John B

I like it. Edmonton has a few nice pieces if a trade for Byron could be worked out. Jones is definitely one. Samorukov and Puljujarvi are a couple others. Habs would have to take a cap hit back. Maybe taking back Gagner convinces the Oilers to do the trade. Habs could send a non-prospect AHLer (like Waked or Pezzetta) back so they don't add to the 50 contract limit.

Even if Alzner were going the other way, I still wouldn't want Vlasic. Vlasic would be more useful now, but in a few years he'll be Alzner all over again. I'd rather just let Alzner's contract run out and move on or trade him for another team's bad contract with similar term and cap hit in the hopes of a better fit.

Sharks seem like an odd team to be scouting. Not much on the left side that is better than what the Habs already have. Vlasic (NMC), Dillon, and Ferraro, with Simek on IR and Middleton on LTIR. Even their LD prospects are just OK with Kniazev leading the pack.

I think a bunch of teams would like to have Price, but can they fit him under the cap and is he willing to waive his NMC to go there? The question for the Habs would be, are they getting the value they should for him? Any trade involving Price or Weber will likely have to involve salary retention or taking back cap space. I doubt Bergevin is even thinking about moving either one. A lot of the fan base and the media would lose their minds. Having said that, I don't think Price and Weber should be untouchables. If the right deal can be reached, I hope that the Habs would make the trade.

I don't think anyone can say 100% for sure what is going to happen with Bergevin and the coaching staff if they miss the playoffs again. I think it would be dumb to can any of them right now. The plan was to retool the team. That takes time. More than a couple seasons. If Molson agreed to that plan and then cans his GM before he is able to see it through, that would be stupid. If Bergevin cans Julien and his coaching staff after he under-equipped them to compete for the playoffs, that would also be stupid. Patience is required.

I'd be willing to trade them, but I think it would be more difficult to get good value for them because of their contracts. Not every team will want an $8 million good, but aging defenseman that is signed for another 6 years after this one. Price is a whole other story. He has a full NMC. He isn't going anywhere unless he wants to. Even if he did want to, he's chosing the destination which will probably result in less of a return. It could end up like when Calgary traded Iginla where they probably should have gotten a lot more for him elsewhere, but he would only agree to go to Pittsburgh. So while the Habs may not need Price and Weber to accomplish the goal, they still need to get good/fair value for them if they are being traded.

I was just thinking about this while I was at work today. It's funny that I come onto this site and see that somebody started a thread about it. I want to start by giving some kudos to Bergevin for sticking to his plan. I'm not completely clear on what his plan is, but it seems like he's not willing to mortgage the future at this point. I think it's a smart move, because I don't see any way this team is going to win a Cup this year short of acquiring Connor McDavid and adding a top pair LD without giving up anything of real consequence the other way. As far as giving a name to what Bergevin is doing goes...I'm going to call it a re-tool, which I'm not a big fan of. IMO a re-tool is a direction a GM chooses when he doesn't know what direction to choose (rebuild or all in are the directions IMO). Sometimes this plan of action works though. It's what the Habs and a lot of other teams have been doing for a long time now. Since Bergevin seems to be placing a higher value on the future than the present, it might be a good ideal for him to start moving on from some veterans that may not serve a purpose or play as big of a role when this team enters their Cup window (which might be a few years from now). I would be looking at moving Petry and Tatar in the next couple years. Petry's contract expires after next season and he becomes a UFA at 33 years old. If he continues to produce like he has the last couple of seasons, you can bet that he'll want well over $6 million/season with term. That might be fine for a year or two, but after that I don't think he'll be worth that cap hit. So unless Habs can convince him to take a 2 year extension it's not going to a pretty contract. Tatar will only be 30 when his contract expires, but again he'll likely be looking for a raise and term (likely 5 to 6 years) if he decides to return at all. The trade value of both of these players will never be higher than it is now and both players will have a limited window of effectiveness during Montreal's prime contention years. If Bergevin gets a good offer for Weber or Price, he has to strongly consider it. Their cap hits could hurt this team during their Cup window. I think Price will age gracefully like Brodeur or Luongo did and still be a good/solid starting goaltender for the duration of his contract, but good/solid starters aren't worth a $10.5 million cap hit. More like ~$6 million. As for Weber, we are already starting to see signs of the decline. Honestly I don't think the Habs could get fair value (or at least worthwhile value) for Price or Weber due to their cap hits and term and Price's NMC. Price isn't going anywhere unless he asks to. Overall it's all about cap and asset management right now. If the Habs are smart with the way they handle contracts and don't sign anymore Alzners while handing out any ridiculous contracts, the cap should be good. It will just be a matter of getting younger at some key roster positions to try and have a lengthy Cup window.

According to Eric Engels the offer to Dallas from the Habs for Honka is a player. The article didn't say or speculate who that player was. The article is up on thehockeynews.com right now. Also seen a tweet from Engels yesterday when reading comments on anther site stating the same thing, but that the Stars were more interested in a pick than a player.

Shattenkirk? I would have thought Brendan Smith over Shattenkirk. Too bad he's RD otherwise I wouldn't mind the Habs taking a run at him if he is bought out (Shattenkirk that is).

That would certainly work for me too.

That was a good deal for Carolina. Really wish the Habs had done this. If Marleau agrees to play, the Habs have a good versatile veteran leader that play in the middle six and help mentor the young guys for a year. If he decides that he doesn't want to play for the Habs, he gets bought out and his cap hit is only for next season (as opposed to spreading it out over multiple seasons) and the Habs save a roster spot/contract slot. It would have been win win.

I don't have a problem with Bergevin doing this. I'm hoping for more quality than quantity though. I liked the Mason deal last season, but I would have preferred a 2nd round pick or a good prospect to a 3 piece package of middling value.

Another solid deal for the Habs. Can't complain about bottom 6 guys getting bottom 6 money and term. Bravo Bergevin! This is good cap/contract management.

I may have mentioned this before, but I'll mention it again. I wouldn't be willing to pay more for Puljujarvi than St. Louis paid for Yakupov. Puljujarvi hasn't put up the same numbers as Yakupov. Oilers backs are against the wall as well. He is refusing to sign with them. Puljujarvi Yakupov 28/1/7/8 = 0.29PPG 48/17/14/31 = 0.65PPG 65/12/8/20 = 0.31PPG 63/11/13/24 = 0.38PPG 46/4/5/9 = 0.20PPG 81/14/19/33 = 0.41PPG Puljujarvi has some intangibles that Yakupov did not have, but the offensive numbers are worse. Edmonton is trying to sell his potential, not what he is. What he is right now is a bottom 6 forward with upside. That's not worth anything more than a mid round pick. One could argue that Hudon is a bottom 6 forward with upside. Because Puljujarvi was a 4th overall pick, I'd be willing to give up a 3rd rounder and maybe an inconsequential roster player with upside (like Hudon) or a low level project type prospect. Yakupov went for a 3rd and an ECHLer, and he was a 1st overall pick that put up better numbers and had more upside. It would be nice to acquire Puljujarvi to see if he blossoms here, but I wouldn't want to see the Habs pay an Andrew Shaw type price (2nd and 3rd rounder) for him. Just my two cents. Note : Hudon has 0.35PPG over his career while Puljujarvi has 0.27PPG. Granted Hudon is older and has played a couple of seasons in the minors to develop. Hudon also has similar career point totals (39 to Puljujarvi's 37) in a similar number of games (110 for Hudon, 139 for Puljujarvi).

The term isn't too long and the cap hit is very manageable. I don't think it's too bad for a bottom 6 (3rd line?) forward with offensive upside.

I can see this move as being a "just in case move" they decide to walk away from the one of the arbitration rulings. I can see the Habs not even bothering with Hudon and maybe even Armia (depending on how much he gets). I think they want to keep Lehkonen.

What I was trying to say about the 3 years was that the Habs aren't likely to win a Cup in the first two years of his deal. Which would leave 3 year window after that before he's a UFA. I'm hoping the Habs can put it all together and win next year. I guess we'll see. I agree that it's doubtful Montreal's 1st rounder will be a lottery pick next year and even less likely that it will be 1st overall, but it could happen. Just hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst.

I'm on the fence with this move. Not a big fan of offer sheets as I believe that it deteriorates the relationship among GMs, but I understand it's part of the business. What I like: Aho is a really good player who is truly a 1st line player. He would become the Habs' best forward. What I don't like: 1. The compensation. If the 1st rounder was lottery protected, I would have less of a problem with it. Imagine missing the playoffs next year, winning the draft lottery, and then watching Carolina draft Lafreniere on home turf. OUCH! 2. The term. I don't expect the Habs to be Cup contenders (well real Cup contenders) for at least a couple of years. So you have a 3 year window with Aho before he becomes a UFA and possibly leaves. I would rather have seen either a 4 year or 7 year deal. 3. Will Bergevin be blackballed for offer sheeting? I'm not sure it will happen, but it could affect his ability to make deals with other teams in the future. Habs are ways away from being contenders and will need other teams to deal with (because they keep striking out with top UFAs) to make the team better. Hopefully everything works out. Aho signs with the Habs and the Habs make the playoffs. Giving up a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd for Aho would be a steal. Hopefully the Habs are also able to win a Cup before his contract expires in 5 years.

I agree. The problem now is that they are already giving up a 1st (not guaranteed that it won't be a lottery pick) a 2nd and a 3rd. I wonder what more they have to cough up to get Carolina to walk away?

I wouldn't do this. Yakupov had a better rookie season and better offensive numbers overall during his career with the Oilers and was dealt for a 3rd and an ECHLer. I wouldn't give more than that for him. IMO, Puljujarvi never hits his ceiling. He's a middle six guy at best.

Would the picks all be in the same year? Are they next year's picks?

The value is better than what I thought. Good trade here for the Habs.

Thanks for the info.

Where can I find every team's development camp rosters? All I can find are random tidbits and a few rosters when I google it.

Florida had inquired about Lindgren last year when the injury bug struck. Maybe Lindgren is part of that deal instead of Hudon. Habs already have McNiven and Primeau signed, so adding a another goalie likely means Lindgren is waived anyway. Unless the goalie they bring in is worse than Lindgren or Lindgren shines in camp and steals the job from them. I also wouldn't mind getting one of Florida's decent prospects like Gilroy LD, Heponiemi C, Kolyachonok LD (seems unlikely considering they just drafted him last weekend), or Noel RW. I suppose we also have to factor in where the Habs want to spend their cap space. Reimer is an expensive backup compared to some of the UFA options. I would personally trade for him though if I was getting a 2nd rounder back or one of the prospects listed and didn't have to give up anything more than Hudon or Lindgren.