Permanent Trade Proposal Thread

[TurdBurglar]

According to Friedman, teams have contacted Montreal about Xhekaj since he's playing in the AHL now.  Montreal have told those teams Xhekaj isn't available. 

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

Glad to hear the Habs are committed to Wifi. I don’t have the mystical belief in the importance of fighting shown by some of his defenders, but I do think he brings unique attributes that are hard to replace - incredibly tough, throws ‘em with the best, mean, with a cannonading shot, and has surprising hockey skills. Most importantly, his mindset appears to be perfect: self-confident, optimistic, nothing to lose. If we trade him, I think we’ll regret it, unless the return is disproportionate to what you’d it expect it to be, on paper.

 

So I believe in the kid and think he will have a long career. The question is: is he Kevin Bieksa Redux, or is he just a likeable bottom pairing guy mostly there for muscle? I really hope that, in demanding that he marinade in the minors, the Habs are targeting the first outcome.

[tomh009]

I should think that Bieksa 2.0 would be an achievable ceiling. Weber? That's a much bigger reach. But a Bieksa-level Xhekaj would be a very good outcome indeed.

[dlbalr]

2 hours ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

Glad to hear the Habs are committed to Wifi. I don’t have the mystical belief in the importance of fighting shown by some of his defenders, but I do think he brings unique attributes that are hard to replace - incredibly tough, throws ‘em with the best, mean, with a cannonading shot, and has surprising hockey skills. 

 

Just to pick up on the bolded point, Laval's game on Saturday is a good example of how little deterrent a fighter like Xhekaj can be.  One of Belleville's goons spent a lot of the game taking runs at guys in the hopes of provoking a fight with Xhekaj while their other one deliberately went after Laval's goalie after the whistle, sparking another fracas.  

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

1 hour ago, dlbalr said:

 

Just to pick up on the bolded point, Laval's game on Saturday is a good example of how little deterrent a fighter like Xhekaj can be.  One of Belleville's goons spent a lot of the game taking runs at guys in the hopes of provoking a fight with Xhekaj while their other one deliberately went after Laval's goalie after the whistle, sparking another fracas.  

 

I don't think you can compare the AHL to the NHL when talking about deterrents. Guys aren't going to be deterred in the AHL because they are looking to make a name for themselves no matter what so maybe they get called up or establish a reputation. Of course they want to provoke a fight with Arber so somebody notices. As soon as he got sent down tough guys on other teams were looking at their schedule. 

[Commandant]

There is no detterence.  There is just revenge after something happens.

[GHT120]

1 hour ago, Commandant said:

There is no detterence.  There is just revenge after something happens.

1,000,000%

[GHT120]

1 hour ago, Habs Fan in Edmonton said:

I don't think you can compare the AHL to the NHL when talking about deterrents. Guys aren't going to be deterred in the AHL because they are looking to make a name for themselves no matter what so maybe they get called up or establish a reputation. Of course they want to provoke a fight with Arber so somebody notices. As soon as he got sent down tough guys on other teams were looking at their schedule. 

Marginal NHL guys are just as desperate to stay in the NHL as AHLers are to get to the NHL.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

4 hours ago, tomh009 said:

I should think that Bieksa 2.0 would be an achievable ceiling. Weber? That's a much bigger reach. But a Bieksa-level Xhekaj would be a very good outcome indeed.

 

I don't think anyone thinks he can be the next Weber (!!). Weber was one of the top 20 defencemen of his era. He's not going to be that. 

 

To my mind, the future for Wifi is one of the following:

 

1. Marginal NHLer/excellent AHLer

2. Bottom-pairing guy

3. Top-4 , Bieksa-type.

 

If I had to lay odds, I would say something like 50% #2, 35% #3, 15% #1. But who knows, I could be way off.

[alfredoh2009]

I’ve been watching the Laval games. During some of those fights ( the Mailloux fight, for example ) , Xhekaj was on the ice, he picked up the gloves and stick to get them out of the way in case they tripped.

 

McKay went after Imama and later when Imama took that stupid penalty, it allowed the Rocket to seal the win.

Having Xhekaj there didn’t prevent the fight but it kept them in-check from getting to an uneven brawl.

 

It was interesting to see how the two coaches used their players to navigate the night. I am sure having Xhekaj helped guys like McKay, Mailloux, Maillet, Anderson, Gignac continue playing their game without a concern they would get run over by Imama if they finished their checks. 
Saulnier’s stupid play didn’t escalate because the Rocket players knew they didn’t need to fight for clean plays. It cut down on attempts to injure

 

They have 6 games left in the season; I am curious to see how those games will play out if Xhekaj is not in Laval anymore

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

2 hours ago, Commandant said:

There is no detterence.  There is just revenge after something happens.

 

Perhaps, but I don't mind a little revenge if a Tom Wilson takes a run at one of our talented guys. 

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

33 minutes ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

I don't think anyone thinks he can be the next Weber (!!). Weber was one of the top 20 defencemen of his era. He's not going to be that. 

 

To my mind, the future for Wifi is one of the following:

 

1. Marginal NHLer/excellent AHLer

2. Bottom-pairing guy

3. Top-4 , Bieksa-type.

 

If I had to lay odds, I would say something like 50% #2, 35% #3, 15% #1. But who knows, I could be way off.

 

I would say the odds of #1 are 10% and #3 would be 50% and #2 40% but you are pretty close.  There is a reason a lot of teams came calling when Arber was sent to the minors. 

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

51 minutes ago, GHT120 said:

Marginal NHL guys are just as desperate to stay in the NHL as AHLers are to get to the NHL.

 

But marginal NHL guys have to be more careful, take a bad penalty and you might be glued to the bench, pick on the wrong guy and your tough guy image is over.  AHL tough guys can just throw a lot more shit at the fan and see if something sticks. 

[GHT120]

18 minutes ago, Habs Fan in Edmonton said:

Perhaps, but I don't mind a little revenge if a Tom Wilson takes a run at one of our talented guys. 

Fair enough ... but the "deterrence" argument is pure malarky.

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

6 minutes ago, GHT120 said:

Fair enough ... but the "deterrence" argument is pure malarky.

 

The deterrent effect might be a little overrated but I wouldn't call pure malarky either. 

[hab29RETIRED]

2 hours ago, Commandant said:

There is no detterence.  There is just revenge after something happens.

100% agree. Sometimes revenge brings some level of satisfaction, other times you have incidents like McSorley or Bertuzzi.  
 

only way to really get stupidity and cheap shots out other game, is the league to take a stance by having harsher dislike. Starting point is not to have not to have goon clowns like Parros in charge of discipline. If the goon honey after Laval’s goalie got 5 to 10 games suspension, that would take those type of cheap shots out the game. If you cross heck someone on the back of the head and the penalty for first time offenders is 5 game suspension, that will increase to 10 games for thr second infraction., and a coach gets 5 games, those types of penalties would be real deterrents.  
 

[hab29RETIRED]

1 hour ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

I don't think anyone thinks he can be the next Weber (!!). Weber was one of the top 20 defencemen of his era. He's not going to be that. 

 

To my mind, the future for Wifi is one of the following:

 

1. Marginal NHLer/excellent AHLer

2. Bottom-pairing guy

3. Top-4 , Bieksa-type.

 

If I had to lay odds, I would say something like 50% #2, 35% #3, 15% #1. But who knows, I could be way off.

I’d say he can be better than Bieksa. Has a better shot, and moves the puck well. Question is how his hockey sense is, and how he improves his reads of when to go for the big hit, and when to play a controlled and disciplined game.

[Prime Minister Koivu]

Likely a summer deal but I propose we trade Anderson for Dubois straight up. 
 

Third line centre or perhaps he would fit on Suzuki’s wing. 

[GHT120]

1 minute ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

Likely a summer deal but I propose we trade Anderson for Dubois straight up. 
 

Third line centre or perhaps he would fit on Suzuki’s wing. 

Or Dach's wing.

 

If the LAKs don't make the playoffs, it will mark 6 misses and 4 first-round exits since their last Cup ... if PLD is deemed to have played a significant role, Blake ***could*** be in trouble.

[hab29RETIRED]

4 hours ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

Likely a summer deal but I propose we trade Anderson for Dubois straight up. 
 

Third line centre or perhaps he would fit on Suzuki’s wing. 

PLD seems like a - I play when I feel like it type of player. Seems to have worn out his welcome on his third team. I don’t think I’d want to risk a 7 year deal on him. If he plays like that in Montreal he will get ripped in the media and booed by the fans. Personally, I think we dodged a bullet, and I don’t think I’d want to risk having another Drouin type basket case.

[Prime Minister Koivu]

2 hours ago, hab29RETIRED said:

PLD seems like a - I play when I feel like it type of player. Seems to have worn out his welcome on his third team. I don’t think I’d want to risk a 7 year deal on him. If he plays like that in Montreal he will get ripped in the media and booed by the fans. Personally, I think we dodged a bullet, and I don’t think I’d want to risk having another Drouin type basket case.

Fair concerns for sure. 
 

I will say that Anderson is no prize this year either. The advanced stats for EVERY line he plays on tanks to terrible levels - even Suzuki and Caufield turn to garbage when Anderson is on their line. 
 

Anderson is cheaper but still under contract for a while and PLD has more to offer - if he can turn it around…

 

PLD would be under pressure in Montreal by the fans to play hard. He would get no peace anywhere he goes if he did play for the Habs and was lazy. 
 

Again, you have legit concerns but I look at this proposal as a struggling player for a struggling player. 

[hab29RETIRED]

3 hours ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

Fair concerns for sure. 
 

I will say that Anderson is no prize this year either. The advanced stats for EVERY line he plays on tanks to terrible levels - even Suzuki and Caufield turn to garbage when Anderson is on their line. 
 

Anderson is cheaper but still under contract for a while and PLD has more to offer - if he can turn it around…

 

PLD would be under pressure in Montreal by the fans to play hard. He would get no peace anywhere he goes if he did play for the Habs and was lazy. 
 

Again, you have legit concerns but I look at this proposal as a struggling player for a struggling player. 

Oh I totally agree that PLD has way more upside, but has 7 years left vs three for Anderson. Anderson is also easier to trade after 2 yrs, because his actual salary is a lot lower.

 

By the time we are ready to compete (hopefully), Anderson is off the books, whereas if PLD is a bust we are really screwed.

 

in any event, I can’t see the kings giving up on PLD this early.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

48 minutes ago, hab29RETIRED said:

Oh I totally agree that PLD has way more upside, but has 7 years left vs three for Anderson. Anderson is also easier to trade after 2 yrs, because his actual salary is a lot lower.

 

By the time we are ready to compete (hopefully), Anderson is off the books, whereas if PLD is a bust we are really screwed.

 

in any event, I can’t see the kings giving up on PLD this early.

 

I’ll admit, I think I would make that trade. Your assessment of the risks isn’t wrong, though, and it would be a bit of a Hail Mary move.

 

So much of the rebuild comes down to Dach - and Dach has to be rated a total X factor at this point. Imagine if he is the new Brunet, perpetually injured; what happens to the Habs at C? Imagine if the guy we think he is turns out to be a mirage, as was the case with KK and Eller; what happens to the Habs at C? PLD would give us one, potentially very impressive, answer to that question.

 

I don’t think LA would make the trade, though, so it’s moot.  

[GHT120]

2 hours ago, hab29RETIRED said:

in any event, I can’t see the kings giving up on PLD this early.

 

1 hour ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

I don’t think LA would make the trade, though, so it’s moot.  

 

I expect not, at least as long as the GM who traded for him is in charge ... next fall will be 29 years since Philip Anschutz and Edward P. Roski took ownership of the Kings ... Blake is only the third GM they hired, so they do not seem to have been impatient "meddlers" ... Dave Taylor lasted 9 years, Dean Lombardi 11 years and this is Blake's 7th season ... on the other hand, Anschutz is 84 and Roski is 85 ... so, they could be anxious for another serious Cup run.

[DON]

I would imagine the likelihood Dubois is traded this season, is less than zero.

 

From rumour thread about Rangers as landing spot for Monahan.

 

Monahan & a 2nd (Rangers dont have either their 2025-26 2nd picks) for Gabe Perreault, 36pts 23games as NCAA rookie. 

 

Cant see the Rangers trading Perreault, but he is a pretty shifty & skilled forward who might help Habs offense, so maybe Hughes could coerce Drury into a deal.