louis doesn’t trust Xhekaj to play 15 minutes per game, I would try to pry Zadorov from Boston.

 

[TT1]

NYI dmen aren't interesting, Pelech is good but he's LD

if you want a good RD for our needs look at a guy like Kesselring, but Utah has no reason to move him, we need that type of dmen tho

or if Hughes is leaving Van and they wanna blow it up, Hronek

 

[The Great Weal]

Habs will not need to add anything to offload the 10.5M. The cap is going up, but so is the floor. So teams will need the 10.5 to help meet that floor.

After Habs pay his 5.5M signing bonus, Price's actual salary will be 2M. And that is paid by insurance, not the owners (signing bonus is paid by team, salary by insurance). So in the end, Price will cost 0$ to the other owner in actual dollars. But the team will also still be able to use the 10.5 cap hit to reach the floor.

Habs won't need to add because they'll actually help the other team.

We thought Habs needed to add to offload Weber's deal (that still had term left), they didn't only not need to add, they actually got Dadonov back.

I think if they move Price, it could only be for Future Considerations.

I think there are more beneficial ways to reach the floor if they desperately need to, such as overpaying in free agency or trading for cap dumps who will actually play for them. I don't think there are many cases like the Arizona Coyotes, who collected all these LTIR contracts with low salaries anymore; owners want to win.

Dadonov was a cap dump, I wouldn't classify him as a positive return. Vegas even tried adding to him to make the trade with the Ducks happen.

 

[Runner77]

Not trying to speak for him but he did get the Demidov thing right. Anyway I like Incarcerated Bob more as a source, particularly for New York teams.

I never said D’Amico didn’t have some contacts however anyone who works in that business full time, inevitably ends up striking friendships and favours are begotten. That has no bearing whatsoever on his failure to vet sources, his inability to apply journalistic standards all capped by his own arrogance, which mine his credibility.

Maybe he aspires to become a bootlicker like Engels but that’s going to require years of anal cavity forays.

 

[Benstheman]

I never said D’Amico didn’t have some contacts however anyone who works in that business full time, inevitably ends up striking friendships and favours are begotten. That has no bearing whatsoever on his failure to vet sources, his inability to apply journalistic standards all capped by his own arrogance, which mine his credibility.

Maybe he aspires to become a bootlicker like Engels but that’s going to require years of anal cavity forays.

I don’t know much about him.

 

[Runner77]

Yeah. If St-Louis doesn’t trust Xhekaj to play 15 minutes per game, I would try to pry Zadorov from Boston.

I don’t see how Xhekaj can have a career as a Hab without his coach’s confidence. Some players just don’t jell with certain coaches and only do better when they are moved to a new environment. To me Xhekaj is a goner. They’ll need to find someone else to fill that role, that better aligns with the coach’s preferences.

 

[Adam Michaels]

I think there are more beneficial ways to reach the floor if they desperately need to, such as overpaying in free agency or trading for cap dumps who will actually play for them. I don't think there are many cases like the Arizona Coyotes, who collected all these LTIR contracts with low salaries anymore; owners want to win.

Dadonov was a cap dump, I wouldn't classify him as a positive return. Vegas even tried adding to him to make the trade with the Ducks happen.

Adding someone in free agency means you pay them. In Price's case, you don't pay him. You just absorb his cap hit.

And it's not just teams that need to reach the floor that could use him. It's also teams that will need to use his cap for LTIR.

Remember Weber was traded to Vegas because they needed to use his cap hit on LTIR.

 

[Runner77]

Adding someone in free agency means you pay them. In Price's case, you don't pay him. You just absorb his cap hit.

And it's not just teams that need to reach the floor that could use him. It's also teams that will need to use his cap for LTIR.

Remember Weber was traded to Vegas because they needed to use his cap hit on LTIR.

There is always some cheap team that only barely wants to meet the cap floor or spend less. Price is very attractive to such a team. It won’t be a problem moving him.

 

[The Great Weal]

Adding someone in free agency means you pay them. In Price's case, you don't pay him. You just absorb his cap hit.

But you also get a useful player that can actually play instead of a player who's probably never even coming to the city and is out fishing and hunting all year.

And it's not just teams that need to reach the floor that could use him. It's also teams that will need to use his cap for LTIR.

I'm just not sure what team is desperate to reach the floor or is able to save the LTIR contract for in-season. Teams like the Hawks and Sharks didn't hesitate to pay for players in free agency, and I don't expect that to change. The Ducks are trying to improve the team to reach the next level as well.

Remember Weber was traded to Vegas because they needed to use his cap hit on LTIR.

Vegas added a 2nd to Dadonov in the nixed Ducks trade because he was a negative asset. Dadonov was then traded for Weber one for one. Thus, Weber was a negative asset. If Weber's LTIR was valuable and seen as a positive, we would have gotten a pick instead of a cap dump.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

Yeah. If St-Louis doesn’t trust Xhekaj to play 15 minutes per game, I would try to pry Zadorov from Boston.

Zadorov has a terrible deal as he signed for 6 years at 5 mill per

 

[Ghetto Sangria]

Pulock is 30 (will be 31 early next season) and signed until he's 35 at 6.15mil. His skating has already started to decline and he's never been more than a good second pairing player. Horvat is 30, signed until he's 36 at 8.5mil.

We saw Savard start to decline at around 30/31, was no longer a quality second pairing defenceman by 32, and he's now retired at 34. Pulock seems to be on a similar trajectory. While we don't know how these two players will end their careers, it seems quite likely that they'll fit the norm of non-elite players that typically start to fall off soon after 30. We'll be lucky if they spend half their contract with us in a top-4/top-6 role and both guys could be cap dumps before Demidov finishes his ELC.

Pulock is far from slow. Check NHL Edge. He’s no Matheson but he’s levels above average while being a tank. Savard is a terrible comparison because he was always slow and got even slower to the point where he couldnt play.

We dont need him to he a 1, 2 or 3. That goes to Hutson Reino and Ghule. We need a veteran defensive stabilizer in the top 4. Something Pulock can be for a while.

Regarding Horvat, the way he plays, he’ll be good for most of his contract. He will be an effective 2C for the rest of Suzuki’s contract

 

[Ghetto Sangria]

If we're making an argument for Pulock, then why not take a run at signing Ekblad first?

I would 100% go for Ekblad first. He’s slower than Pulock but a proven cup winner. I just doubt UFA’s would chose MTL first.

 

[Draft]

Pulock is far from slow. Check NHL Edge. He’s no Matheson but he’s levels above average while being a tank. Savard is a terrible comparison because he was always slow and got even slower to the point where he couldnt play.

We dont need him to he a 1, 2 or 3. That goes to Hutson Reino and Ghule. We need a veteran defensive stabilizer in the top 4. Something Pulock can be for a while.

Regarding Horvat, the way he plays, he’ll be good for most of his contract. He will be an effective 2C for the rest of Suzuki’s contract

I’m repeating what I’ve heard from Isles fans regarding the skating. Might be more indicative of a decline relative to where he’s been previously rather than compared to the league. He used to be a very fast skater and has also dealt with lower body injuries IIRC. If he’s a #4 now, what is he if he shows *any* decline after 31? That starts next season and is just about inevitable for every player in history.

Horvat is far less effective as a center if his skating declines. He was a pretty poor skater prior to his peak, nothing saying he can’t return to that. He’s overrated and overpayed even before he starts to decline.

I might be convinced to pick up one of them if younger options don’t materialize. Acquiring both is risking nearly 15mil of dead cap during our contending window. I’m not arguing whether they’d make the team better today. While I don’t think it puts us into Cup contender status, it almost definitely solidifies a playoff spot. However, I’m not interested in losing hard-earned cap flexibility and significant assets for secondary players that won’t be a part of our best contending years. That’s too shortsighted IMO.

 

[BenchBrawl]

I would be ecstatic to get Caleb Desnoyers, a French-Canadian heart and soul Top 6 center for the next 15-20 years.

Realistically, what would it take?

16 & 17th, Michael Hage + David Reinbacher? Would they even be interested?

It's risky but no guts no glory. Reinbacher could become really good but he could also turn into a run of the mill 3rd-4th defenseman.

Desnoyers would bring back the tradition of having top French-Canadian talent on this team.

 

[Benstheman]

I would be ecstatic to get Caleb Desnoyers, a French-Canadian heart and soul Top 6 center for the next 15-20 years.

Realistically, what would it take?

16 & 17th, Michael Hage + David Reinbacher? Would they even be interested?

It's risky but no guts no glory. Reinbacher could become really good but he could also turn into a run of the mill 3rd-4th defenseman.

Desnoyers would bring back the tradition of having top French-Canadian talent on this team.

Heee no