Machine of Loving Grace

Bummer, was hoping for a Domi - Peca - Rychel silver spoons line.

Their only risk is that Pacioretty could get dealt anywhere on no extension, which might end up happening if his demands stay too high. Honestly think that's what ends up happening. Maybe he goes to a team like Tampa or Nashville just as a rental. Or what I think happens: he goes to Dallas and re-signs in the summer.

I get a Weise/Eller vibe. Weise size and wing, Eller inconsistency. Sometimes looks like a top six power forward, other days disappears into "at least he's good defensively" mode. The fact a few Jets fans I know are now angry because their only justification on the trade was Stastny returning and now they feel they lost a good player for a cap dump tells me he might work out. One explained to me it would be like us trading Hudon just to get rid of a few million for one season. Still nowhere near as bad as Chicago trading Teuvo. I think this trade will end up a win for Bergevin even if Armia doesn't find a new gear to his work in Winnipeg.

He will ask for the retro NMC like Price did. Everyone has now learned after Subban's mistake.

I don't want anyone who was comfortable with this Habs organization through Bergevin. That crosses out Pacioretty, Gallagher, and Price. Weber seems to not care where he plays so no need for that either. Petry I would be fine with keeping but if the offer is there he's gone. Justin Williams is a guy I've always wanted. He's probably retiring a Hurricane but a guy like that, well traveled, Stanley Cup, knows how to keep the pressure up in the playoffs, still some skill, that is the guy I would want in my locker room over anyone who has grown up in the Habs organization save for Markov, but he's too old at this point. Would love him back as a D coach when he retires though, even in Laval.

Lughes for Hughes is the new one.

At four years that Ryan deal is a very tough pill to swallow. Same with Eriksson. Kesler I bet would still have value. The worst is Seabrook. Six years. Only way I am taking those contracts on is with at least two first round picks attached.

Nobody said you can't acquire veterans. Because the team is rebuilding you can bring guys in at the twilight of their career on inflated short term deals to guide the kids. Like Gilmour in the early 00s. Trade for Hossa, build him special glove and let him play easy minutes while being a mentor for the kids.

*looks at the Therrien and Julien years* In theory.

Trade Price, Weber, Gallagher, Petry, and Byron, collect the prospects and picks, get more from cap dumps, by summer of 2021 our future should be very bright. Then it should be a matter of what holes need filling. I truly believe if we land a Top 5 pick in 2019 and 2020 we will have an organization worth hoping for. But of course none of this happens with current management. Then again Bergevin doesn't sign Jay Beagle for four years and we are celebrating a good free agency.

Ottawa took less from San Jose to avoid seeing Hoffman in their division. It backfired when SJ moved him right to Florida. If Ottawa was willing to do that to avoid Mike Hoffman in division they are never trading Karlsson to Montreal. Only way is if we offered Weber. I could see that as a way for Melnyk to feel like he has cost control.

Summer 2019. If Matthews and Marner don't get an offer sheet from half the league it'll expose collusion unlike ever before.

I'm with you on that. Until I see Pacioretty and Weber traded with talk of Price asked to wave his no movement this is just dipping toes in the shallow end.

Cucumber, you can't call drafting a rebuild. Brisebois was a 2nd round pick, Bure was a second round pick we got for trading Cassels (a top six centre we couldn't wait for him to develop), Tucker was a sixth round pick who just so happened to play for one of the best CHL teams of all time, Koivu was a 21st overall pick who was better than everyone drafted before him aside from Pronger, Kariya, and Arnott. Rucinsky was a former 20th overall pick from Edmonton we should have taken instead of Bilodeau. That's not rebuilding. That's just drafting. Every team should be drafting well enough to bring in good young talent to replace the old talent leaving. Between 1995 and 2000 (between their Cups) the New Jersey Devils drafted Petr Sykora, Colin White, Willie Mitchell, Scott Gomez, and Brian Gionta. That wasn't a rebuild. That was just drafting well.Many of your examples are just teams doing their regular drafting at regular spots. When a team rebuilds there is a concerted effort to land top 10 draft picks. It's not a bad year. It's trading skilled vets for draft picks. It's short term deals because you don't want a guy for too long on a losing team. 1999-2004 should have been tanking years but Jose Theodore decided to become a Hart trophy winner out of nowhere and took a team in 2002 that should have been bottom 3 to the playoffs. 03-04 had Ribeiro and Ryder coming while all the defencemen the team had drafted in those years slipping in (with some slipping out on waivers) and along with Theo got to the playoffs when they shouldn't have been there. But there was never a real effort to rebuild. It was just a transition from Savard to Gainey.

I put their playoff chances this year at 1%. That 1% is if Price returns to 14-15 form and the team wins 2-1 games. Otherwise there's no chance. Toronto is better. Tampa Bay is better. Boston is pretty much the same. Florida adding Hoffman and being more comfortable in Boughner's style should push them to a wildcard fight again. Detroit should be the same or worse, only way they are better is Bernier stealing games. Montreal will have trouble scoring compared to last years team. Ottawa will be a little worse than last year, maybe much worse if they trade Duchene and Karlsson. Buffalo should be worse losing ROR and Kane for Berglund, Sobotka, and Sheary but they added a generational defenceman so who knows how that changes things. Carter Hutton is intriguing. Washington should be the same unless the new coach sucks. Pittsburgh should be the same. Philadelphia should be better, biggest note of interest is what they get for Simmonds who seems on his way out. Goaltending is still poop. Columbus is the toughest team to figure out. They could win their division, land a wildcard, or completely crash and burn in Top Cops' final contract year. New Jersey should be a little better. New York Islanders should be bad unless Barzal takes a leap. New York Rangers are tanking. That's 4/8 competing for a spot in the Atlantic and 5/7 in the Metro competing. For 8 spots. Montreal will have a very hard time getting in there. They need a miracle.

I think they were. Liljgren fell from where he was expected to go. Sandin I thought was a reach but I guess he was drafted right around where he was expected to go.

Mark Hunter ran the draft up until this year. This year Dubas selects a Soo Greyhound defenceman he knew very well.

I could see Byron still getting moved despite being hurt. Teams know what they are getting from him and he's one year. Shaw on the other hand I'll give you.

If he's trying to hardball Bergevin that might be why the team already has 13 forwards with Danault, DLR, and Armia RFA. Or maybe just waiting for the right deal. I'm guessing he eventually agrees to something for three years around $3M-$4M.

No doubt, but it seems to be important to some teams. Ottawa will now have all three teams in a close proximity, same with Chicago, Detroit, and Philly. I'm good with taking the Solar Bears from the Leafs, even if the DeVos family owned it.

Bergevin needs to move like three wingers. Pacioretty, Shaw, and Byron. Only take a winger back if it's a cap dump. Get picks back. See if Gallagher has stupid value. Even then you would have Domi, Lehkonen, and Hudon for the left side. Man that's a logjam.

I want to take Hagelin off Pittsburgh's hands. One year at $4M.

Toronto were not rebuilding between 2006 and 2014. 05-06 to 08-09 they were trying to make the playoffs and failing. 08-09 to 11-12 Burke thought he had a contender which is why he traded two first round picks for Kessel but they still sucked. 12-13 they made the playoffs so new GM Nonis traded for Bolland, bought out Grabovski, and signed Clarkson to make the playoffs again. They didn't. They started the rebuild in 14-15 and went full rebuild after 14-15 when Shanahan was hired. They bottomed out in 15-16, squeaked into the playoffs in 16-17, and this past season was their first where they were targeting the playoffs.

It's certainly possible, I just don't see them as the team. Pacioretty seems fussy right now. Might not want to play for Vegas.

$2.75M is ridiculous when Tobias Rieder got $2M from Edmonton.