John B

Lots of Leafs fans will be unhappy about that one. I would've done that deal with the Leafs if it were made available to the Habs. Marleau is a good leader and would have been a good mentor for Kotkaniemi (even if it was just for a year). Not sure he would have waived to come to Montreal though.

I'm getting a Scott Walford/Brett Lernout vibe from this pick. Perhaps after the first two swing for the fences picks they decided to go for a safer one. I would of swung for the fences again with Dorofeyev or Kokkonen.

A bit surprised on this one. Especially with Matthew Robertson and Vladislav Kolyachonok still there. Heck Kokkonen went in the 3rd. I thought I read a tweet or rumor prior to the draft that Habs were high on this kid though. I haven't heard much about until about a week ago. Hope it works out.

I like this pick. There was probably a few other guys I would've considered, but this is a good "swing for the fences" kind of pick IMO.

I agree. That's way too much for second liner (maybe an argument could be made that he is a border line 1st liner, but I don't see it). If it's going to be the kind of year where guys are going to get way over paid in free agency (as opposed to just a little over paid), I hope Bergevin steers clear unless he can sign a real long term solution. Even the trades this year seem like over payment. A 2nd and 3rd for Braun? He didn't even hit the 20 point mark. Habs should sign Benn and then flip him for a 2nd plus (I'm aware that Braun is better than Benn, but I would never have given up a 2nd for him let alone a 3rd as well).

Without knowing our exact draft position, and considering all possibilities (including miraculously moving up in the draft lottery if they miss the playoffs or move down if the Habs make the conference finals). These are the guys that I would want in the order that I would prefer. I'm not a scout, nor have I watched these guys play much this year. I'm going by rankings, scouting reports, and other fans' evaluations (not scouts, but fans who have seen these guys play a lot and seem to know what they're talking about) of these players. 1. Jack Hughes C 2. Kaapo Kakko RW 3. Bowen Byram D 4. Alex Turcotte C 5. Vasili Podkolzin RW 6. Kirby Dach C 7. Dylan Cozens C 8. Alex Newhook C 9. Pavel Dorofeyev LW/RW 10. Victor Soderstrom D 11. Trevor Zegras C 12. Matthew Boldy LW 13. Cole Caufield RW/C 14. Philip Broberg D 15. Cam York D 16. Connor McMichael C 17. Peyton Krebs LW/C 18. Bobby Brink RW 19. Ville Heinola D 20. Thomas Harley D 21. Samuel Poulin LW 22. Ryan Suzuki C 23. Arthur Kaliyev LW 24. Raphael Lavoie C/RW 25. Matthew Robertson D 26. Jakob Pelletier RW 27. Mikko Kokkonen D 28. Moritz Seider D 29. Ilya Nikolayev F 30. Kaedan Korczak D 31. Philip Tomasino C So if Hughes is off the board, I go with Kaako, if Kaako is off the board I go with Byram, and so on and so forth.

Struthers is interesting. I've heard some good things about him from people who watch more North Bay games than I have.

Jeff Cox (@JeffCoxSports) tweets that Hurricanes RD prospect Adam Fox is returning to Harvard for his senior year instead of signing with the Canes. He adds, "favors becoming free agent next summer". I don't know who this Jeff Cox guy is, or if the rumor about him testing free agency is true. If it is true, Habs should be on this one next summer. I know they have a lot of depth on RD, but it could allow the team to move RD from the roster or prospect pool to fill a need elsewhere. Unfortunately, having all that depth on RD could be a deterrent for Fox wanting to sign here. I'm sure the Canes are going to get all kinds of low ball offers for him in the offseason. It will be interesting to see if the Canes try to move him or gamble that he changes his mind.

I've thought about this too and I find it hard to really say. I think this off season and next season are crucial to determining what kind of team the Habs are going to be. What direction will Bergevin choose to go? Will he continue to retool and make shrewd moves, or will he try to speed things up and take big gambles? Good asset management is going to be key in the next year. Bergevin is going to have to figure out which vets are going to still be useful in a few years and which ones should be traded now while they still have value (some are at their peak value). He's also going to have to figure out which young players/prospects/picks are expendable to try and make improvements to the team. If there's one thing I've come to learn about Bergevin (or maybe more the organization), is that you never know what to expect. The unexpected fight for a playoff spot this year might have them raising the bar next year. Sometimes teams raise the bar too high and go all in because they think that they are better than what they really are. If your projected lineup is correct, I would have to say no. We are not contenders with that lineup. Probably a playoff team, but that's about it. Just my two cents.

Unfortunately the Habs lost Scherbak, de la Rose, and Agostino on waivers. Those 3 would have helped during the stretch run down in Laval. Lindgren's poor season didn't help matters, nor did the multiple injuries to key guys (Juulsen, McCarron, and even Lindgren himself). At least there is help coming next year. Possibly Poehling, Suzuki, and Brook. If Walford and Tyszka are signed, they should provide some added depth. There's also the possibility of the Habs convincing some other draft picks to sign (Primeau, Ikonen, Romanov, Ylonen, and Olofsson). Maybe 1 or 2 UDFA get signed as well. Jimmy Schuldt would be interesting for sure. There were some of Montreal's top scouting guys at the Rouyn-Noranda - Sherbrooke game recently. Speculation was that they were possibly scouting Samuel Harvey (who was at one of the Habs camps last year), Peter Abbandonato (who currently leads the QMJHL in scoring), and Samuel Poulin (who looks to be a first round candidate for this year's draft). I'm sure they took a peek at Teasdale too while they were there.

I realize trades aren't going to happen until the end of the playoffs now, but what do you guys think about the following trades (roster tinkering type moves). To Florida Jonathan Drouin Charlie Lindgren - Panthers replace most of the lost offense from Huberdeau and get a much less expensive backup (I'm using backup loosely here based on the season Lindgren has had) option. To Montreal Jonathan Huberdeau James Reimer - Habs get a more reliable/consistent top 6 winger and a solid/reliable, but expensive backup. There were rumors around Christmas that Florida had interest in Lindgren and there are rumors floating around now that they are trying to clear cap space to go after Panarin on July 1st. With a lot of fans sounding like they are disappointed in Drouin's recent play, it seems like it might be time to move him before it becomes an issue with the team. Is taking Reimer's bad contract back and giving the Panthers a player that they seemed interested in (Lindgren) enough to offset the difference between Drouin and Huberdeau or do the Habs have to add? To Ottawa Karl Alzner - This doesn't really give the Sens anything except a big cap hit to help them get to the cap floor. I suppose it also gives them an extra contract slot for this year. To Montreal Zack Smith Mike Condon - Both players can be demoted for a greater cap savings as opposed to just demoting Alzner on his own (a little over $2M by demoting both). Smith is a Julien type player (gritty, aggressive, solid at both ends) while Condon would give the Habs a solid 3rd string option in Laval as opposed to McNiven who has no NHL playing experience and limited pro experience. I can't take credit for this trade idea. I seen it on another forum from another Habs fan, but I thought it was a great idea to put Alzner's wasted cap space to better use. The bonus here is that Smith has one less year of term on his contract while Condon's contract expires after next season. Their combined cap hit is only $25K more than Alzner's on his own. The question becomes, does Ottawa do this without the Habs adding something to entice them (it would have to be something very small otherwise I wouldn't be interested in this deal) or do they do this at all? I'm not sure what Bergevin has planned for his cap space in the offseason, but looking at the current options available as UFAs and the needs of the team, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of fits. On LD there is probably only Gardiner (who will get vastly over paid) and Edler (who likely resigns with the Canucks before July 1st, he's also a risky signing if there's term involved. He's already 32). The only game breaking talent up front would be Panarin (doubt he comes to Montreal. I saw a rumor that indicated that Vancouver and Toronto were the only two Canadian teams he was considering) and maybe Duchene (Columbus will push hard to resign him after what they paid to get him). That's why I chose to add over paid players (Reimer, Condon, and Smith) in the two deals.

The Habs will get in. I have no idea who misses though. It's between Columbus and Carolina for me. Pittsburgh has too much talent and experience to miss.

I like what Columbus did. If you're going to go for it, than go for it. I'd rather see that than see a weaker team waste assets to "tweak" their roster. Columbus really strengthened their team with the moves they made. They addressed their needs. I'm not big believer in selling out the future, but if you are going to do that, this is the way to do it. All or nothing, no in between crap.

That's too bad. I didn't realize that he was doing so poorly. He looked really good in junior (I suppose everybody looks like a potential gem playing for the London Knights). It's funny you mention Bitten, he was the guy drafted after Pu.

I would've given up a minor leaguer for Pu in a heartbeat. Was really hoping the Habs were going to get him in the 2016 draft before Buffalo grabbed him one pick ahead of us.

Send them Alzner and call it even. lol

Anything is possible with Marc Bergevin. He is very unpredictable when it comes to trades. If he can get an impact player for below market value, I could see him making a trade. I don't see him trying to compete with other offers that are getting out of hand (like the Duchene trade). So basically if there is a 2013-14 Vanek for a 2nd and Collberg type deal out there. He said he wouldn't be in the rental market, but I think that type of trade would just be too tempting to pass up for him.

The Lucic contract is pretty bad. Don't forget the NMC. If Lucic agrees to nullify his NMC I might do this deal minus the draft pick on Montreal's part. Of course we all know that he isn't going to do that.

Do you think Hudon would work in this scenario? Habs are looking to move him anyway.

Not to worried about the back up job this season so I wouldn't trade any assets to address it. There will be plenty of goalies available on July 1st if the Habs want to give Lindgren some competition for the back up role next season.

I'd rather gamble on a pick than acquire depth, but it's not like Hudon has much value anyway.

Pretty sure the Chiarelli had shopped him before he was fired. Considering a deal was never made with any team, I would guess there trying to a lot for him. I'd speculate that they would want Mete or another player of that caliber. Personally I wouldn't trade for him this year. He's one more season like this away from having Yakupov value (3rd and a minor leaguer). That's when I would pounce. Of course, he could turn things around too and be worth more than he now. It's a gamble either way.

Primeau will be 26 when Price's contract expires (Price will be 38). So Primeau should be entering his prime by then assuming he gets to the NHL and continues to develop well like he currently seems to be. Goaltenders are notoriously difficult to project, but if he has starter potential at the NHL level he could possibly take over as the starter some day. Spend 1 or 2 more years in the NCAA, another year or 2 in the AHL, and then he could spend some time as Price's backup until it's time to take over. It's good to have a succession (not sure of the spelling on that) plan for Price. Not saying that Primeau will ever be as good as Price, but might be able to be the team's starter one day.

I thought Bergevin wasn't getting into the rental market. Hopefully the Habs aren't giving up much (or just a depth player going the other way) for him. Maybe Hudon is going the other way.

I was wondering if this trade was going to happen. Seen some people suggesting this trade on another site (well the Schlemko for Weise part anyway). Overall, I don't mind this deal at all. Weise is Claude Julien type of player and Folin is solid depth (like dlbalr said he's an upgrade over Alzner and I would say he's an upgrade over Schlemko as well).