TRADE DEADLINE March 21st

[H_T_L]

16 days to go. Which guys won't be wearing a Hab jersey much longer? Pretty much a given  that Chiarot is gone. Lot's of rumours about other roster players but it's definitely looking like a buyers market.

[H_T_L]

Canadiens could move Shea Weber's contract (msn.com)

[ramcharger440]

Does anyone else feel better about this trade deadline with the new people running the show? I know I am fairly sure we will not be getting too many long term plugs anymore!

[BigTed3]

Eric Engels did a new interview with Kent Hughes in Vancouver and a few interesting tidbits that stuck out for me...

- Hughes reiterating that they are not going through a firesale and are not actively shopping most of their players. He re-stated that they will trade Ben Chiarot, so any thought of re-signing him I think is (thankfully) out the window. That seemed to be the only guy he would confirm would be traded.

- As for Lehkonen, he said they're not trying to move him but would listen if a good offer came along the way it did for Toffoli. Also said they'll move Petry if they get a deal they like but that they still see him as being a good hockey player. Didn't sound like a trade on either one was close, albeit Hughes also told Engels he wouldn't be giving him the trade deadline playbook, so could be he is close and just isn't letting the cat out of the bag.

- Also noteworthy after reports from Lebrun that Habs would be going after big stars in free agency that Hughes says he doesn't foresee going after the biggest fish in the sea and that he doesn't see the Habs handing out 7-year contracts. So might take names like Forsbger, Malkin, Hertl, etc. off the list. Still seems to me like Letang is the most likely to be a target here, as he wouldn't be a guy looking for a max term deal and there's the connection to Hughes. I think it'd be especially true if Petry is traded at the deadline or draft.

[maas_art]

On 3/6/2022 at 6:37 AM, H_T_L said:

Canadiens could move Shea Weber's contract (msn.com)

It could happen but i actually dont see it. I havent had any updates for a month or two but last I heard he was still hopefully to play again. Still doing rehab.  The only way that contract is tradable is if he's essentially retired and a team like AZ knows they are taking on dead cap at pennies on the dollar.  If he suddenly comes back to play next year or the following, thats not going to be a deal they want. 

 

On 3/6/2022 at 1:33 PM, ramcharger440 said:

Does anyone else feel better about this trade deadline with the new people running the show? I know I am fairly sure we will not be getting too many long term plugs anymore!

Absolutely.  I dont think MB was bad at making trades but i think he was bad at assessing players' talents, and our own needs.  I feel like HuGo are miles ahead in that Dept. 

 

5 minutes ago, BigTed3 said:

Eric Engels did a new interview with Kent Hughes in Vancouver and a few interesting tidbits that stuck out for me...

- Hughes reiterating that they are not going through a firesale and are not actively shopping most of their players. He re-stated that they will trade Ben Chiarot, so any thought of re-signing him I think is (thankfully) out the window. That seemed to be the only guy he would confirm would be traded.

- As for Lehkonen, he said they're not trying to move him but would listen if a good offer came along the way it did for Toffoli. Also said they'll move Petry if they get a deal they like but that they still see him as being a good hockey player. Didn't sound like a trade on either one was close, albeit Hughes also told Engels he wouldn't be giving him the trade deadline playbook, so could be he is close and just isn't letting the cat out of the bag.

- Also noteworthy after reports from Lebrun that Habs would be going after big stars in free agency that Hughes says he doesn't foresee going after the biggest fish in the sea and that he doesn't see the Habs handing out 7-year contracts. So might take names like Forsbger, Malkin, Hertl, etc. off the list. Still seems to me like Letang is the most likely to be a target here, as he wouldn't be a guy looking for a max term deal and there's the connection to Hughes. I think it'd be especially true if Petry is traded at the deadline or draft.

Interesting indeed.  I can buy into this.  We've talked before that this is not a horrendous team. We still have a lot of very nice pieces, we just have too much strength in some areas & not enough in others. We have good youth in key spots (and lacking in others) but a proper retool - where HuGo actually assess our needs and strengths vs. Mb's old "you cant have too many defensmen!" adage - could have us competitive in a year or two. 

Letang is a very interesting idea.  

[BigTed3]

47 minutes ago, maas_art said:

It could happen but i actually dont see it. I havent had any updates for a month or two but last I heard he was still hopefully to play again. Still doing rehab.  The only way that contract is tradable is if he's essentially retired and a team like AZ knows they are taking on dead cap at pennies on the dollar.  If he suddenly comes back to play next year or the following, thats not going to be a deal they want. 

Even if Weber plays though, his contract in terms of actual dollars to be paid is something like 3M, 1M, 1M, 1M... so it's still cheap in terms of actual dollars to pay out and maybe even a better deal for the Coyotes to get a player for that cost and still have the AAV of 7M+ count towards their cap floor. I just doubt Weber would have any interest in actually playing for them and might threaten to retire at that point.

[CaptWelly]

1 hour ago, BigTed3 said:

Even if Weber plays though, his contract in terms of actual dollars to be paid is something like 3M, 1M, 1M, 1M... so it's still cheap in terms of actual dollars to pay out and maybe even a better deal for the Coyotes to get a player for that cost and still have the AAV of 7M+ count towards their cap floor. I just doubt Weber would have any interest in actually playing for them and might threaten to retire at that point.

I wouldn't blame him for retiring then. I think it's actually great to hear he's been re "HaB"ing  and hoping to play again! I could see Weber with Romanov, Edmonson, Petry then 5-6 and all of a sudden we're looking decent again and don't have to rush anyone in. 

[maas_art]

2 hours ago, BigTed3 said:

Even if Weber plays though, his contract in terms of actual dollars to be paid is something like 3M, 1M, 1M, 1M... so it's still cheap in terms of actual dollars to pay out and maybe even a better deal for the Coyotes to get a player for that cost and still have the AAV of 7M+ count towards their cap floor. I just doubt Weber would have any interest in actually playing for them and might threaten to retire at that point.

Actually you're right - from the yotes stand point it could be more appealing. But i agree, if he's traded I dont think he'd ever suit up there.

Also, as much as I think HuGo are 'modern' hockey guys, i think if they had the cap & Weber could actually come back & play... i think they'd keep him.  Unlike MB/DD i think they would NOT put him on the 1st pair but i could see them playing him 3rd pairing in a mentor role.  Yeah, its insane money for a #5-6dman but if you've got plenty of cap room, its really not an issue. 

Im still saying 90% chance he never plays again (although i hope im wrong). 

53 minutes ago, CaptWelly said:

I wouldn't blame him for retiring then. I think it's actually great to hear he's been re "HaB"ing  and hoping to play again! I could see Weber with Romanov, Edmonson, Petry then 5-6 and all of a sudden we're looking decent again and don't have to rush anyone in. 

 

[CaptWelly]

1 hour ago, maas_art said:

Actually you're right - from the yotes stand point it could be more appealing. But i agree, if he's traded I dont think he'd ever suit up there.

Also, as much as I think HuGo are 'modern' hockey guys, i think if they had the cap & Weber could actually come back & play... i think they'd keep him.  Unlike MB/DD i think they would NOT put him on the 1st pair but i could see them playing him 3rd pairing in a mentor role.  Yeah, its insane money for a #5-6dman but if you've got plenty of cap room, its really not an issue. 

Im still saying 90% chance he never plays again (although i hope im wrong). 

 

I believe he'd only come back if he was 100% healthy. If Weber came back and is 100% healthy he's far from a 5-6. He's easy top 4 when 100% healthy! 

[claremont]

4 hours ago, BigTed3 said:

Even if Weber plays though, his contract in terms of actual dollars to be paid is something like 3M, 1M, 1M, 1M... so it's still cheap in terms of actual dollars to pay out and maybe even a better deal for the Coyotes to get a player for that cost and still have the AAV of 7M+ count towards their cap floor. I just doubt Weber would have any interest in actually playing for them and might threaten to retire at that point.

I can’t see Weber retiring next year and foregoing $3M in cash salary (gross before at least 15% escrow, taxes etc.) , however I could see him playing the retirement card the year after. He might be able to get a close to an equivalent $1m role in another hockey organizational role (not with the notoriously cheap Coyotes) 
I’ve wrote about this before but Weber’s retirement has devastating recapture cap hits to the Nashville Predators. I could see Nashville acquiring this contract to control that destiny if it’s not Arizona. Nashville will easily spend the cap floor but could control the LTIR. 
I’d love to see Shea return but I think it’s akin to Bjorn Borg - after a full year off or more, it’s extremely difficult at 37 to be able to return to the high level that he would expect of himself. 

[maas_art]

21 minutes ago, CaptWelly said:

I believe he'd only come back if he was 100% healthy. If Weber came back and is 100% healthy he's far from a 5-6. He's easy top 4 when 100% healthy! 

Lets say he comes back next year. That means he starts the year at 37 years old, after having missed an entire season (and playing hurt the year before).

Im not saying he'd suddenly lose his hockey sense or positioning. But if you want him to make it through the whole season, you want to do some serious load management on that ageing, battle-worn body.   He'd be a huge luxury on the 3rd pair (and could certainly play some key/tough minutes at various points in the game) but the suggestion was more about being able to (hopefully) get good hockey out of him again.  Play him 20-25 minutes a night in your top 4 & I can almost guarantee he doesnt finish the season even if he comes back 100%. 

[ramcharger440]

1 hour ago, maas_art said:

Lets say he comes back next year. That means he starts the year at 37 years old, after having missed an entire season (and playing hurt the year before).

Im not saying he'd suddenly lose his hockey sense or positioning. But if you want him to make it through the whole season, you want to do some serious load management on that ageing, battle-worn body.   He'd be a huge luxury on the 3rd pair (and could certainly play some key/tough minutes at various points in the game) but the suggestion was more about being able to (hopefully) get good hockey out of him again.  Play him 20-25 minutes a night in your top 4 & I can almost guarantee he doesnt finish the season even if he comes back 100%. 

Not only that but what will the rest of his life look like if he comes back to play after healing up a bit only to hurt himself again and perhaps causing chronic damage. at the end of the day it is the years that are going to get him.

[electron58]

***************10 days***************

[BigTed3]

With Armia rumors taking hold, these are my updated predictions on where some of the potential Hab departures could end up:

- Chiarot: still see St. Louis as the most likely fit for him, but with Florida as a close 2nd.

- Lehkonen: the Rangers make the most sense here, but Tampa has made similar acquisitions in the past and Dallas also seems like a dark horse candidate.

- Armia: again, Tampa is on the list here, but Nashville and Boston make some sense to me too. That said, I'll go out on a limb here and say LA is a surprise team at the top of the possibilities here.

- Petry: Dallas makes the most sense to me as a front-runner if something were to happen this season. The off-season is a completely new list of potential suitors, but for now the Heiskanen issue opens this up.

- Kulak: as I've detailed before, Carolina seems like the team that cold have the most interest. I could also see Toronto, Tampa, or Pittsburgh all circling back on him as a 2nd option if one of their primary targets falls through.

- Wideman: if he goes, he's really just going for depth and to be a PP option for another team if someone were to get hurt. I could see teams like Winnipeg, the Rangers, Pittsburgh, Florida, and Toronto all being in on him.

- Allen: if he gets healthy in time and shows he can play without issue, he's a commodity. Washington and the Rangers are two teams that make sense as needing a 1A back-up. But Edmonton, if they're still in the running, just makes too much sense as being a team in dire need of fixing its goaltending situation. MAF saying he doesn't want to be traded maybe helps Allen's value in a trade.

 

[electron58]

8 hours ago, BigTed3 said:

With Armia rumors taking hold, these are my updated predictions on where some of the potential Hab departures could end up:

- Chiarot: still see St. Louis as the most likely fit for him, but with Florida as a close 2nd.

- Lehkonen: the Rangers make the most sense here, but Tampa has made similar acquisitions in the past and Dallas also seems like a dark horse candidate.

- Armia: again, Tampa is on the list here, but Nashville and Boston make some sense to me too. That said, I'll go out on a limb here and say LA is a surprise team at the top of the possibilities here.

- Petry: Dallas makes the most sense to me as a front-runner if something were to happen this season. The off-season is a completely new list of potential suitors, but for now the Heiskanen issue opens this up.

- Kulak: as I've detailed before, Carolina seems like the team that cold have the most interest. I could also see Toronto, Tampa, or Pittsburgh all circling back on him as a 2nd option if one of their primary targets falls through.

- Wideman: if he goes, he's really just going for depth and to be a PP option for another team if someone were to get hurt. I could see teams like Winnipeg, the Rangers, Pittsburgh, Florida, and Toronto all being in on him.

- Allen: if he gets healthy in time and shows he can play without issue, he's a commodity. Washington and the Rangers are two teams that make sense as needing a 1A back-up. But Edmonton, if they're still in the running, just makes too much sense as being a team in dire need of fixing its goaltending situation. MAF saying he doesn't want to be traded maybe helps Allen's value in a trade.

 

Other possible options. 

Chiarot- (Toronto, Edmonton,Colorado) salary retained 

Petry - Philadelphia,  as per a retool

Lehkonen - Calgary, salary retained 

Allen - Toronto, salary retained 

Wideman- he's cheap, so, any playoff bound team.

These are just possibly under the radar suggestions. Time will tell. At some point,  these teams will have to make a decision,  if they are serious about a playoff run, or if they are just making a token appearance.  They all seen what the Hab players are capable of in a long playoff run.

 

[campabee82]

13 hours ago, BigTed3 said:

With Armia rumors taking hold, these are my updated predictions on where some of the potential Hab departures could end up:

- Chiarot: still see St. Louis as the most likely fit for him, but with Florida as a close 2nd.

- Lehkonen: the Rangers make the most sense here, but Tampa has made similar acquisitions in the past and Dallas also seems like a dark horse candidate.

- Armia: again, Tampa is on the list here, but Nashville and Boston make some sense to me too. That said, I'll go out on a limb here and say LA is a surprise team at the top of the possibilities here.

- Petry: Dallas makes the most sense to me as a front-runner if something were to happen this season. The off-season is a completely new list of potential suitors, but for now the Heiskanen issue opens this up.

- Kulak: as I've detailed before, Carolina seems like the team that cold have the most interest. I could also see Toronto, Tampa, or Pittsburgh all circling back on him as a 2nd option if one of their primary targets falls through.

- Wideman: if he goes, he's really just going for depth and to be a PP option for another team if someone were to get hurt. I could see teams like Winnipeg, the Rangers, Pittsburgh, Florida, and Toronto all being in on him.

- Allen: if he gets healthy in time and shows he can play without issue, he's a commodity. Washington and the Rangers are two teams that make sense as needing a 1A back-up. But Edmonton, if they're still in the running, just makes too much sense as being a team in dire need of fixing its goaltending situation. MAF saying he doesn't want to be traded maybe helps Allen's value in a trade.

 

I still prefer to keep Lehky

[electron58]

Only five games left for the Habs before the NHL trade deadline.

[CaptWelly]

4 hours ago, campabee82 said:

I still prefer to keep Lehky

Agreed and no need to trade him

[campabee82]

Pacqutte on waivers, TDL move number 1 complete.

[H_T_L]

2 minutes ago, campabee82 said:

Pacqutte on waivers, TDL move number 1 complete.

Any bets on him getting picked up?? My guess would be ,,,no.

[campabee82]

15 minutes ago, H_T_L said:

Any bets on him getting picked up?? My guess would be ,,,no.

My guess is no as well lol

[BigTed3]

Chychrun left the Arizona game tonight with a lower body injury. Remains to be seen how serious. Not good for our tank, but good for Chiarot's trade value if another trade option comes off the board.

[BigTed3]

Edmundson will be back in next game. We just saw Lehkonen and Poehling go down with injury tonight. The Habs would be dumb to continue to play Chiarot. Either deal him now or sit him for the next 2-3 games before the deadline. Nothing to gain by playing him and everything to lose.

[ramcharger440]

23 minutes ago, BigTed3 said:

Edmundson will be back in next game. We just saw Lehkonen and Poehling go down with injury tonight. The Habs would be dumb to continue to play Chiarot. Either deal him now or sit him for the next 2-3 games before the deadline. Nothing to gain by playing him and everything to lose.

I agree, if you are not going to sign him the risk is just to high that he gets hurt and we get nothing! He has been playing great all the teams have seen that now sit him and trade him.

[campabee82]

1 hour ago, ramcharger440 said:

I agree, if you are not going to sign him the risk is just to high that he gets hurt and we get nothing! He has been playing great all the teams have seen that now sit him and trade him.

Agreed!