Trade Deadline 2025

[dlbalr]

33 minutes ago, Butterface said:

As for Dobes’ papering down… and no goalie back up replacing Dobes to NHL…. I assume it is because we didn’t have a game on deadline day like other teams. So we didn’t have to worry about dressing a second goalie last night. Dobes’ papering down and then back up for today did not affect our line up.

 

If we had had a game last night we would have had to have a back-up. So it was an easy papering down for Doby. Now if we don’t make the NHL playoffs we have 4 choices for the AHL crease should Fowler turn pro. Dobes, Primeau, C. Hughes and Fowler. Two of those goalies are not in our immediate plans…. Who should the AHL PLAYOFF experience be given to ?

 

I've been trying to dig around on the 2 G thing and it might have been that they were still at 20 players on the roster that allowed them to sneak that in.  Roster rules aren't based on whether there's a game that day.

 

As for who gets the playoff experience, whoever has the hot hand.  Once the playoffs start, the focus shifts more toward winning than individual development as the more they win, the further they go which is development in itself.  I'm sure Dobes will get a look at some point (I could see him being sent down late in the NHL regular season to get a few games in there) but if he's faltering and Primeau does well, it's Primeau's net to run with. 

 

I'm not convinced Fowler will turn pro; I expect a lot will depend on how his team fares in the Frozen Four.  If he does and burns a year off his contract, then he's not eligible to play in Laval (like Hutson last year).  If he signs a future deal (starting in 25-26) making him eligible to play in Laval, the logic above is still the same.  Whoever has the hot hand runs with it.

[DON]

She is in the minority with take on deadline, i am sure.

 

I am good waiting till draft day/July for Hughes to add, maybe a #2 centre and/or top pairing RH-d.

 

The Habs approach to the 2025 trade deadline was a head scratcher – Hab At Her

"For the first time in his tenure, General Manager Kent Hughes failed to capitalize on an important window of change for the Habs."

[Commandant]

The issue was my understanding was you had to.have two goalies at all times, not even just game days.  This is why they couldnt send Dobes to play in the AHL during the 4 nations.

 

Im not sure if there is an exception for the paper move for AHL purposes 

[xXx..CK..xXx]

My preference would have been to add a piece at the deadline but I am not heavily complaining. I am simply glad we didn’t trade away players on our team who have more value to us than they would have returned on the open market. Especially while we are in a playoff race.
 

Everyone has their preconceived notion of what the Habs are capable of but always planning for the future and never living in the present seems to be a modern day sport disease. I don’t believe there are many instances where a team like let’s say (as an example) Florida said in 2020 that they need to plan everything for 2024 because that will be the year they win the cup. There’s a little bit more to it that, including at the most basic level, puck luck and bounces.
 

As much as people hate the saying that “anything can happen” once a team makes the playoffs, I’ve seen so many people have 2,3,4,5 year plans for a team and I am certain the amount of teams that win in the “expected year” is so very slim. All that happens then, is another 3 year window begins. I believe that if someone running an organization has that mindset, it could be extremely dangerous. Never win a championship style. Sometimes, you do have to go for it even when things aren’t perfect.

 

I am not saying there was an appropriate answer this deadline but I definitely do understand the mentality that doing something at the deadline can be viewed as better than nothing. I agree that after a team like Florida makes the additions they made, and a team like the Habs stand put, should the Habs make the playoffs, what are their chances to actually do some damage?

 

It gives even more reason for people who wanted to sell to still view the team in such a manner and complain that we didn’t.

 

If we can’t do any damage, or the GM doesn’t help the team, then why didn’t we sell a piece or two? (Even though that’s not what I wanted) 

 

I don’t feel there’s any blame here and I made it through the deadline relatively happy we didn’t lose anything. We acquired Laine for this year and Carrier later in the year and resigning Evans means we have a player that we may have lost otherwise. Hughes could twist that in a manner to say that we do have a player for the run that we wouldn’t have had and so while we didn’t add anything, we didn’t lose anything. Team morale will be high for the final quarter of the regular season. In the end though, if they added a quality piece, team morale would have been even higher.

 

At the end of the day, after the deadline I am more happy to be a Habs fan than a team like:

 

Boston

Philadelphia

 

Can’t expect to make pickups like:

 

Colorado

Dallas

Tampa

Florida

Leafs

etc.

 

… and even a team like Ottawa who made some decent moves had their Captain hurt by the loss of Norris so team morale isn’t necessarily higher. 

 

Finally, a team like Carolina who takes the type of risks that I was stating earlier could be a good thing, ended up creating a weird vibe within their organization by doing so.

 

There’s no perfect answer and even though as a fan it would have been nice to add a piece (just in general it’s always nice to add a contributing player) when considering everything including intangibles and behind the scenes elements, sometimes standing pat can be the correct answer as well. 

[Commandant]

You dont plan for a specific year.

 

You plan to open up a window that will last for a long time.  

 

Winning a championship takes some luck.  Your best bet to maximize chances of success is to be a top 6 or 7 team in the league for multiple years and hope one of those years the bounces, matchups, and injury luck go your way.

 

Thats a much better plan than selling assets to be a 2nd wild card and hoping for a miracle.

[Prime Minister Koivu]

17 minutes ago, Commandant said:

The issue was my understanding was you had to.have two goalies at all times, not even just game days.  This is why they couldnt send Dobes to play in the AHL during the 4 nations.

 

Im not sure if there is an exception for the paper move for AHL purposes 

 

1 hour ago, dlbalr said:

 

I've been trying to dig around on the 2 G thing and it might have been that they were still at 20 players on the roster that allowed them to sneak that in.  Roster rules aren't based on whether there's a game that day.

 

As for who gets the playoff experience, whoever has the hot hand.  Once the playoffs start, the focus shifts more toward winning than individual development as the more they win, the further they go which is development in itself.  I'm sure Dobes will get a look at some point (I could see him being sent down late in the NHL regular season to get a few games in there) but if he's faltering and Primeau does well, it's Primeau's net to run with. 

 

I'm not convinced Fowler will turn pro; I expect a lot will depend on how his team fares in the Frozen Four.  If he does and burns a year off his contract, then he's not eligible to play in Laval (like Hutson last year).  If he signs a future deal (starting in 25-26) making him eligible to play in Laval, the logic above is still the same.  Whoever has the hot hand runs with it.

Technically any player can play goalie that is on the roster. 
 

Perhaps that’s how they got around the 2 goalie rule?

 

 

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

1 hour ago, Commandant said:

You dont plan for a specific year.

 

You plan to open up a window that will last for a long time.  

 

Winning a championship takes some luck.  Your best bet to maximize chances of success is to be a top 6 or 7 team in the league for multiple years and hope one of those years the bounces, matchups, and injury luck go your way.

 

Thats a much better plan than selling assets to be a 2nd wild card and hoping for a miracle.

 

100%

[hab29RETIRED]

1 hour ago, xXx..CK..xXx said:

My preference would have been to add a piece at the deadline but I am not heavily complaining. I am simply glad we didn’t trade away players on our team who have more value to us than they would have returned on the open market. Especially while we are in a playoff race.
 

Everyone has their preconceived notion of what the Habs are capable of but always planning for the future and never living in the present seems to be a modern day sport disease. I don’t believe there are many instances where a team like let’s say (as an example) Florida said in 2020 that they need to plan everything for 2024 because that will be the year they win the cup. There’s a little bit more to it that, including at the most basic level, puck luck and bounces.
 

As much as people hate the saying that “anything can happen” once a team makes the playoffs, I’ve seen so many people have 2,3,4,5 year plans for a team and I am certain the amount of teams that win in the “expected year” is so very slim. All that happens then, is another 3 year window begins. I believe that if someone running an organization has that mindset, it could be extremely dangerous. Never win a championship style. Sometimes, you do have to go for it even when things aren’t perfect.

 

I am not saying there was an appropriate answer this deadline but I definitely do understand the mentality that doing something at the deadline can be viewed as better than nothing. I agree that after a team like Florida makes the additions they made, and a team like the Habs stand put, should the Habs make the playoffs, what are their chances to actually do some damage?

 

It gives even more reason for people who wanted to sell to still view the team in such a manner and complain that we didn’t.

 

If we can’t do any damage, or the GM doesn’t help the team, then why didn’t we sell a piece or two? (Even though that’s not what I wanted) 

 

I don’t feel there’s any blame here and I made it through the deadline relatively happy we didn’t lose anything. We acquired Laine for this year and Carrier later in the year and resigning Evans means we have a player that we may have lost otherwise. Hughes could twist that in a manner to say that we do have a player for the run that we wouldn’t have had and so while we didn’t add anything, we didn’t lose anything. Team morale will be high for the final quarter of the regular season. In the end though, if they added a quality piece, team morale would have been even higher.

 

At the end of the day, after the deadline I am more happy to be a Habs fan than a team like:

 

Boston

Philadelphia

 

Can’t expect to make pickups like:

 

Colorado

Dallas

Tampa

Florida

Leafs

etc.

 

… and even a team like Ottawa who made some decent moves had their Captain hurt by the loss of Norris so team morale isn’t necessarily higher. 

 

Finally, a team like Carolina who takes the type of risks that I was stating earlier could be a good thing, ended up creating a weird vibe within their organization by doing so.

 

There’s no perfect answer and even though as a fan it would have been nice to add a piece (just in general it’s always nice to add a contributing player) when considering everything including intangibles and behind the scenes elements, sometimes standing pat can be the correct answer as well. 

It didn’t make sense for us to add a player, unless:

1 - it was someone who would be here 2-3 years (ie don’t waste assets on a rental)

2 - fill an immediate structural need - legit 2C\RHD who has potential to be a top 3 dman, or at least top 4 and is an upgrade on Carierre (bridge gap between Hage, or Reinbacher/Mailloux).

3 - be a prospect who has the potential to be a big part of our future.

4 - would not be overpaying for a quick fix or a bandaid solution.

 

i would have preferred to actually have moved one of Armia unless he signed to a reasonable (around 50% reduction), or Dvorak. And definitely would have wanted to move Savard. But I get that the Guhle and Dach injury probably limited the ability to move Savard and Dvorak.

 

[Butterface]

6 hours ago, dlbalr said:

 

I've been trying to dig around on the 2 G thing and it might have been that they were still at 20 players on the roster that allowed them to sneak that in.  Roster rules aren't based on whether there's a game that day.

 

As for who gets the playoff experience, whoever has the hot hand.  Once the playoffs start, the focus shifts more toward winning than individual development as the more they win, the further they go which is development in itself.  I'm sure Dobes will get a look at some point (I could see him being sent down late in the NHL regular season to get a few games in there) but if he's faltering and Primeau does well, it's Primeau's net to run with. 

 

I'm not convinced Fowler will turn pro; I expect a lot will depend on how his team fares in the Frozen Four.  If he does and burns a year off his contract, then he's not eligible to play in Laval (like Hutson last year).  If he signs a future deal (starting in 25-26) making him eligible to play in Laval, the logic above is still the same.  Whoever has the hot hand runs with it.

Hi Brian, if you find out the reason, let me know… you can’t pencil in Pez as the 2G for yesterday ? They have to be signed as a goalie to be a goalie ?

 

So you’re  saying Fowler would not burn a year if he signed for Laval to do Playoffs … if he did play for Laval, he would sign for Habs after July 1st and play all years on his ELC ?

 

You're also thinking he may not turn pro this year ?

 

I don’t know anything about anything, but I kinda feel he will want to turn pro. But he may not want to play in Laval this year (the playoffs) if it doesn’t burn a year on his contract.

 

So I guess we see what happens.

[xXx..CK..xXx]

For me, it wouldn’t be adding a player that can help us get into the playoffs but rather anything that can help your team achieve more once they are in the playoffs.

 

Again, everyone has their ceiling for the Habs (and some have been proven wrong already because their ceiling didn’t even reach the heights of being “in the mix” with 20 games left). As a result, any comments are being made with the absolute thought that the Habs cannot compete and are therefore already relegating us to having a competitive mindset starting “maybe next season”. Once the unfortunate injury happens next year, next year becomes 2032…. Not literally (just in case)

 

Trading for a player, and I never said it would have to be a rental, would be to increase your chances in a given year. No one ever said it had to cost you your future window either. There are also examples of teams winning the cup without being inside any type of 3 dimensional “window”. 
 

The modern day disease I was talking about within sport is this perfectionism. I don’t believe everything is linear. Sometimes you are competitive 3 out of 5 years and not all 5. Sometimes you have to take that risk even when it’s unorthodox. I’d like to believe there are better GMs than others and sometimes an astute move is all it takes. Otherwise, general managers may as well be replaced by robots.

 

The failure in acquiring a player in the Habs situation, especially if for only this year, would come in April when the Habs miss the playoffs. Not at the trade deadline when the move happens. In addition, it wouldn’t be a failure because the said player didn’t help us get into the playoffs. It would be a failure because they didn’t even get a chance to help us in the playoffs.

 

Once again, I say this all while having been fine standing pat. I was actually happy.

[Commandant]

I keep hearing from multiple insiders that the Habs are poised for a big swing this summer.

 

If we are gonna go big... i think Sam Bennett is the perfect big swing.  Two way, skill and grit, #2C.  He would be a real nice add.

[dlbalr]

21 minutes ago, Butterface said:

So you’re  saying Fowler would not burn a year if he signed for Laval to do Playoffs … if he did play for Laval, he would sign for Habs after July 1st and play all years on his ELC ?

 

To quickly clarify, his options are as follows:

 

1) Stay in college, don't sign.

2) Sign an entry-level contract with Montreal that starts this season, burning a year.  He's then ineligible to play in Laval.

3) Sign an entry-level contract with Montreal that starts in 2025-26, then sign an ATO with Laval to play down the stretch and in the playoffs.  He doesn't have to wait until July 1st to sign that contract; future deals that start next season can be signed now.

[hab29RETIRED]

30 minutes ago, dlbalr said:

 

To quickly clarify, his options are as follows:

 

1) Stay in college, don't sign.

2) Sign an entry-level contract with Montreal that starts this season, burning a year.  He's then ineligible to play in Laval.

3) Sign an entry-level contract with Montreal that starts in 2025-26, then sign an ATO with Laval to play down the stretch and in the playoffs.  He doesn't have to wait until July 1st to sign that contract; future deals that start next season can be signed now.

Is next year his 3rd or 4th college season?

[Commandant]

13 minutes ago, hab29RETIRED said:

Is next year his 3rd or 4th college season?

3rd

[hab29RETIRED]

1 hour ago, Commandant said:

3rd

So,

if not this year, I e should bring him in at the if his next college year.

[Prime Minister Koivu]

2 hours ago, Commandant said:

I keep hearing from multiple insiders that the Habs are poised for a big swing this summer.

 

If we are gonna go big... i think Sam Bennett is the perfect big swing.  Two way, skill and grit, #2C.  He would be a real nice add.

I think this would be a perfect move for Montreal to make. 
 

Adding Bennett and Demidov next season would be very impactful 

[Butterface]

2 hours ago, dlbalr said:

1) Stay in college, don't sign.

2) Sign an entry-level contract with Montreal that starts this season, burning a year.  He's then ineligible to play in Laval.

3) Sign an entry-level contract with Montreal that starts in 2025-26, then sign an ATO with Laval to play down the stretch and in the playoffs.  He doesn't have to wait until July 1st to sign that contract; future deals that start next season can be signed now.

If I were him… I’d want the cash earlier than later.

 

I’d turn pro. Play games in Montreal (even if just a back up in a tight race to playoffs to burn that year). Get to AHL in October.

 

He has a clear path to number 1 in Laval next year. Two years to get his crap together before a potential jump to NHL.

 

Previously he would have to fight it out with three goalies. Now it’s just two.

 

It would be great to see him in AHL playoffs, but not burning a year on his contract would be unfavourable to him. Get that money in the bank and invested a year earlier. Get your next pro contract after your ELC a year earlier.

 

I don’t see him playing another college year.

 

Again I don’t have any other reason than it makes sense financially.

[Prime Minister Koivu]

Little Mitch might not be back next season and if not the leafs would surely be in on Bennett

[Commandant]

1 hour ago, Butterface said:

If I were him… I’d want the cash earlier than later.

 

I’d turn pro. Play games in Montreal (even if just a back up in a tight race to playoffs to burn that year). Get to AHL in October.

 

He has a clear path to number 1 in Laval next year. Two years to get his crap together before a potential jump to NHL.

 

Previously he would have to fight it out with three goalies. Now it’s just two.

 

It would be great to see him in AHL playoffs, but not burning a year on his contract would be unfavourable to him. Get that money in the bank and invested a year earlier. Get your next pro contract after your ELC a year earlier.

 

I don’t see him playing another college year.

 

Again I don’t have any other reason than it makes sense financially.

 

As a goalie i wouldnt want to burn a year.  

 

That would mean being RFA in summer 2026 after a rookie season in AHL.

 

Id rather be RFA in 2027, after hopefully making the NHL in 2026-27.  More bargaining power.

 

For other positions yes, go early.  For goalie id delay it.

[GHT120]

1 hour ago, Commandant said:

 

As a goalie i wouldnt want to burn a year.  

 

That would mean being RFA in summer 2026 after a rookie season in AHL.

 

Id rather be RFA in 2027, after hopefully making the NHL in 2026-27.  More bargaining power.

 

For other positions yes, go early.  For goalie id delay it.

 

He COULD sign in the summer ... make money next season and still hit the 2027 RFA option.

[Commandant]

12 minutes ago, GHT120 said:

 

He COULD sign in the summer ... make money next season and still hit the 2027 RFA option.

 

Yes.  

 

I guess it depends too if Team USA is interested as they often bring some college kids to world championships.  Though being the last one before NHL players go to Olympics, they might have NHLers wanting to go.