In the offseason Avs resign Saad and let Tatar walk, replacing him with Newhook. Compher to Seattle.

2021/22 roster:

Landeskog ----- Mackinnon ---- Rantanen
Newhook ---------- Kadri --------- Saad
Nichuskin -------- Danault ------ Donskoi
Bowers/Kaut ------ Jost ---------- O'Connor

Toews - Makar
Byram - Girard
Graves - Johnson

Grubauer
Francouz

id take it tbh. im REALLY HIGH on Bura. hes fantastic and yougn. thx

I'd prefer to keep Bura and let Saad walk personally
I don't think the Avs need nor should have a 3C making low 2C money either

Montreal maybe also wants a center replacement but trade looks good, we don't exactly need Timmins though

Ideally Colorado could just keep Burakovsky and do Timmins + 1st for Danault. But I think Montreal could want a little more than that to get it done, hence Burakovsky.

As for Danault making 2C money, yes that isn't ideal, but I think it's affordable given that we have Mackinnon and Kadri on great deals and Newhook on an ELC; not to mention the good deals for Toews/Girard and Byram on an ELC. Avs would simply need to ensure that Danault doesn't have a full NTC beyond 2023 to keep some options open.

Avs can include Compher in the trade so Montreal get a replacement C. In fact there might need to be a contract going Montreal's way or some retention in order to make the money balance a bit more to make it feasible for Colorado.

So maybe Danault+Tatar for 1st, Burakovsky and Compher/Jost or two lesser value pieces

I'm high on Timmins, Weber will decline in the next 2 years

We could use him yes but we don't exactly need him as Petry and Weber have at least 4 more years on their contracts and we have Fleury and Brook. Plus Mete could also play right d

Fleury is a 5th or 6th defence, I don't think Brook will be an NHLer, Isaw him in Laval last year and it wasn't nice... Mete same thing that Fleury, Weber will be reliable for the next two years, when the game is fast, it's already tough for him to follow...

habs take this and run. bura is better than danault and timmins plus a 1st is overkill for tatar

I'd say, overall, this isn't a bad plan in terms of how things would work moving forward both with money and with how the top two lines would shape up. I also think you've hit on something important here: Bura is probably not going to be retained beyond next season anyhow. I just get the sense that, had it been offered to him, he would have signed a four-year deal but that wasn't what the Avs wanted; what they really seem to want is flexibility. And it fixes the 3C problem now and next season, too: you can put Danault or Naz there and feel really good about that either way. Have three lines with strong centers would create serious matchup nightmares for anyone. Then, when Naz expires, you can put Newhook into the 3C slot for a year or two while he gets up to full-strength and gains experience.

I do like the suggestion of Bura, Compher a 1st and maybe another decent prospect for Tatar and Danault. Clearly, the Avs need as much defensive depth as they can get, MTL doesn't need him and he could be a relatively inexpensive 4-6 guy for years to come.

Danault (extended) + Tatar for 1st + Burakovsky + Compher is a deal I'd do, would even include another mid round pick or prospect too if needed.

Weber won't be a top 4 Dman forever. Having Timmins in line to replace him as Weber moves down the lineup would be a perfect succession plan. Neither Fleury, Brook, or Mete have top 4 ability like Timmins.

Burakovsky might be more prolific than Danault, but centers are generally more valuable than wingers, especially when you're talking about one of the best defensive centers in the league.

I see the trade more as Timmins + 1st for Danault extended - which is very similar to the Pageau trade (1st + 2nd + 3rd), and then swapping Burakovsky for Tatar. Avs get Danault who is the centerpiece here, and then make a slight downgrade from Burakovsky to Tatar, though that downgrade also allows them to resign Saad which offsets the downgrade a bit.

Yeah I think most fans would have been really happy to have Burakovsky locked in at around $5m for 4 years. But Sakic was quite prudent in only giving 2 years. Going short-term with anyone outside of the core seems like a smart strategy, so as to limit the risk of getting stuck with bad contracts. 2nd line wingers are also relatively easy to find and acquire via trade, certainly moreso than top 9 centers.

That's my conclusion, too. And with their depth at D, even if they lose Graves to Seattle, they can pretty readily acquire second-line scoring. I could easily see them trading Toews before the last year of his deal for a really good young scorer: they can't afford to keep him beyond this current deal, they'll still have Makar, Girard, Byram and Timmins plus other guys coming in. And Toews is young enough and good enough that he could return some really nice pieces on his own. Having quality depth on D is an incredible asset - Sakic wins again. And if he can parlay it into something like this, he will have unlocked God Mode.

I agree. It seems inevitable that Toews will get moved in 2023 when Byram needs a raise as it'll probably be too much to be paying Byram, Girard, and Toews all north of $4m. Hopefully one of Timmins/Barron/Helleson will be established as a top 4 RHD by then as well.

I would think, at that point, one of those guys will be an obvious fit as Sammy's partner and the other two might even be able to help fill out bottom pair. It sounds like Barron is back on track, Helleson has shown growth (though probably tops out as bottom pair considering his limited offensive abilities) and Timmins is getting valuable playing time - that lost year and half is easy to forget but I think he'll work it out and is doing fine anyhow.

i could live with danault for 1st + timmins if he comes extended and the idea is to make him 2c after kadri is up.

i can't get behind burakovsky for tatar. tatar is a ufa while bura comes with another year. i think bura is better. tatar has historically underperformed in the playoffs. i really don't think he's a good fit for the avs.

You do not say no when someone offers you a high end RD prospect, never.
You do not revert that great asset for a 3C either.

To make everyone happy but also making it look like a NHL21 trade you'd just add Compher and a 2nd or 3rd rounder on Montreal side if you absolutely want him.

Timmins isn't THAT good, and Compher is a 3c right now but he'll be a 2c

I assume you mean Danault, not Compher? Compher is not a 2C.

Are we saying Habs extend Danault at the amount he reputedly already declined and then trade him? Lot of 'ifs and buts' there. He isn't going to be happy if he signs at that and then gets traded to be a 3C, which is exactly what he doesn't want and that adds a potential locker room problem. If he's traded without being extended by the Habs he's unlikely to extend in COL and becomes a rental. Not a trade I'd touch with a ten foot barge pole if I'm Sakic.

Danault turned down $5m x 5 iirc. Montreal don't want to go higher. If Avs offer him $5m or $5.5m x 6 years instead of 5 years that might be enough to tempt him. I mean it's the difference between $25m that Montreal were offering, and $30-33m.