Commandant

If you can get Karlsson. Its no guarantee. It looks like he will listen to the Habs, but that doesn't mean we are the only team he's willing to listen to, or that we are even the top team. He might get an offer he likes better from New York or San Jose or Tampa, or whoever. We need a talented player, and if we can't get Karlsson, I don't mind getting a talented winger who is still just 23.

Since the 2009 splurge... (Cammalleri and Gionta) we've signed exactly two big UFAs... Erik Cole and Alex Radulov. Thats it in terms of big name guys on the open market. There are a number of reasons for it, but it doesn't change the fact we aren't attracting names... and weren't prior to the 2009 splurge either. So i don't think its an unfair narrative to say we haven't been a favoured UFA destination. The reasons for it and how to fix it, very much up for debate and some of the narratives there I think are wrong... but the facts are that we aren't getting the guys we've gone for

With no legit top 4 LD (before Mete emerging into one in the second half of the season), the team took so many flyers on LD that its jammed up the system at this point. Its becoming an issue. If they are going to add a LD this summer, and they should, it needs to be a legit top pairing guy and not another player who needs development time. As it is the logjam likely played a huge role in the decision to let Walford walk.

There are exceptions to every rule. But if you want to bet on guys having career years at 29 and older... you are going to be wrong more often than you are right. Thats why id bet on drouin over the next 4 years to be better than Eberle will be in the same 4 year span

Because you aren't going to get the same money over 7 years as you would over 8. You might ask for a little more, knowing you won't get a one year deal for 11 at his age 7 years from now... but still it wouldn't be all the way to 88. You'd be looking at something like 81-82 over seven years, and make the difference on a one-year deal (on a bigger cap) in 2026. That said, if money is the issue, the signing bonuses each year and amount of front end loading on the contract always come into play on these as well.

Size with skating ability. Two-way play. Can move the puck up the ice with his skating and passing. Is also able to play physical. Profiles like a number of D that Timmins has been high on over the years including Sergachev, Romanov, McDonagh, Subban and others. A late riser up draft boards (like Kotkaniemi). And given the way my mock draft has gone (to be released in the morning, Friday Night is crap for traffic), best player on the board when they come up at 15.

My pick for who the habs will take is Moritz Seider (yes another RHD, I know).

You aren't going to give him 88 million over 7 years to match.... its more like 77 over 7

he played some RD last year. That said with Fleury and Brook already on the right side I don't know how much room there is there either.

Wayne Gretzky is a career 1.92 ppg. If he came out of retirement at age 58, would you expect that to continue next year? Yes, an absurd example, but it illustrates the point. You have a player who is 29, who is coming out of his prime years, and is showing that he has already had his prime years and is now on the decline. You have another player who is 24 and just had the best season of his career and has room to improve. I know which one I'm betting on over the next 4 years. I'll take Drouin from 24-28, over Eberle from 29-33.

So we are going to base things on Eberle's 8 games in the playoffs and not on his 37 points in 78 regular season games? It seems to me that this is massively overrating a short hot streak. Especially for a player who had 0 goals and 2 assists in 13 games in his other playoff appearance. There is no such thing as clutch, don't overrate a player cause he was hot for 8 games, he is who he is, and what he's done over long sample sizes is who he is. Drouin has the skill to be better, and his slump at the end of the season came at an inopportune time. He also might be more a second line player than the type of winger who carries a team's first line. Thats all true. Doesn't change the fact he's still better than Eberle right now. Also doesn't change the fact that he has time to get better and is just starting his prime years, where Eberle probably isn't getting better, he is what he is at age 29.

I think that would be a big mistake given their ages and the way Eberle's point totals have gone.

People think they are the "big bad bruins" 2 of the bruins better defencemen.... Krug and Grzylecek were under six-foot. Their best defenceman (McAvoy) is 6-0 This Bruins team overall, including the forwards, was much faster and more skilled than the 2011 team. Yes they have some size and physicality, but its a blend. They aren't putting the Shawn Thornton's of the world out on the ice anymore. Their fourth line is guys like Acciari, Kuraly, and Nordstrom. Those aren't fighters. Those aren't big hitters. They are guys they relied on a lot to get the job done. David Backes, the traditional big, slow, physical forward.... oh yeah, largely ineffective for Boston all season, a regular healthy scratch. The Blues again, Ryan O'Reilly is their best player. A lady byng candidate year in and year out. On defence, Pietrangelo is their best, he's not exactly the most physical player, he's smooth and skilled. Vince Dunn was a huge part of things. Bouwmeester and Parayko have size but they aren't bruisers, they are skilled players. Up front, Jaden Schwarz was huge for them, Brayden Schenn. Again no fighter, no guy who is just there to be a goon. You need skill and if other teams want to buy the narrative that these teams won by being big and physical and building that way... fine with me. Size is great if combined with skill. Size without skill, its not getting you far.

He scored 11 points this year and had 68 penalty minutes. He's not a puck mover or the type of D that montreal needs. He was given 9 minutes of ice time in game 7... there is a reason for that. He was negative-1.5 relative Corsi despite playing easy matchups on the third defence pair in St. Louis. He's not a top 4 in Montreal, Hes not a top 4 on any team in the league. He's not good... He's a younger, slightly better version of Karl Alzner....

Shaw and Petry is Still a huge overpayment.... You massively undervalue Petry, which was a theme last year in your trade proposals including him too. You also assume that we can sign both of those guys, which is by no means a guarantee. And you want PP units with 2 defencemen on each? When nearly every good PP in the league has 1 d and 4 forwards. None of this makes sense.

Shaw and Petry and a pick is a huge overpayment. Our cap space could not sign both Gardiner and karlsson

Which of those is a puck-moving defenceman? Hell which of those is a top 4 defenceman? I think I'd rather just keep Kulak as the top 4.

Bernstein is behind the rumour. Hes basically eklund...

Hes young. Its a partial (not full) tear. You obviously have your doctors look at it and figure out what they expect in terms of recovery. The thing is... hes not Chipchura who was an average at best skater before the injury and became molasses afterwards (it was also a more serious injury, a full tear). Krebs is starting at a higher level in that he is a great skater before the injury. Others, like karlsson, have recovered from Achilles injuries to still be great skaters. To me if the doctors think he will recover. Its worth the risk given his talent level.

Peyton Krebs with the Achilles tear is the forward who might drop and would be a hell of a pick at 15. Top ten talent if healthy.

Whether or not someone is an overager is determined by the year of birth. Those who turn 20 before December 31st are overagers. So yes... someones 20th birthday being january 1st is 20 and an overager. They would be 21 for thensecond half of the season.

During the season a team can have 3 overagers on their roster at any time. Its the start of the season. But even after that, you can trade or cut an overager to make room for someone else.

I'm not convinced that Liiga is better than Allsvenskan (where Broberg played). Both are a step below SHL.

He has size and he can skate and drive offence from what I've seen. That said, the level of competition he faced all year was weak. German league, then WJC was in the 1A division... I always find it hard to scout a guy like that with limited games against tough opponents.