HF Habs: Trade Proposal Thread: From Here to Free Agency

[MarkovsKnee]

Last thread hit 5k. Time for a new one with the season officially done.

Discuss our needs for:

2C
RD
Top 6 W
More size, physicality in bottom 6

 

[JoelWarlord]

I've been wondering about Hertl lately. He has a NMC so no idea if he'd waive but it would be an interesting middleground between the true stopgaps and the high value big swings. 3 years left at just over 8 which is obviously an overpay but I think he'd be a cheap asset cost and the cap hit isn't really problematic for us.

 

[Montreal DC]

Last thread hit 5k. Time for a new one with the season officially done.

Discuss our needs for:

2C
RD
Top 6 W
More size, physicality in bottom 6

Hage
Reinbacher
Zharovsky
Paupanekis, Thorpe, Florian

We just need time and patience. I guess it's just not the purpose of this thread but trying to make it sooner will hurt the process. I hope we don't and stick to the plan.

 

[Bolduc of Hazzard]

I'm curious on the price of Elias Pettersson. As a 2C instead of 1C, less pressure, played good defensively last season, 50 points, just has a crazy overpay contract.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

Hage
Reinbacher
Zharovsky
Paupanekis, Thorpe, Florian

We just need time and patience. I guess it's just not the purpose of this thread but trying to make it sooner will hurt the process. I hope we don't and stick to the plan.

I would prefer to add, as you can't solely build through the draft. Malenstyn if he hits free agency is definitely someone we should be interested in.

An Anderson - Danault - Malenstyn line would give us a true, physical 4th line with tons of speed, as Malenstyn is fast too. We'll see if he resigns in Buffalo.

Danault, imo, was a liability against Carolina. He doesn't have the speed to keep up to that pace, but he's only signed one more year & he was strong against TB & Buffalo.

I also like Drew O'Connor in Vancouver. 6'4, can really skate, can forecheck like a beast, pks, and can provide some offense. He's UFA in 2027. With Vancouver rebuilding, he should be available.

Both are better, bigger and younger than someone like Coleman (Calgary).

There isn't all that much coming other than Reinbacher on D. Engstrom seems to be more of what we already have.

Carrier is someone who should be moved too.

 

[Montreal DC]

I would prefer to add, as you can't solely build through the draft. Malenstyn if he hits free agency is definitely someone we should be interested in.

An Anderson - Danault - Malenstyn line would give us a true, physical 4th line with tons of speed, as Malenstyn is fast too. We'll see if he resigns in Buffalo.

Danault, imo, was a liability against Carolina. He doesn't have the speed to keep up to that pace, but he's only signed one more year & he was strong against TB & Buffalo.

I also like Drew O'Connor in Vancouver. 6'4, can really skate, can forecheck like a beast, pks, and can provide some offense. He's UFA in 2027. With Vancouver rebuilding, he should be available.

Both are better, bigger and younger than someone like Coleman (Calgary).

There isn't all that much coming other than Reinbacher on D. Engstrom seems to be more of what we already have.

Carrier is someone who should be moved too.

You are proposing realistic solution for short term and I agree with you. But giving away all the prospects for Hishier or Thomas won't make the team legit for a long run. We are not deep enough to buy at a high price.

 

[Le Tricolore]

Any decent RFA centres we could try to grab this year? Dangle Reinbacher / Guhle + 1st +? The UFA class won't help us there, so gotta be creative and targetting RFAs seems to be what Hughes has done with Dach, Newhook and Dobson.

 

[Jaynki]

I just wanna say that intelligent organisation don't trade prospects like Hage, Zharovsky and Reinbacher.

Luckily we now are an intelligent organisation.

I believe (may be wrong, always am) our trade chips are 29 ovr pick, Kapanen, maybe one of Newhook, Bolduc, Texier, maybe Guhle.

We probably aint getting a Rob Thomas and thats fair. We should focus on quality depth.

 

[Le Tricolore]

Hage
Reinbacher
Zharovsky
Paupanekis, Thorpe, Florian

We just need time and patience. I guess it's just not the purpose of this thread but trying to make it sooner will hurt the process. I hope we don't and stick to the plan.

I get this to a degree, but once the team has taken the next step and its holes are more clear, being too patient isn't always the answer. What's the best case scenario for Hage to be a top six player? In a year? Two years? More? What about Zharovsky? We don't when he'd come over and how his game would translate to the NHL. Reinbacher is always hurt. Sure, if all of these players pan out, the team is in great shape, but they just had a run to the third round with this young core. Why not build on it now? I'm not saying to trade all of our young players for 30+ year old vets, but if we can move players to improve the team today with players who will help both today and down the line, that's a no brainer.

 

[Erika Zharovsky]

A player that could be had for cheap and that we haven't talked about much is Pierre-Luc Dubois. 27 years old, big , talented, good faceoff, good 2way play, perfect 2C. He had a good comeback season last year, but had injury issues this season.
Could be worth a look if nothing else is available. A gars de chez nous as a Bonus...

To Washington:
-Alex Newhook
-Owen Beck
-2nd round pick 2027

To Montreal:
-Pierre-Luc Dubois

 

[Montreal DC]

I get this to a degree, but once the team has taken the next step and its holes are more clear, being too patient isn't always the answer. What's the best case scenario for Hage to be a top six player? In a year? Two years? More? What about Zharovsky? We don't when he'd come over and how his game would translate to the NHL. Reinbacher is always hurt. Sure, if all of these players pan out, the team is in great shape, but they just had a run to the third round with this young core. Why not build on it now? I'm not saying to trade all of our young players for 30+ year old vets, but if we can move players to improve the team today with players who will help both today and down the line, that's a no brainer.

We can get an older 2C meanwhile. Signing Malkin would have been perfect but Pittsburgh shut that door. Hughes will try to find a realistic option. Just don't try to leap into success it never works. Building a team takes time. Every attemp by the Avs to fix their 2C problem failed. Teams rarely give away good players. Let's be real that's all I'm asking. I'm out.

Edit: Fans are feeling an urge because of Suzuki' age. But Suzuki isn't the centerpiece of this rebuild. Demidov, Slaf and Hutson are. Suzuki will be a great vet along the way.

 

[Bolduc of Hazzard]

Any decent RFA centres we could try to grab this year? Dangle Reinbacher / Guhle + 1st +? The UFA class won't help us there, so gotta be creative and targetting RFAs seems to be what Hughes has done with Dach, Newhook and Dobson.

Doubtful any available for trade. Maybe you can offer sheet Adam Fantilli for 4 1st rounders. About your best bet for the RFA market.

 

[morhilane]

Any decent RFA centres we could try to grab this year? Dangle Reinbacher / Guhle + 1st +? The UFA class won't help us there, so gotta be creative and targetting RFAs seems to be what Hughes has done with Dach, Newhook and Dobson.

Fantilli, Carlsson, Bedard...

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

A player that could be had for cheap and that we haven't talked about much is Pierre-Luc Dubois. 27 years old, big , talented, good faceoff, good 2way play, perfect 2C. He had a good comeback season last year, but had injury issues this season.
Could be worth a look if nothing else is available. A gars de chez nous as a Bonus...

To Washington:
-Alex Newhook
-Owen Beck
-2nd round pick 2027

To Montreal:
-Pierre-Luc Dubois

He would be cheap because he is not a guy who raises his game in the playoffs.

 

[A55P2]

I'll copy/paste my response from another thread and add to it.

For centermans : I think the Preds are a possible trade partner. Ryan O'Reilly could be a great player to target. The Rangers too with Trocheck. The Isles with Horvat / Barzal. The Canucks with Pettersson, but that's a terrible, terrible contract and not sure he'd fit. The Flames with Morgan Frost. Even the Leafs, it would be surprising but who knows, with a new GM maybe Matthews or Tavares could be dealt.

However, my main suspicion is that we're already thinking about Michael Hage and the 2nd C spot is almost already his. He's got everything we need. He's way speedier than Suzuki. He's got a good compete and at the WJC was one of the more consistent player. Lots of skills. Unless we're looking to trade him for someone like Robert Thomas or Nico Hischier, this isn't happening. I'm not even sure it would be happening with these guys! If we're looking at the Blues threads, a bunch of people seemed to have been disapointed in Thomas seasons. And Hischier doesn't fit the bill for us as much as what Hage could become (which we'll have to find out). So yeah, in my books, Hage is not being traded.

RD: We won't make a move because Reinbacher is coming. He'll be given every opportunity to make his way as a good NHL defenseman. We won't trade Dobson, duh, and Carrier will also stay.

Top 6 W: Lots of options. Kyrou's name keeps coming back. Knies isn't going to be traded, we can forget it already. Buchnevich could be interesting, would probably be interesting for him to play with Demidov too. Blake Coleman would be very interesting to get, I wish we'd went with a guy like Sherwood while we had the chance but Coleman would fit the bill. I'm not really big on Debrusk as an option, 40-50 pts player, would be a lateral move. Vegas and Colorado are the teams closests to the Cap, something could be done. Maybe Barbashev or Hertl, they would certainly be able to help our team. Could we try to get Lehkonen back? Maybe a guy like Nicolas Roy for the bottom 6. I'm also intrigued to see if they'll bring in some more obscure players. We saw how guys like Dominic James and Eric Robinson played against us. Speedy, hard nosed. There's a fair chance we'll be looking at these types of players for next year.

Current players that might leave : If we end up needing the cap space, Gallagher might be bought out. But I think we'll wait to see what happens, because he could be the 13th/14th forward next year still. He's always been a Hab and I don't think he'll get any interest from teams around the league, so he'd probably accept his role. I think all our RFAs are going to be back, even for Kirby Dach. I think they'll trade to find a deal for guys on the bottom 6 who might push Dach out, but if we end up having a tough time finding a trade partner, Dach might stay. Florian Xhekaj needs at the very least another year in the AHL. Beck is probably the 13th forward next year, he could be one of those James/Robinson type of player, so he'll get his shot. In my opinion, Belzile is an able 4th liner (assuming we resign him, which is likely). If we end up both losing Dach and not getting any help through UFA/trades, we wouldn't be in a terrible spot.

 

[Le Tricolore]

Fantilli, Carlsson, Bedard...

I mean, Bedard would be an okay 2C.

 

[Le Tricolore]

I'll copy/paste my response from another thread and add to it.

For centermans : I think the Preds are a possible trade partner. Ryan O'Reilly could be a great player to target. The Rangers too with Trocheck. The Isles with Horvat / Barzal. The Canucks with Pettersson, but that's a terrible, terrible contract and not sure he'd fit. The Flames with Morgan Frost. Even the Leafs, it would be surprising but who knows, with a new GM maybe Matthews or Tavares could be dealt.

However, my main suspicion is that we're already thinking about Michael Hage and the 2nd C spot is almost already his. He's got everything we need. He's way speedier than Suzuki. He's got a good compete and at the WJC was one of the more consistent player. Lots of skills. Unless we're looking to trade him for someone like Robert Thomas or Nico Hischier, this isn't happening. I'm not even sure it would be happening with these guys! If we're looking at the Blues threads, a bunch of people seemed to have been disapointed in Thomas seasons. And Hischier doesn't fit the bill for us as much as what Hage could become (which we'll have to find out). So yeah, in my books, Hage is not being traded.

RD: We won't make a move because Reinbacher is coming. He'll be given every opportunity to make his way as a good NHL defenseman. We won't trade Dobson, duh, and Carrier will also stay.

Top 6 W: Lots of options. Kyrou's name keeps coming back. Knies isn't going to be traded, we can forget it already. Buchnevich could be interesting, would probably be interesting for him to play with Demidov too. Blake Coleman would be very interesting to get, I wish we'd went with a guy like Sherwood while we had the chance but Coleman would fit the bill. I'm not really big on Debrusk as an option, 40-50 pts player, would be a lateral move. Vegas and Colorado are the teams closests to the Cap, something could be done. Maybe Barbashev or Hertl, they would certainly be able to help our team. Could we try to get Lehkonen back? Maybe a guy like Nicolas Roy for the bottom 6. I'm also intrigued to see if they'll bring in some more obscure players. We saw how guys like Dominic James and Eric Robinson played against us. Speedy, hard nosed. There's a fair chance we'll be looking at these types of players for next year.

Current players that might leave : If we end up needing the cap space, Gallagher might be bought out. But I think we'll wait to see what happens, because he could be the 13th/14th forward next year still. He's always been a Hab and I don't think he'll get any interest from teams around the league, so he'd probably accept his role. I think all our RFAs are going to be back, even for Kirby Dach. I think they'll trade to find a deal for guys on the bottom 6 who might push Dach out, but if we end up having a tough time finding a trade partner, Dach might stay. Florian Xhekaj needs at the very least another year in the AHL. Beck is probably the 13th forward next year, he could be one of those James/Robinson type of player, so he'll get his shot. In my opinion, Belzile is an able 4th liner (assuming we resign him, which is likely). If we end up both losing Dach and not getting any help through UFA/trades, we wouldn't be in a terrible spot.

It's honestly a little bit of a shame that Hage didn't turn pro. I 100% get it, but it would have been nice to see him playing to know how far away he is from being an impact player.

 

[Bolduc of Hazzard]

Every attemp by the Avs to fix their 2C problem failed.

Kadri, Nelson, Roy cost: Max Curran, Victor Olofsson, conditional round 2 pick in the 2027 draft and conditional round 1 pick in the 2028 draft, Calum Ritchie, Oliver Kylington, conditional round 1 pick in the 2026 draft and conditional round 3 pick in the 2027 draft, conditional round 5 pick in the 2026 draft and conditional round 1 pick in the 2027 draft

Result: swept in the WCF

 

[A55P2]

It's honestly a little bit of a shame that Hage didn't turn pro. I 100% get it, but it would have been nice to see him playing to know how far away he is from being an impact player.

It's a shame for next season, but maybe for the best in the long run. The thing that's annoying is that now we'll either have to pay a decent amount to find a center or recycling the same ones we have now, which we know doesn't work. Still if we get a guy like Trocheck, we could use him even when Hage comes and even ease out the transition. So not a total loss.

 

[Le Tricolore]

It's a shame for next season, but maybe for the best in the long run. The thing that's annoying is that now we'll either have to pay a decent amount to find a center or recycling the same ones we have now, which we know doesn't work. Still if we get a guy like Trocheck, we could use him even when Hage comes and even ease out the transition. So not a total loss.

oh, 100%. I'm just selfish and impatient and want my new toy nowwwwwwwwwwwww.

 

[sbhatt]

Waiting on Hage is not a great option: he's likely 1.5-2 seasons away from playing in the NHL now that he's decided to go back to school. And that's playing as a rookie...we need a legitimate impact 2C now. Hage could be 3-4 seasons away from being that, if ever. I'd trade Hage as part of a package for a quality 2C in a heartbeat, without even blinking.

 

[scrubadam]

Even Hage knows he is not the guy. He stayed an extra year in the NCAA because he knows he is not good enough. I don't know if one more year in college is going to turn him into a 60+ point 2C that can handle the rigours of an 84 game schedule and then 4 rounds of insane gruelling playoffs where you have to play the best teams in the league.
And yes he has looked good but we are not talking about a guy taken 1st or 2nd or 5th overall. HE was taken late in the 1st where you can get a steal but its rare.
If habs want something of value he is really the only non roster piece they have so you KH is going to have to trade him.

 

[Erika Zharovsky]

He would be cheap because he is not a guy who raises his game in the playoffs.

Yes indeed.
If PLD was flawless, he wouldn't go for cheap obviously.

 

[scrubadam]

Waiting on Hage is not a great option: he's likely 1.5-2 seasons away from playing in the NHL now that he's decided to go back to school. And that's playing as a rookie...we need a legitimate impact 2C now. Hage could be 3-4 seasons away from being that, if ever. I'd trade Hage as part of a package for a quality 2C in a heartbeat, without even blinking.

Kap couldn't make the line up with 0 points and Demidov had a decent series against BUF but was pretty much invisible outside of that. But fans expect Hage to come in during his Rookie year and anchor the second line and be close to PPG as a 2C.
Ya he is at least 2 or 3 playoff runs from establishing himself if ever.
If teams still want him you move him for a legit player.

 

[A55P2]

Even Hage knows he is not the guy. He stayed an extra year in the NCAA because he knows he is not good enough. I don't know if one more year in college is going to turn him into a 60+ point 2C that can handle the rigours of an 84 game schedule and then 4 rounds of insane gruelling playoffs where you have to play the best teams in the league.
And yes he has looked good but we are not talking about a guy taken 1st or 2nd or 5th overall. HE was taken late in the 1st where you can get a steal but its rare.
If habs want something of value he is really the only non roster piece they have so you KH is going to have to trade him.

I really don't think that's the reason why he stayed in the NCAA. He's still developing, but he's shown lots of promises so far. Taking his time is possibly a very wise decision, not a sign of him being unable.

Also I don't expect him to "anchor the second line and be close to PPG as a 2C." at all. I think he'd have a similar season to what Kapanen did this year, possibly a bit better 40-45 pts. But I think his play wouldn't fall of a cliff as much as what we saw with Kapanen these playoffs. Hage should be more consistent, but we'll see.