I'd expect MIN to throw something else in there. The base is good if you're looking for a C, as Coyle can hold his own there. But as it stands, it's a loss for MTL.

What about no retention and we take on Ennis' contract + a pick?

What motivation does Minny have for making the trade? It's a lateral move, but takes away the only RHS FWD they have.

Coyle is a fine 3C/top-6 RW, but he's a long ways from being even a passable 1C. When he's on he's a really good player, but he pulls disappearing acts for a month+ at a time. MTL would be better off looking elsewhere for a top-6 center.

I think you're saying Montreal should get more, and I'd agree. I see this as an overpayment, but the way you worded that sounds contradictory.



I considered that, but it's only one season as opposed to equalizing the contract for the entire term. Wild are tight on space. We don't really have a place for Ennis either. He'd just take ice time from other players.
Buying him out is an option as well, it's all the same from the Habs' perspective, but doesn't help the wild as much.

We almost traded for Galchenyuk this summer before the expansion draft but backed out after doing some background work on him. I don't know what it was but something made our front office do a complete 180 on him. I love Galchenyuk and would want him but I don't see a trade being made.

As for value (ignoring real life issues), I would say it's ok for us but Coyle doesn't fill the hole you're looking to fill. Neither Coyle or Granlund (the two most popular MIN-MTL trade targets on here) would work as your 1C or probably your 2C long term. I wouldn't say either team wins but neither necessarily lose. They basically just swap spots.

Yeah I meant "I expect MIN to throw something else in there". My bad; three-letter abbreviations that start with M for the win

Galchenyuk is the more productive player. It's an upgrade for them. If Montreal is desparate enough to offer him for a not even passable 1C, wouldn't it be silly to decline?
I do agree there are better options, but not many that haven't been explored. Haven't seen this idea yet, so it's something different perhaps.

The idea is that Coyle can be a 1C with a new opportunity, or at least a 2C, in which case Montreal could go after one of the several 2019 UFA options for 1C.

I wouldn't be surprised if Galchenyuk had some off ice issues, given how roughly he's been treated in Montreal, but that's not unusual for players in their early 20s that need to do some maturing. It hasn't been obvious on the ice at least.

As for Coyle, I recognize he may not be the best option, but I am surprised to see Wild fans having a low opinion of him. Perhaps I'm expecting too much from him, and offering a lesser deal would be better for both parties.

Yup. I know there was a rumor about him going to rehab floating around at one point. Not good. At least it's not an issue at the rink though like Setoguchi. He admitted to needing a sixer to be able to step on the ice most nights.

The thing with Coyle is that he's either dominant or somewhat frustrating. When he's on, he's an absolute monster. We've speculated that part of his issue has been a lack of consistency (much like Galchenyuk) in where they want him to play (C/W) or what role they want him in. Power forwards take time to grow into their bodies and Coyle has shown flashes of being an absolute beast. He just needs to be more consistent and he'll be a stud. The reason most people are down on him is mainly his how he sometimes just disappears. He's also on a very affordable deal and not producing as much as Zucker, Granlund, Nino, etc so it's easy to get down on him comparatively because he's the most likely to be traded of our young forwards.

For the most part we're just trying to give you our fair/honest assessment of Coyle, not that we necessarily a low opinion of him.

Maybe the wrong choice of words, but I appreciate the assessments.