GHT120

This is a prime example of why it is said that the NHL is not a developmental league ... young players must obviously be developed ... but if a team expects to be in the playoffs then development opportunities compete with the need to win ... the Habs roster is built to make the playoffs ... there can only be so much patience with KK if he is not performing AND the team is not winning ... it is not ideal, but it is reality ... if KK is not producing and the habs don't acquire a legit 2C then there is an issue with keeping six top 6 quality wingers.

In a short-term situation a team can hope that the player sees getting the "A" as a vote of confidence ... the team hoping that it gives the player's own confidence a boost and hence their play

And/or the team was hoping the "A" would step up his game ... expect your option, but I can't exclude mine

Agree it is not ideal ... and the third year is a struggle ... especially as the Habs are currently on the hook for 10 players for $56-ish million in 23-24 ... Price and Weber not going anywhere (LTIR only a solution for Shea if Habs are at/near the cap) ... Petry will be 35 🤞 ... and Gallagher may not be a great contract by then, depending on how much of his playoff issues were health related ... but, I was looking at MB likely wanting to try to do his best to ensure a playoff spot and have a chance in the playoffs.

Hope he likes Utica ... shared AHL team with Vancouver ... IMO, Blues in trouble if Lindgren is their back-up

He seems perhaps the likely option ... Petry is another but somehow doesn't strike me as the right person, fear it might be a burden for him and Habs need him focusing on hockey ... Byron is a long-time "A" his roster position is too precarious ... expect Savard and Suzuki in line as possible "A"s ... maybe Edmundson too ... agree with TCC that a rotation is a strong possibility ... especially as Weber will technically be a "Kucherov possibility.

Hockey30 (my favourite French Eklund hockey site) suggests the Habs options at centre are (just being honest about the source of the names I'm throwing out): TRADE Christian Dvorak - IMO an excellent option ... won't be cheap but fills a need, and at a reasonable price for four years while KK completes his development (be it for better or for worse) ... Habs either end up with an impressive trio of centres or they have a decent 2C to support Suzuki Ryan Strome - decent option ... 2yrs @ $4.5M ... 22g/82gm the last three seasons Dylan Strome - stop-gap option ... 1 yr@$3M Sam Steel - can't see Ducks moving him ... and no further, maybe less, advanced than KK ... not a fit IMO ... but would love to have him for the longer term Casey Mittelstadt - can't see Sabres moving him ... more of a building block for them ... would love to have him FREE AGENTS Travis Zajac - one-year stop-gap maybe ... but seems like a "Lou-guy" Tyler Bozak - one-year stop-gap possibility ... but at the right price I would also look at: Adam Heinrique ... Anaheim in rebuild ... 31 yrs old ... 3 yrs @$5.825 ... 55% faceoffs last season ... 23g/82gm last four years ... 10 team NTC an impediment ... perhaps Armia as part of the offer, offsetting some of the cap (Byron would be ideal and if it wouldn't cost too much extra then go for it) Yanni Gourde ... slim chance ... both because he is a Kraken centre-piece and his full NTC ... but would be ideal JT Miller ... might cost Gallagher (local hero returns) in a multi-piece deal ... but would be a solid addition IMO Nazeem Kadri ... unlikely as he is really the Avs only current choice for their 2C ... many put off by his suspensions ... but IMO he would be a fine one-year patch (longer if it works out and he re-signs) It will be an interesting next few weeks

Savard and Hoffman have a chance to be the best players to have worn those numbers for the Habs ... Savard versus Desharnais, Andrighetto and Juulsen ... Hoffman only has Weber to surpass (Yannick Weber) ... Paquette unlikely to beat out Cammalleri, Tanguay or Domi (unless by longevity) ... Wideman has almost no hope (Pete Mahovolich, Richard Zednik)

Have also seen talk that TBL might be looking at him ... pretty much ANY legit playoff team would be smart to at least think about approaching him ... great 4th liner with grit, some offence and leadership

Dougie Hamilton and David Savard are both right-handed defencemen ... seeks OJ to me ... I suspect when anyone thinks of it as Savard replacing Weber it is a "meh" ... the reality is that Weber was unlikely to be directly replaced ... so Savard is just a signing for the D-corps ... and as such pretty decent IMO ... it seems the team is being re-oriented somewhat, with more e phases up front than on D ... but I expect a trade/trades is/are in the works before training camp to add a puck-moving defenceman and a 2/3C ... so the picture is still somewhat incomplete ... my guess is that some combination of Armia, Lehkonen (they hold his rights), Gallagher and Chiarot (with necessary picks and/or prospects) will be moved ... Byron is someone I would try to move (don't see him slotting above the 4th line on this roster and he is pricey for that role ... for two more years) I don't see that being in return for anything useful ... expect it will mean adding an asset to the deal and getting minimal return, or retaining $1-1.7M and getting a 4th line return.

Habs now have three archetypal snipers on the wing ... Hoffman, Toffoli and Caufield ... then a power forward (JA), an elite mucker (BG) and a skilled enigma (JD) ... Suzuki and Caufield showed some chemistry in the playoffs, so I expect they start together ... rest is likely mix&match for the time being.

Wonder if MB was after Getzlaf and settled for Hoffman ... or wanted both, and planned on clearing some cap to follow.

Not a spelling mistake, but certainly a typo.

It is important to consider that demoting Byron opens a roster sport but would only bury $1.125M (NHL minimum salary of $750K plus $375K) ... $2.275 would remain on the cap. I agree that trade is undoubtedly coming ... when is the question ... lots of interesting pieces to play with.

An almost 60% raise (from $2.4M) for Lehkonen ... I would be shocked ... especially if Hoffman signs and we have million and millions on the 4th line wings. KK and Perry seem in the ballpark to me.

Seems like an expensive two-way deal ... CapFriendly suggests a $350K minmum guaranteed overall salary (i.e., between AHL and NHL) ... I guess he is in the mix for their 11th - 14th forward spots ... the best I recall him playing was a couple of seasons ago when was on the 4th line ... he focused on being "a pest", trying to take advantage if/when scoring opportunities arose ... if he has learned the lesson that he is a good AHL scorer but isn't an offensive player in the NHL and needs to be a 4th line "stuff" disturber to play regularly in the NHL he has a chance to be a TBL instead of a Crunch.

If Evans is the 4C who is the 3C? IMO Habs still need someone there ... Gallagher, Drouin, Anderson, Hoffman, Toffoli and Caufield are the wings on the top 3 lines ... Byron, Lehkonen (if e-signed) and Armia fighting for 4th line wing spots, with Paquette and Poehling(?) ... If Joel doesn't have NTC protection he might be the easiest to trade ... all this also impacts whether there is room for Perry should he decide to re-sign

Ideally ... IMO ... but there will be minimal return and it likely costs something to move him out

Hoffman is durable (203 of 220 games the last three seasons) ... and scores (33g and 33a per 82 games the last three seasons) ... I like it ... there has to be a grade a brewing (IMO)

And there go Armia and Byron and Lehkonen to the 4th line ... if Hoffman signs (personally I like the added offence) there has to be a trade of some sort in the works.

But housing is a big part of COL ... just saying the tax savings are not absolute, may be largely offset by overall COL ... HOWEVER, the weather in LA kicks Montreal's butt ... on the flip side, the relative geological stability of Montreal is certainly a big plus.

Looks like Laval will have experience on the right-side

Great signing for Laval ... bit piece for the Habs

Not certain that overall the COL is lower in LA ... You would need around 7,859.34C$ (6,244.21$) in Los Angeles, CA to maintain the same standard of life that you can have with 5,300.00C$ in Montreal (assuming you rent in both cities).

Whether I agree with that or not, teams have to be built on where players actually slot, not where they could play.of