Quoting: Shinsei_Leafs
If you think that losing Monahan makes your team better and you think that the players coming back making your team better Then i hope it happends. I look forward to watching the Flames miss the playoffs for a long time. You put Backlund on the leafs and hes a 3rd line Centre....like most good teams. But on the Flames he is 2nd Cause there is no one better. Ryan and Gawdin meh....Fringe NHL players. You will be lucky to make the playoffs with the you have....and the Canadian Division is just ok.....Scary to think where this team would be if things were normal. You wanna make a trade so bad trade Johnny.....Cheers. =)
Backlund is better as a 3rd line center, like Danault, and still he's/was the number one centerman for the Habs. This team doesn't work right now, it's not normal to be destroyed by the Sens (right now, lets talk again in a couple of years), Bennett is not a good centerman, Lindholm is the number one center on the team. He needs to play with Johnny. IMO one got to go, Johnny or Monahan, you got to shake the core. If Gaudreau wants to stay, then Gaudreau is the one that we got to keep. Building around him Lindholm and Chucky. (at forward)
Zary's gonna be a great replacement for Backlund sooner than later. Ryan is a solid fourth line center, but is contract is way too much.
Rakell would be a great add, right handed shot, things that we don't have. With Gaudreau feeding him the puck he would go back to 30 goals a year. Plus the things that we need the most, is a right handed d-man. Manson would be a great fit. Max Jones can't do worst than Bennett is right now.
If we trade Monahan, the depth chart at center look like this:
Lindholm
Backlund
Dube can play center too
Ryan
Gawdin/Froese/Ruzicka
Zary
Emilio-Petterson
not that bad. You could say yes but look at other teams in the division, Edmonton got McDavid, Draisatl, Turris, but we got better wingers.
Anyways, something need to happen lol