Habs Fan in Edmonton

I don't think offer sheeting is Hughe's preferred route to go but that's good information to know.

Yes, I have no doubt Hughes will have a pretty good handle on the situation come draft time.

It does sound a little suspicious to me. Why would one of your scouts share information publicly about a highly touted prospect on You Tube? If Michkov shows up at the draft like he is supposed to and meets with teams then perceptions will likely change.

My preference would still be to get a center to compliment Suzuki (ie. Carlsson, Fantilli or Smith) but if that can't be done and they aren't crazy about Michkov at 5 then Washington may be the perfect trading partner if Washington really wants Michkov.

If the Habs don't get the player they want falling to them at 5 or can't trade up to get him then trading down is not a bad idea if the return is worth it as I think they will still get a really good player in the 6-8 slot (ie. one of Leonard, Benson or Reinbacher). I actually like the 2 trades in the above scenarios.

You will get no argument on that point. Of Harris, Xhekaj and Guhle I think Guhle has the most upside and is least likely to be traded. Xhekaj is one of those guys you love to have on your team and I would hate to see him go in a trade but I also think his trade value is higher than most think it would be. I see Harris as a solid, dependable guy, not dominant in any one area but a very good middle pairing defenseman. When you throw in Mailloux and Barron on the right side then you are looking at a very good group of defense prospects.

Good question. The young guys have to play somewhere and if Matheson, Edmundson, Harris, Xhekaj, Guhle are all healthy (???) then there is a logjam. Apparently Harris can play the right side but that may be a big adjustment at the NHL level. I could possibly see one of the young guys traded if the right deal came along to move up in the draft. The draft will be very interesting and will answer a lot of questions, likely the Dubois question will get figured out depending on who they take at the draft.

I think the last thing we need is another LHD.

I agree. I think Hughes is trying to move up but the price will be too high. They will get a really good player at 5.

I would be surprised to see any buyouts right now as I don't think cap space for next year is a big problem. Let time erode the value of the cap hit, we are still rebuilding.

And what kind of message would that send to the rest of the team? The goal is to build a winning culture. Sabotaging a team's effort to win does not do that.

Some Benson highlights, the play starting at about the 50 second mark is just phenomenal. A lot to like here.

On another Habs board I read they are many there who absolutely love Benson.

No doubt, Harris is a tremendous young man. He gets it.

I know.

Maybe you should post that we trade the #5 pick, Florida's 1st and Brendan Gallagher for the #2 pick and see if they post it on their site. If they do then you know you are being followed.

Unnecessary wins?? Are you suggesting that they should have "ta _ _ ed". I hate using that word.

I hear you, I don't know much about Hockey30.

Who really knows. It would make sense if they asked for him. We are just speculating on speculation. The speculation will only get worse until draft day. It's going to be a looong couple weeks.

I bet you didn't even know it. LOL No surprise they would ask for Slaf. Who would you rather have; Fantilli or Slaf and Michkov or I guess you could substitute a few other names for Michkov should the Habs take someone else.

That is true. Hopefully they get it right.

Yup, definitely way too much. Anaheim would take that trade in a heartbeat. Way way too early to give up on Slaf. There is no guarantee Fantilli will be a saviour. I would much rather sit at 5 and take the BPA.

Yup. BPA, period.

Agreed. I don't see any point in buying out Hoffman especially when cap space will be more important next year than this year as you said. If he has a good year we might actually get some sort of pick for him at the deadline.

It seemed like all the scouts in Bob Mackenzie's rankings had him at 1 or 2. Just saying that what we read from the pundits is far from a sure thing. And I am not at all against Hughes trying to trade up to make sure he gets the center he wants if it is possible without giving up too much.