Habs Fan in Edmonton

That is probably true, now if a team offered him 6M would they match? It might be worth it for a team if they had cap room and that 1st round pick was a late one. Carolina has some tough decisions to make.

Agreed, they will likely give him another year but they have a lot of tough decisions to make.

That makes more sense. The Canes have a lot of tough decisions to make, a lot of UFA's, plus Jarvis and Necas will/should be getting substantial raises. Maybe some team should entice Jarvis or Necas with a 1 year contract at 6.1Million/year? Jarvis in particular should be getting a massive raise, 28 goals and 32 assists in 74 games and only making 894,000, hmmm.... Surely Jarvis will get a bump to at least 4m (likely higher) as the compensation up to 4.1M is only a 2nd round pick. Carolina would have to match.

Yes, is 12 years x 835,000/yr of dead cap space worth a pick in the 26 - 32 range? I just don't see Carolina giving up on him yet. He has had a brutal year though, after a hot start he has basically 13 points in his last 60 games. It sure went downhill fast for him. Not sure what's going on, his confidence must be shot right now.

Good analysis, McDavid did score 64 last year so he can certainly do both. Matthews is obviously a great shooter but it just seems to me that there is something lacking in his game that never seems to get pointed out. A pure shooter.

He is incredible, he has 60 more assists than Matthews. They say the mark of a great player is that they make those around them better. McDavid does that. Now Matthews is an incredible shooter but does he make those around him better? It seems like 35 assists is not that impressive when you are a center and always surrounded by talented linemates.

I hadn't realized that Suzuki has more goals than McDavid this year. Of course Connor has a few more assists.

At least Ottawa won and Winnipeg lost. Now if Winnipeg goes out in the 1st 2 rounds then that pick might be half decent. Their 1st round matchup will be really tough as it doesn't look like they win the division now.

You bring back some sweet memories. LOL The McDonagh/Gomez trade is still a head scratcher. Sather: Bob, if you give me your best young defense prospect, I will let you have my worst contract. I know he makes 7.3M/year but he is a nice skater. Bob: Sounds good. Why don't I throw in Chris Higgins as well. I know he only scored 12 goals last year but he scored 20+ the previous 3 years and he plays both ends of the ice. Sather: Let me think about that. OK, you got a deal. Happy to help you out Bob. WTF That trade in a salary cap world still boggles my mind.

That is true. After this 3 game winning streak they are not far behind, Seattle and Calgary.

Criag's list is up. Surprised at Catton at 15 but again the rankings have been all over the place. Has Dickinson, Helenius and Eiserman at 6,7 and 8 which is likely where the Habs draft. Craig’s List: Russian winger Ivan Demidov soars to No. 2 behind Macklin Celebrini | TSN

I think the only GM's out there that have never made a bad trade are GM's that are either: 1) fairly new to the job 2) have never taken a chance

You are right, it was that drooling jabbernowl Savard that made the Leclair trade. Houle became GM later in 1995.

I absolutely hated the Broad Street Bullies but that was a different time. The Flyers have been a huge surprise this year and Tortorella has done a fantastic job. I never thought they would be in a playoff spot this late in the year. I won't lose any sleep if the Flyers take 2 points in regulation tonight. The Habs might have a bit of a hangover after a successful end to a long road trip but I won't sell them short either.

Sens up 4-0 in the 1st 10 minutes? WTF Like it. However they are weak defensively so not counting my chickens.

They most certainly would take it but the odds of Winnipeg missing the playoffs are incredibly low. I was just dreaming a bit.

I don't see why anyone would want Gallagher even at 50% retention. He will likely be for the rest of his contract what he is this year, a hard working, hard driving slow right winger who will give everything he has and score 8-12 goals a year, maybe 15 in a good year.

I find it hard to believe that Carolina would admit defeat and throw in the towel on KK since he is only 23 but they also have a lot of UFA's to sign (Teravainen, Guentzel, Pesce, Skjei) so who knows.

Yes, some very knowledgeable people on this board who I have learned a lot from regarding salary stuff, buyouts etc. I decided to go to capfriendly to learn myself how it works. If you click on the player and then the line that says buyout contract, it breaks it down nicely for you. Didn't realize how cheap it would be to buy out KK although it is spread over a lot of years. Jesperi Kotkaniemi Buyout Results - CapFriendly - NHL Salary Caps

Wouldn't it be nice if Winnipeg lost their last 10 games, slipped out of a playoff spot, won the draft lottery, moved up 10 spots and then we draft 6 and 7? Is that too much to hope for?

Plus Seattle and Pittsburgh both won tonight as the Habs were starting to creep up on those teams. Habs will almost for sure be in the 5-7 spot before the lottery. They will get a good player regardless but the 5 spot would be nicer.

Yeah, I am not crazy about getting 2 points tonight either BUT it's been impressive how well they have played against some really good teams lately. It's starting to look like they have a solid goaltending tandem and they have a young mobile defense that's only going to get better. They just need more secondary scoring. Progress is definitely being made.

I call them senior's moments.

That is a perfectly reasonable, rational and logical answer. I (and perhaps others) will get excited ahead of time for you and will speculate like crazy on who the Habs will/should draft. You can put your feet up and relax. You just might be the smart one here. LOL

That's great news!!!