tomh009

So Michkov is now a lock to be NHL’s all-time leading scorer? I guess Chicago didn’t get the memo. 😳

There are not many guys in the league that will add five wins to a team total when they replace the predecessor player. 30 goals a year is not going to add five wins.

No, I say that like I am anticipating that the Habs will be nowhere near the Devils in 2023-24 in any case, Toffoli or not. So it doesn't matter for this season, at least.

Smythe division!

I don't think the Devils (112 points in the past season) are really our competition for the next year or two. And whether Toffoli is still there (and still effective) by the time we are ready to contend is a big question mark.

The Habs have plenty of late-round prospects already so I don't think a 3rd would have make a big difference. He's 5'10 but no lightweight at 190 lbs. Not so much different from either Suzuki or Lehkonen, really. If they can unlock his game, I really don't think his size will be an issue.

Reading Pronman’s assessment of Newhook prior to his draft, the things that stand out are a great hockey IQ, a high level if compete and explosive starts. Hughes was his agent so will know him well, and it looks like Newhook is a prime candidate for the Martin St-Louis school of hockey smarts. I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do by the 2024-25 season.

I do recall they traded Gretzky though—and within their own division yet!

Right. In this scenario, if Michkov is there (and the Habs decided against him) and the two more players that are roughly equal … they could drop to 7th and still get one of those two. There are a lot of ifs on that scenario though.

Kopitar probably won't be around for much longer, and Danault is already 30 as well. Although I would personally have kept Vilardi ...

So … June 2026 deadline?

If it’s indeed LA we’ll have a better idea of the asking price once we see what LAK is paying.

While maybe not the same ceiling as Michkov (or Bedard), I don't think the other options are quite "middling", either. Assessments I have seen rank them higher than any of the players that were available in the 2022 draft.

Interesting ... why did you choose such a low rating on Smith? Most rankings have him well ahead of Benson and Leonard.

Kevin didn't like it, no. But we don't know how the Habs plan to utilize Monahan, or what other players they expect to be able to move before the beginning of the season, so I'm not worried about Monahan blocking young centres from playing.

I'll be traveling next week but at least the time zone works for the first round. The subsequent rounds I'll need to read about when I wake up!

Every team has different criteria and a different risk tolerance.

Fully agreed. If the 5th is traded, we have to get some talent for it. Getting some additional cap space does not have a lot of value for the Habs, at least not for now.

Contract ... maybe. But I don't think they can find a trade that works for both sides. I sure don't see the Habs giving up Dach, and the Jets likely want someone ready to step into their lineup so the picks aren't super likely to work either.

I think the bigger issue is that the Habs have no one the Jets want and the Habs are willing to give up.

In this scenario, I would tend to put Armia on the third line, but need to fit Hoffman and Gallagher somewhere, too, as long as they are on the roster.

That basically means we'd be paying significant assets for a rental player, as there is no guarantee that he would sign an extension a year from now,

I am a bit mystified why they would bother setting up a performance bonus that's only 0.75% of the contract total.

And, maybe, yes, this might happen. But, we should still be sellers at the deadline.

Basu believes (and I tend to agree) that Hughes is unlikely to trade Dach, and not only because of his performance: