Permanent Rumour Thread

[hab29RETIRED]

6 hours ago, Commandant said:

 

How many kids playing centre in juniors end up making it as wingers in the pros?\

How many centres vs defencemen bust? is it equal?

How many become top 6 centres, how many become top 4 D?

 

You make these proclamations but you don't consider that your methodolgy could be flawed. 

 

Instead of looking at the draft, look at the NHL right now..... top 6 Cs are the most sought after commodity.  Top 4 RHD are second.  Its close, but thats what teams are looking for. 

But you ignored the main part.... nothing can be a pretty safe bet that we will have to pay more to replace Mailloux, than what Mailloux is worth if you can't tell me....1 ) What is the trade? and 2) Does Mailloux develop into a top 4 Dman?  

Wihtout a crystal ball, declaring something a pretty safe bet with so many unknowns is a fools errand.

 

 

Thats why we discuss proposed trades with players on both sides, so we know what we are getting in return.  Not some guess that we are going to lose a trade without even knowing what is acquired. 

Well, it was reported Mailloux was going to be traded for Zegras , until Demidov was available (I’m not sure if that was also supposed to include the Hage pick), and on Mariano, one of the guests said that Philly and a couple other teams offered a 1st rounder for Xhejac.

 

if we don’t get any other centre, is Zegras for Mailloux a good deal based on future projection of both players and Zegras current salary and style of play?

 

if we get offered a first again for Xhejac, is it worth risking he can be Odelin or better?

[Commandant]

34 minutes ago, hab29RETIRED said:

Well, it was reported Mailloux was going to be traded for Zegras , until Demidov was available (I’m not sure if that was also supposed to include the Hage pick), and on Mariano, one of the guests said that Philly and a couple other teams offered a 1st rounder for Xhejac.

 

if we don’t get any other centre, is Zegras for Mailloux a good deal based on future projection of both players and Zegras current salary and style of play?

 

if we get offered a first again for Xhejac, is it worth risking he can be Odelin or better?

 

Again. Youve brought up this rumour several times and Brian or I have had to correct it several times now.  They didnt offer a first rounder for Xhekaj.

 

They offered a prospect who was previously drafted in the first round for Xhekaj.  (Its assumed that was Morgan Frost but could have been Cam York).

 

The difference is us offering the 16th overall pick, or us offering Filip Mesar in a trade.  They dont have the same value.  A former first round pick who is struggling in development is not the same value as a first round pick where you can pick the player.

 

So no I dont think anyone is offering a current first round pick for him.

[Commandant]

Also i think Zegras is a winger and not a centre.  Defence isnt good enough, and hes now two seasons removed from the promising offensive year.  Hes not a guy i want to play with Demidov.

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

1 hour ago, Commandant said:

 

Again. Youve brought up this rumour several times and Brian or I have had to correct it several times now.  They didnt offer a first rounder for Xhekaj.

 

They offered a prospect who was previously drafted in the first round for Xhekaj.  (Its assumed that was Morgan Frost but could have been Cam York).

 

The difference is us offering the 16th overall pick, or us offering Filip Mesar in a trade.  They dont have the same value.  A former first round pick who is struggling in development is not the same value as a first round pick where you can pick the player.

 

So no I dont think anyone is offering a current first round pick for him.

 

I have heard rumours of the Habs being offered a 1st for Arber. Can't remember where I heard it and who really knows what the Habs may or may not have been offered for him. Rumours are just that, rumours. 

 

It is a good question of whether you would take a 1st rounder for Arber. I think his value has slipped a bit and I assume we would be talking of a late 1st rounder. The potential is there for Arber to turn into a valuable player but he has some work to do. A 1st round pick, especially late 1st rounders, don't always work out, not sure what the % is. 

[Commandant]

5 minutes ago, Habs Fan in Edmonton said:

 

I have heard rumours of the Habs being offered a 1st for Arber. Can't remember where I heard it and who really knows what the Habs may or may not have been offered for him. Rumours are just that, rumours. 

 

It is a good question of whether you would take a 1st rounder for Arber. I think his value has slipped a bit and I assume we would be talking of a late 1st rounder. The potential is there for Arber to turn into a valuable player but he has some work to do. A 1st round pick, especially late 1st rounders, don't always work out, not sure what the % is. 

 

Many people have mis-reported this 1st rounder rumour... but they have all taken it from the same source (Dave Pagnotta)

 

The original article that the source of all of this is here. 

 

https://www.thefourthperiod.com/pagnotta/kings-reaching-breaking-point

 

• Teams have not only called the Montreal Canadiens about rugged defenceman Arber Xhekaj, but some have also pitched offers. In fact, word is the Habs received an offer for a young NHL forward, a former first-round pick, with second-line potential. Montreal declined."

 

That is the direct quote of the original rumour. 

 

 

Former first rounder, with second line potential. 

All signs pointed to the Flyers offering Morgan Frost. 

 

I doubt teams are offering first rounders today.  If they were we should bite their hands off to take that offer. 

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

As per my query, I found the answer. 

 

https://thehockeywriters.com/success-rates-of-nhl-draft-picks/

 

For example the 26th pick has a 60% chance of playing 100+ NHL games and a 38% chance of playing 300 + NHL. 

games. 

 

Arber has already played 165 NHL games. Would you take the 26th pick for him. I would say NO but others likely have a different opinion. 

 

[Commandant]

2 minutes ago, Habs Fan in Edmonton said:

As per my query, I found the answer. 

 

https://thehockeywriters.com/success-rates-of-nhl-draft-picks/

 

For example the 26th pick has a 60% chance of playing 100+ NHL games and a 38% chance of playing 300 + NHL. 

games. 

 

Arber has already played 165 NHL games. Would you take the 26th pick for him. I would say NO but others likely have a different opinion. 

 

 

Yes, cause I'd take the chance that I picked a player whose games would be of higher calibre than being a third pairing defender who is fighting Jayden Struble for ice time. 

 

I can find 3rd pairing defenders and fighters cheap in free agency.  

 

People say Xhekaj has potential for top 4, but based on three NHL seasons, I think he is close to his ceiling now.  That's a third pairing/7th D kind of guy, who doesn't play on either special teams unit, and is there mainly for his fighting skills. 

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

3 minutes ago, Commandant said:

 

Many people have mis-reported this 1st rounder rumour... but they have all taken it from the same source (Dave Pagnotta)

 

The original article that the source of all of this is here. 

 

https://www.thefourthperiod.com/pagnotta/kings-reaching-breaking-point

 

• Teams have not only called the Montreal Canadiens about rugged defenceman Arber Xhekaj, but some have also pitched offers. In fact, word is the Habs received an offer for a young NHL forward, a former first-round pick, with second-line potential. Montreal declined."

 

That is the direct quote of the original rumour. 

 

 

Former first rounder, with second line potential. 

All signs pointed to the Flyers offering Morgan Frost. 

 

I doubt teams are offering first rounders today.  If they were we should bite their hands off to take that offer. 

 

I am aware of this rumour, but there have been others and this one did clearly say a former 1st round pick. Just can't remember exactly where I heard it. 

[GHT120]

9 minutes ago, Habs Fan in Edmonton said:

 

I am aware of this rumour, but there have been others and this one did clearly say a former 1st round pick. Just can't remember exactly where I heard it. 

I think Pagnotta's report is the most reliable ... others may well have been a misinterpretation of his report.

[Commandant]

3 minutes ago, GHT120 said:

I think Pagnotta's report is the most reliable ... others may well have been a misinterpretation of his report.

 

Pagnotta's report was first and everyone else came after it.  It was the one that broke the news. 

[hab29RETIRED]

2 hours ago, Commandant said:

 

Again. Youve brought up this rumour several times and Brian or I have had to correct it several times now.  They didnt offer a first rounder for Xhekaj.

 

They offered a prospect who was previously drafted in the first round for Xhekaj.  (Its assumed that was Morgan Frost but could have been Cam York).

 

The difference is us offering the 16th overall pick, or us offering Filip Mesar in a trade.  They dont have the same value.  A former first round pick who is struggling in development is not the same value as a first round pick where you can pick the player.

 

So no I dont think anyone is offering a current first round pick for him.

On a recent Mariano podcast the guest he had on, specifically said that he knows Philly offered a 1st rounder and there were a couple of other teams that also interested, but the Habs didn’t want to move him at that time.

[GHT120]

8 minutes ago, hab29RETIRED said:

On a recent Mariano podcast the guest he had on, specifically said that he knows Philly offered a 1st rounder and there were a couple of other teams that also interested, but the Habs didn’t want to move him at that time.

And a Marinaro guest is clearly a Pulitzer candidate ... I tend to feel, as I said above, that the actual first round pick rumours were all misinterpretations of Pagnotta.

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

6 minutes ago, GHT120 said:

And a Marinaro guest is clearly a Pulitzer candidate ... I tend to feel, as I said above, that the actual first round pick rumours were all misinterpretations of Pagnotta.

Misinterpretations of old rumours. Starting to sound like Habs fans are starving for some Habs news. Lol Marinaro has some good guests.

[dlbalr]

From Pierre LeBrun: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6420007/2025/06/11/nhl-trades-free-agency-kreider-marchand-tavares/?source=emp_shared_article

 

- Habs not believed to be seriously in on Rossi

- Islanders have told Horvat and Barzal they won't be dealt (so cross them off the wish list)

[hab29RETIRED]

2 hours ago, Commandant said:

 

Pagnotta's report was first and everyone else came after it.  It was the one that broke the news. 

Actually it is pagnotta on the June 9 Mariano podcast that said that a year ago they turned down a first round pick for xhejac -

no mention of a prospect. When asked which teams were interested, he said Philly was one of them, but the Habs still believed in Xhejac and were not interested in moving him.

 

[Commandant]

Ill take his written report at the time over his memory a year and a half later.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

5 hours ago, hab29RETIRED said:

You’re forgetting one huge difference. Souray played with Markov. Beaulieu did not. Would Souray or Komisarik become the players they were without playing with Markov. Without Markov they were shit.

 

It was crazy how Markov elevated his partners. He single-handedly made Komisarek a very rich man. The General was, very quietly, a magisterial player.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

1 hour ago, GHT120 said:

And a Marinaro guest is clearly a Pulitzer candidate ... I tend to feel, as I said above, that the actual first round pick rumours were all misinterpretations of Pagnotta.

 

Marinaro is an idiot. That doesn’t mean his guest is, but I tend to discount anything coming from the vicinity of that blatherskite. 

 

1 hour ago, dlbalr said:

From Pierre LeBrun: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6420007/2025/06/11/nhl-trades-free-agency-kreider-marchand-tavares/?source=emp_shared_article

 

- Habs not believed to be seriously in on Rossi

- Islanders have told Horvat and Barzal they won't be dealt (so cross them off the wish list)

 

I’m hearing lots of Rossi rumours in Van. I have a feeling there’s fire to go with all that smoke.

 

[hab29RETIRED]

9 minutes ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

Marinaro is an idiot. That doesn’t mean his guest is, but I tend to discount anything coming from the vicinity of that blatherskite. 

 

 

I’m hearing lots of Rossi rumours in Van. I have a feeling there’s fire to go with all that smoke.

 

Can they afford to have two smallish/light centres? Patterson is 6,2” but only 176lb, and Rossi is 5’9” 182lb, so he onvoupslynuas

mote muscle, but still not that big by Naval standards (that was exactly my height and weight during my mid-twenties when I was in the best shape of my life, before I started dealing with auto-immune issues. I’m only 162lb now at 54).

 

Have they gotten so desperate, that roster construction doesn’t matter? Hughes is not a big guy either. You can’t have all of your best players being undersized. Big mistake not paying Horvat when they could have.

 

only way I see this making sense, is if they are looking to move Patterson. But not much that the Canucks have done since getting rid of Linden has made a lot of sense.

[DON]

 Cant remember who wrote it; but Guhle's name came up most often when discussing valued young players, when talking to opposing teams staffs about the Habs.

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

29 minutes ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

It was crazy how Markov elevated his partners. He single-handedly made Komisarek a very rich man. The General was, very quietly, a magisterial player.

 

There is little doubt that Markov was the perfect partner for Komisarek. It allowed Komy to play a simple game and let Markov worry about moving the puck. Then Komisarek took the big bucks in Toronto, tried to do too much and was completely lost. 

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

11 hours ago, hab29RETIRED said:

Can they afford to have two smallish/light centres? Patterson is 6,2” but only 176lb, and Rossi is 5’9” 182lb, so he onvoupslynuas

mote muscle, but still not that big by Naval standards (that was exactly my height and weight during my mid-twenties when I was in the best shape of my life, before I started dealing with auto-immune issues. I’m only 162lb now at 54).

 

Have they gotten so desperate, that roster construction doesn’t matter? Hughes is not a big guy either. You can’t have all of your best players being undersized. Big mistake not paying Horvat when they could have.

 

only way I see this making sense, is if they are looking to move Patterson. But not much that the Canucks have done since getting rid of Linden has made a lot of sense.

 

Don’t want to hijack the thread and make it about the Canuckleheads, but while I tend to agree with your analysis, I think the Canucks are indeed desperate. The general sense in Van is that everything the organization does in the summer of 2025 will be based on one objective: to convince Quinn Hughes to re-sign in two years. Which means icing a playoff-worthy, competitive roster ASAP. 

 

You may be right that Rossi is not a top-6 C you can win the Cup with, unless you have a Kopitar-like stud #1C with size and physicality. Rossi would, however, make them a significantly better team, and that may be all they care about right now. Because Hughes.

 

Re: Horvat, I thought they were smart not to sign him to that deal. But then the Miller-Pettersson feud spun out of control and out of desperation they traded JT for a song. And now the cap has exploded. 

 

I understand why they kept Pettersson, but suspect that keeping Miller would have been the smarter play. And Miller-Horvat would be a Cup-worthy duo down the middle.

 

The trouble with moving Pettersson now, meanwhile, is that you’re also trading him as a distressed asset. It also contradicts the likely goal of getting better NOW because of Hughes (since you’re probably getting junk or futures back for him). They may have no choice but to cross their fingers and hope he returns to form.

 

Sorry for the Van detour, but I find the Canucks’ current dilemma fascinating. It’s one of the toughest managerial puzzles I can recall seeing (closest I can think of is when Tkatchuk and Gaudreau wanted out of Calgary). 

 

 

 

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

10 hours ago, DON said:

 Cant remember who wrote it; but Guhle's name came up most often when discussing valued young players, when talking to opposing teams staffs about the Habs.

 

 Hard no, unless the return is an overpay. Although I suppose it depends on how we feel about him at RD vs LD. If we’re happy with him as RD he is basically indispensable. 

[DON]

12 minutes ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

 Hard no, unless the return is an overpay. Although I suppose it depends on how we feel about him at RD vs LD. If we’re happy with him as RD he is basically indispensable. 

Not really proposing trading him and shouldnt be surprising other teams are eyeing him up.

BUT... 1st pick & Guhle might get nice return and Habs kinda have bit of logjam on left side, especially if do extend Matheson.

Would much prefer to see Mailloux & 1st package dealt long before instead.

 

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

10 minutes ago, DON said:

Not really proposing trading him and shouldnt be surprising other teams are eyeing him up.

BUT... 1st pick & Guhle might get nice return and Habs kinda have bit of logjam on left side, especially if do extend Matheson.

Would much prefer to see Mailloux & 1st package dealt long before instead.

 

 

Indeed. It all depends on whether we plan to use him as RD or LD. If the latter, then he would be a painful piece to trade, but worthwhile if we get a stud C back.