Looking at the Habs line-up, it's obvious they have many holes to fill. Some of them will eventually be addressed by natural progression of our young players. Owen Beck, Riley Kidney, Sean Farrell, Joshua Roy, Filip Mesar, Emil Heineman, Oliver Kapanen, Jan Mysak, Luke Tuch, Vinzenz Rohrer, Cedrick Guindon, Rhett Pitlick, Lane Hutson, Logan Mailloux, Jayden Struble, Nicolas Beaudin, Adam Engstrom, Dmitri Kostenko, Jakub Dobes...those are just some of the names that could eventually get a shot at making the team, down the road. But is that gonna be enough to support what's shaping up to be the core of this team: Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Kirby Dach, Juraj Slafkovsky, Kaiden Guhle and Justin Barron ? Are Jordan Harris and Arber Xhekaj part of that core ? Maybe...maybe not.
Montreal has two 1st round picks in the upcoming 2023 NHL Draft, including one in the Top-5 that could bring them a very talented player. It's pretty much a given that Bedard and Fantilli will go #1 and #2 to Chicago and Anaheim. We know Columbus is gonna go after one of Carlsson or Smith, leaving San Jose as the true wildcard. Are they gonna go the safer route, claiming the other center left behind by Columbus...or will they gamble on Matvei Michkov ? And where does that leave the Habs ?
There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that Montreal would pick Will Smith should he fall at #5. There's a strong connection between Hughes and him, he's a concensus Top-5 pick on most lists...and, although his defensive play isn't great, picturing him playing with Cole Caufield is just too much of a dream to pass him up. But the reality is...it'll probably be Michkov. And based on talent alone, that could be an even better fit, especially considering Montreal's depth at RW (assuming Caufield keeps playing LW like he did this past season). Sure, having him and Caufield in the Top-6 would bring down the size and weight of Montreal's offense, but at the end of the day...talent is talent. Unfortunately, that talent may come with some international issues that Hughes and the Canadiens may not be entirely comfortable to deal with. A choice is gonna have to be made; take the highly talented russian, or pass on him to select the next guy you like.
Sure, adding a Ryan Leonard, a Dalibor Dvorsky or even a David Reinbacher to the prospect pool would be nice. But it would also come with a bit of an aftertaste to use the 5th overall pick on one of them. And with still so many holes to fill, could there be an opportunity here for the Habs to use that 5th overall pick to kill many, if not all, of those birds with only one stone ? Lets find out...
In my estimation, the Habs have 4 needs to fill before they can even think about competing in the Northeast division;
• They need to add at least TWO Top-6 forwards.
• They need to add ONE Top-4 right-handed defenseman.
• They need to find their starting goaltender for the seasons to come.
And every single one of those needs would need to be filled with players between the age of 20 and 26, to fit their current window.
Alright, lets go !
(Additionnal note: This is really just for fun. I wanted to see if there was a way to do it, trying to come up with good value trades for both sides. But I don't expect MTL to go that route at all, as they should keep building the roster, not trying to jump ahead too fast).
• MTL trades out of the Michkov's dilemma, splitting their highly coveted #5 pick into two 1st rounders, at #9 and #17. Value is a bit higher than what the pick chart would recommend here, but #5 usually don't offer a player of Michkov's caliber...who, based on talent, would probably rank 2nd in this year's draft.
DET
Choix de 1e ronde en 2023 (MTL)
Détails additionnels:
• DET trades up to #5, adding Matvei Michkov to an already impressive collection of young talent. So much so that the Red Wings would still be trenting upwards in the next few years, as they wait for Michkov to come over, with the progression of their young players already on the team and the eventual additions of Soderblom, Edvinsson, Johansson, Cossa, etc.
• MTL trades back once again, from #9 to #22, acquiring right-handed puck-moving defenseman, Adam Boqvist, in the process. At only 22 years of age, and under a very cap friendly contract at $2.6m per for the next two seasons, Boqvist fits perfectly in what the Habs are currently building, and fills a very important need on the right side of the defense.
CBJ
Choix de 1e ronde en 2023 (DET)
Détails additionnels:
• CBJ trades back up in the Top-10, acquiring DET 2023 1st round pick (9th overall), with a legit chance to add one of Zach Benson, Ryan Leonard, Dalibor Dvorsky, Oliver Moore, David Reinbacher or whoever else they like to their selectio of Leo Carlsson / Will Smith at #3.
• MTL fulfills a second of their needs, acquiring one of their own in winger Alexis Lafreniere. The former 2020 1st overall pick hasn't quite live up to everyone's expectations thus far, at least production-wise, and may never become the offensive wizard many anticipated, but there's still intriguing upside and untapped potential here. Upon confirmation of the deal, Lafreniere would sign a 3-year deal at $3.85m per, making it similar to the contract Kirby Dach signed last summer.
• NYR trades up from #23 to #17, where they chould have a legit chance at one of Gabe Perreault, Brayden Yager, Colby Barlow, Andrew Cristall. They also add two low-cost players in the process, in the form of Jesse Ylonen and Jordan Harris. Ylonen, who showed better production-per-60 than Lafreniere last season, would slot right into Lafreniere's spot, alongside Chytil and Kakko, while Harris would provide depth on the left side of NYR defense, behind Miller and Lindgren, as a mobile two-way defenseman, who's also comfortable playing on the right side.
• MTL adds an important piece to their core, acquiring Carter Hart. The 24-year-old netminder went through many ups-and-downs since joining the NHL in 2018-19, but would instantly solidify the goaltending position in Montreal. Set to become a RFA at the end of the 2023-24 season, Hart would not only fit the Habs timeline perfectly, his record in the NHL thus far makes it hard for him to ask for "star" money...something the Habs, who aren't keen on paying a goalie $10.5m per year anymore, are sure interested in.
• PHI trades back in the 1st round, acquiring LA 2023 1st round pick (22nd overall), where they could have a legit shot at players such as Riley Heidt, Quentin Musty, Ethan Gauthier, Danil But, Tom Wallinder, Dmitri Simashev, etc. They also add three young pieces, that should fit right into their classic style, for their rebuild: a power forward winger in Luke Tuch, a tenacious forechecking sniper center in Jan Mysak, and a two-way defenseman in Adam Engstrom. Finally, they also add a veteran netminder to fill in for Hart, and act as a mentor for PHI young goaltenders for a couple of years, in Jake Allen. PHI could keep him around and/or flip him later for more assets at the deadline.
• MTL finally fills the last of their four needs, acquiring Quebec-born and former 2016 3rd overall pick, Pierre-Luc Dubois. The 6'4, 214 lbs forward gives MTL a lot of flexibility upfront, as Kirby Dach (right-handed) and Dubois (left-handed) can both be used at center or wing, depending on the situation. Upon confirmation of the deal, Dubois would sign a 7-year deal at $7.85m per, making it similar to Suzuki's contract, confirming Dubois as part of the core for the foreseeable future.
• WPG makes the best out of a bad situation, acquiring a 1st round pick (23rd overall) to help their upcoming rebuild / retool. They also add two usefull middle-six veterans, in Christian Dvorak and Joel Armia, to fill their roster and bring leadership on the ice and in the lockeroom, while management finalize their roster. Both players could also be used as trade deadline assets for good return, helped in part by MTL retention on Armia, bringing in AAV down to $2.0m per. And finally, they add a very good young playmaking two-way center in Riley Kidney, who's just coming off a remarkable season in the QMJHL, amassing 28 goals and 110 points in only 60 games.
6.
MTL
• At this point, MTL would've turned the 5th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft into Pierre-Luc Dubois, Alexis Lafreniere, Adam Boqvist and Carter Hart, using Christian Dvorak, Joel Armia, Jesse Ylonen, Riley Kidney, Jan Mysak, Luke Tuch, Jordan Harris, Adam Engstrom and Jake Allen as side piece to the deals.
The Habs still have FLA's 2023 1st (29th overall), MTL's 2023 2nd (37th overall), and CGY's 2024 1st (Top-19 protected). They're left with two retention spots for future trades, and also kept most of their good young prospects in Owen Beck, Sean Farrell, Joshua Roy, Emil Heineman, Filip Mesar, Oliver Kapanen, Vinzenz Rohrer, Logan Mailloux, Lane Hutson, Jayden Struble, Nicolas Beaudin and Jakub Dobes.
All they need to do from then, is to acquire depth for the extra assets they have left...
• MTL gets a one-year ticket to evaluation Anthony Mantha, and see if he could fit into the team's plan moving forward, hoping chemistry could develop between Dubois, Lafreniere and him on the second line. The addition of Mantha also serves as a shield to Slafkovsky, who's given one more year to develop before being used as a permanent Top-6 forward.
• WSH is moving on from Mantha, replacing him in their line-up by another inconsistant, but younger and cheaper winger in Denis Gurianov. WSH also adds a young-ish left-handed puck moving defenseman to provide low-cost depth behind Sandin, Fehervary, and Alexeyev as a 7th defenseman. Norlinder is also very comfortable playing RD, giving WSH some flexibility on that front. In the process, WSH saves over $1.6m in capspace, including Mantha's retention, while also filling one more spot on their 23-men roster.
• DAL cuts some salaries, acquiring a very versatile forward, who showed he could chip-in offensively in sequence when used in a more offensive role. Pitlick can play all three forwards position, giving DAL some flexibility on that front.
9.
MTL
Choix de 3e ronde en 2024 (VGK)
Détails additionnels:
• Montreal finds a nice spot for Edmundson, where he can provide some toughness in front of the net, as an experienced veteran defenseman in the playoffs.
WPG says "NO". No more old slow guys that don't help the team for a #1 Center. They will trade Dubois at the Trade Deadline to TOR or BOS for much better and bleep the Habs.
McDavid, Connor
250 000 $)
AmeriCanadian et ohmyjlord a aimé ceci.
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