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37 minutes ago, dlbalr said:

Revisiting an older rumour, Elliotte Friedman had an update on the offer supposedly on the table for Zegras back at the draft.  Seems like the offer was Mailloux and the later first rounder for him.  But as we know, once Demidov fell, that was pulled.

 

https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks/latest-news/report-rumored-zegras-to-canadiens-trade-at-2024-draft-clarified

If we trade for him I want him renewed before demidov makes him a 70-point player. 4 years // 5M/year.

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2 minutes ago, Dalhabs said:

If we trade for him I want him renewed before demidov makes him a 70-point player. 4 years // 5M/year.

 

They pulled the offer when they got Demidov so they won't trade for him now.  And Zegras already makes $5.75M; he'll cost more than that in the 2026 offseason when his deal is up.

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2 hours ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

Two bad seasons in a row for Zegras. Maybe we dodged a bullet. On the other hand, he’d be better than whatever hole we currently have at #2C

HuGo do seem to like reclamation projects. 

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3 hours ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

Two bad seasons in a row for Zegras. Maybe we dodged a bullet. On the other hand, he’d be better than whatever hole we currently have at #2C

Yes, he would be better than that. But better than Hage + Mailloux?

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42 minutes ago, tomh009 said:

Yes, he would be better than that. But better than Hage + Mailloux?

 

Yes, fair point and I think Hughes has to try and figure out how good Hage will be. Could he be a future #2C?  If so then you look for stop gap until he is ready rather than going after a Zegras unless of course the price is right. 

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35 minutes ago, tomh009 said:

Yes, he would be better than that. But better than Hage + Mailloux?

No ... and that is why, apparently, when Hage was available HuGo lost interest in pursuing Zegras ... but I doubt that the cost would still be as high after a second disappointing season if they consider him an option. 

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13 minutes ago, Habs Fan in Edmonton said:

 

Yes, fair point and I think Hughes has to try and figure out how good Hage will be. Could he be a future #2C?  If so then you look for stop gap until he is ready rather than going after a Zegras unless of course the price is right. 

 

 

I like Hage.  But hes a prospect.  Hes promising but hes not Demidov, where its close to cant miss.  He could be the future second line centre or he could be nothing.  Its all on the table.

 

So what you do is dont put all the eggs in the Hage basket.  If you can get a ling term answer,,get it.  If you cant, and all you can get is a stop gap, this team needs a stop gap.

 

But if the plan is stop gap, you also have to keep building centre depth in the ranks so there are plans b, c, d if Hage doesnt reach 2nd line level.

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16 minutes ago, GHT120 said:

No ... and that is why, apparently, when Hage was available HuGo lost interest in pursuing Zegras ... but I doubt that the cost would still be as high after a second disappointing season if they consider him an option. 

 

If you listen to the Freidman and Basu podcasts on this, it wasnt because Hage was available that they moved on from Zegras.

 

It was cause they thought they were drafting someone else at 5 overall and Demidov was going 3.

 

When Sennecke went three and they got Demidov they changed plans on Zegras.

 

The org saw Demidov as a better version and felt having both zegras and demidov is redundant.

 

Once they could draft Demidov they are now looking for a different style of player entirely.

 

Doubt they are back in on Zegras at a cheaper price now.

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3 hours ago, Commandant said:

But if the plan is stop gap, you also have to keep building centre depth in the ranks so there are plans b, c, d if Hage doesnt reach 2nd line level.

Kapanen and Beck also have an (outside?) chance at turning into a 2C, right?

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29 minutes ago, tomh009 said:

Kapanen and Beck also have an (outside?) chance at turning into a 2C, right?

 

Yeah, can't rule it out 100% but I think its unlkely. 

Drafting more centre prospects is never a bad thing. They can always be converted to wing too. 

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4 hours ago, Commandant said:

 

If you listen to the Freidman and Basu podcasts on this, it wasnt because Hage was available that they moved on from Zegras.

 

It was cause they thought they were drafting someone else at 5 overall and Demidov was going 3.

 

When Sennecke went three and they got Demidov they changed plans on Zegras.

 

The org saw Demidov as a better version and felt having both zegras and demidov is redundant.

 

Once they could draft Demidov they are now looking for a different style of player entirely.

 

Doubt they are back in on Zegras at a cheaper price now.

 

What I don't get about this is the 'positional' aspect. Demidov is a LW, Zegras a C.

 

I'd guess that, at the time, they were just looking to add talent at FW. They probably thought Dach was the #2C so they weren't too fussy about position.

 

Now that Dach is a 220-lb question mark, wouldn't it be quite reasonable to circle back about Zegras? 

 

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1 minute ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

What I don't get about this is the 'positional' aspect. Demidov is a LW, Zegras a C.

 

I'd guess that, at the time, they were just looking to add talent at FW. They probably thought Dach was the #2C so they weren't too fussy about position.

 

Now that Dach is a 220-lb question mark, wouldn't it be quite reasonable to circle back about Zegras? 

 

 

Zegras has been playing a lot of wing in Anaheim with them going with McTavish, Carlsson and Strome down the middle. 

 

Do the Habs see him as a centre or a winger?

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I also think there is one very specific profile of player they are looking at to finish off the top 6, and its a guy who combines skill and physical play/grit.

 

We will see in the summer, but if they go hard after a guy like Sam Bennett that will confirm that they think such a player is the missing piece. 

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9 minutes ago, Commandant said:

I also think there is one very specific profile of player they are looking at to finish off the top 6, and its a guy who combines skill and physical play/grit.

 

We will see in the summer, but if they go hard after a guy like Sam Bennett that will confirm that they think such a player is the missing piece. 

If they do restrict themselves to that profile it would give them very limited options in the summer.

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4 minutes ago, tomh009 said:

If they do restrict themselves to that profile it would give them very limited options in the summer.

 

Thats the impression i got from the Demidov/Zegras discussion.  They feel like they've filled the role of a high skill forward with the move and are looking for something different in the final top 6 slot.  

I don't know for sure what that is.  Its my speculation though, looking at what we have and how they asked Slafkovsky to play more physical, that this is the profile they are looking for.  

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7 hours ago, Commandant said:

 

 

I like Hage.  But hes a prospect.  Hes promising but hes not Demidov, where its close to cant miss.  He could be the future second line centre or he could be nothing.  Its all on the table.

 

So what you do is dont put all the eggs in the Hage basket.  If you can get a ling term answer,,get it.  If you cant, and all you can get is a stop gap, this team needs a stop gap.

 

But if the plan is stop gap, you also have to keep building centre depth in the ranks so there are plans b, c, d if Hage doesnt reach 2nd line level.

We have a lot of picks and a lot of other prospects to use in a trade. At this point. I don't want to lose any of our potential future centre depth - Hage, Beck and Kapanan, as well as wingers like Roy. We have two firsts this year, multiple 2nds and 3rds. Tons of LHD prospects at the NHL and AHL - Xhejac, Engstrom, and vets like Matheson. We don't have that much room on LHD for everyone, unless we keep playing Hutson and Struble on the right side. 

 

No questions that we need a legit second line centre, but I especially don't want to give up a guy like Hage, who could be better than anyone we pick up - certainly not for Zegras. If anything, Zegras cost at his salary level should be dropping if we did want to roll the dice on him as a reclamation project. If we were offered a young high end centre for a package that included Hage sure, but I'm not moving him for a guy like Zegras or another reclamation project.

 

I also think with future contracts to Hutson and Demidov, we will need to have guys on entry level deals. Ideally, I'd like us to be moving picks, or one of our LHD over moving any centre prospects, or even Roy to fill the need at 2C this summer. If the last few games have shown anything, it's that we need guys who have skill and can score. Our top three forward prospects that have skill and potential to produce offence in pro hockey (not counting Demidov), are Kapanan, Beck and Roy, along with  Hage, who has at least one year of college left. I don't think we need to move any of them unless like i said, they are part of a package for a proven YOUNG offensive centre - which i really don't see happening.

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34 minutes ago, hab29RETIRED said:

 

 

I also think with future contracts to Hutson and Demidov, we will need to have guys on entry level deals. Ideally, I'd like us to be moving picks, or one of our LHD over moving any centre prospects, or even Roy to fill the need at 2C this summer. If the last few games have shown anything, it's that we need guys who have skill and can score. Our top three forward prospects that have skill and potential to produce offence in pro hockey (not counting Demidov), are Kapanan, Beck and Roy, along with  Hage, who has at least one year of college left. I don't think we need to move any of them unless like i said, they are part of a package for a proven YOUNG offensive centre - which i really don't see happening.

Yep. If demidov pans out plus hutson at 10+ per, there is going to be a need for entry level deals and quality drafting/development at hopefully 20th to 32nd pick range. Lets become the 90s red wings 2008 to 2023 bruins, 2018 to 2025 lightening.  Strong core with talent coming through the system at all times.

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12 hours ago, BCHabnut said:

Yep. If demidov pans out plus hutson at 10+ per, there is going to be a need for entry level deals and quality drafting/development at hopefully 20th to 32nd pick range. Lets become the 90s red wings 2008 to 2023 bruins, 2018 to 2025 lightening.  Strong core with talent coming through the system at all times.

 

This absolutely what has to happen. The early signs are promising.

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Dach

Mailloux

Matheson

CGY 1st pick 2025

MTL 1st pick 2026 (top 10 protected)

 

Barzal

Dobson

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Not really a rumour, but seems to fit best here
 

 

Yvon Lambert claims Kent Hughes asked him whether the Habs should get Sydney Crosby ... I have SERIOUS issues if Hughes is actually seeking advice from Yvon Lambert ... THAT said, ***if*** Crosby is on the market Hughes would be derelict in his duties to not inquire ... were Crosby to ask-for a trade, or OK Dubas looking to trade him, I doubt the list of possible destinations is long.

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LOL. Hughes was probably joking.

 

That said, I’m OK with short-term plug-and-play vets as a temporary solution for the hole at C. Perhaps better to acquire them as UFAs though. In the highly unlikely event that PITS trades Crosby, they will likely want a big return in terms of prospects. 

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3 minutes ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

LOL. Hughes was probably joking.

 

That said, I’m OK with short-term plug-and-play vets as a temporary solution for the hole at C. Perhaps better to acquire them as UFAs though. In the highly unlikely event that PITS trades Crosby, they will likely want a big return in terms of prospects. 

I agree they will want that, but given Crosby's NMC there will only be few teams bidding ... and he is still amongst the most productive centres in the NHL, so he would be worth quite a bit ... and he might well be more than a temporary solution ... I could see him extending for a year or two beyond this contract.

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1 hour ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

In the highly unlikely event that PITS trades Crosby, they will likely want a big return in terms of prospects. 

 

Yes, it will likely require a huge return. Crosby turns 38 this summer. At some point, likely very soon, he will start slowing down and it could happen quickly. I would be very nervous about giving a huge return for Crosby. 

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