To me, this team is way worst then it currently is.

agreed
first 2 trades were unnecessary

ARZ trade could work but needs re-structured so its not just a yard sale feel to the trade.
Fischer should only be brought in if its to play with Domi on his wing again .
both fell off when new management arrived and both needed a change of scenary
Fischer's a reliable goal scorer on a garbage team but put him next to Domi in our System and i think he improves .

Connor could be a good fit to and worth the risk .

It's the prototypical Mtl formula.
French Out <= French In.

2 French names Out
2 French names In.
2 years of Danault > 1 year of Eakin
Lehk > Carrier
Roy > Hudon
Picks to balance.

Why are you both offersheeting (a move to win now) and trading good players for firsts (a move to win later).

This feels like odd treadmill moves

Team's not finished though - need to bring up Caufield, Poehling and Suzuki full time.
The idea is to flip Eakin and Boedk. at the TDL for more picks.

Because they're missing a #1LW - Connor, and can afford to spare the picks for him now.
WPG cannot match this and keep Laine.

We're trading assets that we'll lose in 1-2 years to re-cooperate these losses.

until we know if Suzuki's going to be developed as a RW or Center i wouldnt move Danault
even then i wouldnt move him until Olofsson , Ikonen or Evans takes his spot by earning one in camp .

IMO there's more to be made from doing as we did with Byron , offering him a deal early for 500-750k less then he coulda got on the open market on a 3-5 year deal then trade him 2-3 seasons in for a premium . Danault wont leave , anywhere he goes he'll be a 3rd line Center but in MTL because of the way Claude Julien distributes minutes he'll be a top 6 center for years to come as long as Gallaghers here anyways .

moving Tatar makes sense as we got him as a part of the Pacioretty trade that's already yielded Suzuki,Norlinder and Leguerrier .
moving Tatar for a profit just makes Pacioretty's return way bigger then anyone would have anticipated coming off an down season
(especially if you're bringing in a LW like Connor you've committed to not re-signing Tatar anyways where as Danault still has work to do and value to gain for a higher payout )

Petry makes sense to move with Juulsen and Fleury playing well since turning Pro and Brook ready to turn pro our depth seems surprisingly deep but this is before we even consider Harris who is our Franchise Goalie Prospect Cayden Primeau's Stay at home D 2 years in NCAA helping him go top 10 as a rookie and #1 goalie overall as a Sophmore so he's sure to make a case for a NHL job in 2-3 years so holding back Juulsen at this point is just reckless of MTL after busting Beaulieu and Tinordi

Keeping Armia and Lehkonen both will force us to move one out when Suzuki arrives
i like the concept but i think people keep trying to move Danault forgetting we arent a top 6 vs bottom 6 system
we're a top 9 and 4th line system where even the 4th line is getting 12-14 minutes on average as they're expected to Kill Penalties or are replaced with those who do . (Claude likes having skill/grit on 4th so when injuries happen he can rely on them more until the call up settles into his top 9 role like Seguin in for the Horton injury in 2011 Playoffs where the Merlot line came in key in the conference and stanley cup final ). moving Lehkonen makes more sense then moving Armia but moving Danault makes no sense at all until a 3rd Center shows up and IMO Suzuki's needed more as a RW then a Center in shaw's absence

I just think one of Poehling, Suzuki, Evans or ? can take over a 4th line exploit role as a C.
Eakin's line could take Danault's difficult minutes, so you're still running the Top 9 + Checking line Julien loves.

Danault is a top 10 faceoff Center in the league and MTL's best defensive Penalty Kill Center since Plekanec .
Claude Juliens high on him comparing him to the early days when he found Bergeron playing on Savards LW and moved him to the middle grooming him to be a top line Center . Maybe we dont get as high of a return as we'd like but a piece with value should atleast be included or there's more value in keeping him and letting him walk for nothing as the best you got was a 1st that will be 25th-31st pick

Danault is best off at 3rd Center because he plays top Penalty Kill and Top Power Play which is a lot of minutes for him to handle in just 2 years as a full time Center in which time he's played top line 3/4 of the time first as Pacioretty's Center then as Gallaghers in year 2 . Danaults the guy that makes those around him better and ideally who you want Drouin-Gallagher staying with long term


i get you hate Danault but atleast get a player who isnt a career journeyman and a poor man's Lars Eller .
if we're going to down grade to a lesser player they should atleast be younger with a higher potential upside like Wennberg for example would be a perfect young player to swap .
CBJ struggle so hard with Faceoffs having a guy like Danault who can take 30-40# of the teams faceoffs by himself and win at 55% win rate combined with Dubinsky makes them a dominant possession team come the playoffs .

Don't hate Danault - just feels like a movable piece at this point, along with Petry, Byron, Tatar, etc...
Not really part of the long-term plans, and return the most value with 2+ years left.

I want to flip Eakin (retained) again for 2nd + 3rd, so the return is:
Late 1st
Carrier (late 2nd)
Roy (late 2nd/early 3rd)
Eakin (then) 2020 2nd+ 2021 3rd+

seeing it like that does make more sense but still selling low
top 10 faceoff centers in the league genrally consist of the same 5-7 names with 3-5 players cycling in from 10-20th into the top 10 here and there .
Danault came from the mid 40's early 50's to top 10 at age 25

Danault for 1st , three 2nds and two 3rds is bareable short term just because it guarantee's no playoffs for MTL for 1-2 years minimum as Domi,Kotkanemi or likely Poehling would win above 50% rate if forced to take the difficult Defensive Zone Draws more . if we had brought in a Winger capable of taking 1000+ faceoffs at a decent wing rate similar to how AA played with Dylan Strome last year or Shaw with Domi then this trade begins to make perfect sense swapping out a Center for someone who can help a young Center carry the load on faceoffs . (Shaw , Eller , and Tyler Johnson are probably some of the most dominant wingers who help young Centers make the jump to playing there at the NHL level ,all able to play Center in their own rights but make those around them better )

but if you could turn one of those picks into lets say Ryan Strome to play along side Kotkanemi or Poehling at a cheap rate then it would make more sense or even a Tyler Johnson who fits our system perfectly and is on a team i need of moving 5-6m to lock up Point . it would be an upgrade on Danault as outside Kucherov he's the most dominant point producer in the post season the last 5 years because he's never injured and steps up thriving when Stamkos is each time . (giving you a really cheap example and a more costly one )

but either way picks is an alright way to go , we will lose the season but win the Draft stocking our depth with more youth .

I agree that losing Danault would suck.
Instead of looking for a long term fix, I'd go more short-term as stopgaps until one of the younger players are ready to step into their roles.

Maybe go after someone Brian Boyle or Brassard for a 1-Year deal (and flip them @ the TDL for extra assets as a bonus). I think the upcoming core will fill existing holes if the team can be patient and re-build properly with their current Top-5 pool.

Another option is use Danault to upgrade and get Domi a Real Center today then use Poehling on 3rd , PP2 and PK1.
Let Poehling become the 3rd line shutdown Center for the next 2-3 years then trade whatever Center you acquire.

Danaults 3m cap for 2 years is highly appealing to a lot of Cash Strapped teams from TBL , STL ,CGY,CHI,NSH ,DAL and NYR for example .
CGY's Backlund would be ideal in a deal for Danault . CGY gets to clear 2.3m for 2 years and 5.3m for 3 years by moving out Backlund for Danault who's a better faceoff Center .
CGY will pay to get a Center 4 years younger who produce's at the same pace as Backlund for 2.3m less as this now gives them 10m this year for Tkchuck with enough cap to offer him 7-8 year term today.

Backlunds 30 and his main value is as a goal scoring back checker with great hockey IQ especially in defensive situations .
his contracts 5 years at 5.3m which isnt ideal but the way i figure it is in between Domi -Backlund -Gallagher he's gonna be the playmaker they can rely on.
We could easily get a 1st and a Conditional 2nd requiring Danault to re-sign or it becomes lets say a 5th

CGY gets younger , Get Tkachuk locked up and prepares for a playoff run as at this point all they need to do is pick up a LD at the TDL and they're set without Tkachuk missing a game .

i know it sounds crazy but we could get a good 3 years out of Backlund , having a playmaker who can set up shop in the OZ doesnt require him to be fast to keep up as he quarter backs the play.
Danault fits CGY needs as they need a Defensive Center who just 26 who can play with CGY three 24 year old Centers for years to come .

Backlund gives Domi the Center he needs to get 30 + goals with Gallagher likely able to push 35-40 because he can set up shop instead of heading to the corners digging pucks out as thats the beaut of Backlund working out of the NZ .When Poehlings ready to dominate top 6 head to head vs some of the leagues best in lets say 2022-21 training camp we'll retain on Backlund who hopefully will have increased his value between Domi-Gallagher increasing our profit ontop of the picks we got for helping CGY with their cap issues so they can lock up Tkachuk before the season starts .