The problem I have with trading Pacioretty for a center is that we are all looking for that elusive top 6 center, who on our team may turn out to be the the equivalent of a top line center. Furthermore, we are looking for an offensive centerman who could balance the team out based on an apparent abundance of wingers. The issue is that our coaching staff would prefer our top line center to be just as defensively responsible as offensively. We’ve seen that with Galchenyuk and Drouin.
I have only a shadow of a doubt that had we not been through years of this with Galchenyuk already, his skill set is competent for a top 6 center, especially on a team that needs one.
We could effectively end up trading Pacioretty for a prospect centerman who turns out to be no more effective defensively than Galchenyuk. What’s the point?
Even in Boston, Bergeron has been a Selke candidate or winner, year after year. While he has scored 30 goals in the past, Bergeron seems to be finding even more offense this season now that Julien is gone.
It worries me that expectations from a center acquired for Pacioretty won’t be fully realized on this team. We can claim that we have an abundance of wingers, but we also could have been a team with a skilled Galchenyuk as our first line center.
My thought is that any bonafide center who comes in a return, unless it were a Tavares or a Thornton (neither of which would happen), will have the main focus of Julien be to hone in on their defensive game. If it is a young center prospect in return, the trade has potential to be a disaster as we’ve seen what has happened to Drouin and more specifically Galchenyuk during Julien’s “training” routine.
Of course, if we simply trade Pacioretty for something that also involves a solid defenseman or defensive prospect in return, the idea becomes a little more refreshing. I simply am not convinced that any center prospect we trade Pacioretty for would turn out to be much different than some of the skilled centermen we already have on the team, even though they aren’t used as such.
Galchenyuk is still listed as a center in many places and Drouin and Galchenyuk were both drafted 3rd overall. What traded prospect is going to have more potential?