Ekholm

[Tankdriver]

Hi,

I have no actual sources, but I am sure I heard it on the tv. If you are MB, I think you have to seriously consider going after this guy. Yes, he is 30 years old, but is 3.75 million for this year and the next one and it is not a big issue I think. He plays LD, which I think is an upgrade in what we have. It would cost us in prospect and draft capital, but I think we are getting to that spot where you need to make a push for it this year. I think you would have to have to include a Kulak to get the salaries to somewhat match up and I don't see Nashville wanting Chariot or Edmunson. If I am Nashville, I am asking for Caulfied, but I think Berg, would be willing to give up a Poehling, or one of his promising defenceman not on the roster with a pick. so it would be the tradition Pick, Player, Prospect deal.

[Cranky]

Ekholm would be our third best defenseman, or our second best if one is not high on Weber....

But....he's got a 1.5 year contract and then either he wants 6x5 from us for a 31 year old defenseman or walks. Thus while he is a great acquisition, the cost of acquisition may be too high AND too short. Plus while he's really good defensivly, he's an offensive upgrade to Chairot and Edmy, but that's a pretty low bar to begin with.

They will instantly want Guhle and then some. Absolutely no chance in hell of that trade. Guhle is likely to eat Chairots and Edmy' lunch in two years. He can skate circles around them, much better hitter and their offense is 3rd rate. That's why I think that two years from now, there is no Edmy and/or Chiarot in our lineup.

So what are we willing to give up? Our 1st? Sure, but not enough. Add who? They wont want Chiarot back and we're not going to them our top prospects. 6th-7th Kulak is not enough. They will demand a LOT more then we are willing to give up.

A more interesting trade would be Vince Dunn. Kid has offense through skating, shot and offensive instincts, but debatable defensive hockey IQ. That later is somewhat fixable AND he would be a future piece. Particularly if he's playing besides Weber. His cost will also be far lower. Probably our first for Dunn and a 3rd or 2nd.

[Tankdriver]

Mar 11, 2021 18:09:24 GMT -5 Cranky said:

Ekholm would be our third best defenseman, or our second best if one is not high on Weber....

But....he's got a 1.5 year contract and then either he wants 6x5 from us for a 31 year old defenseman or walks. Thus while he is a great acquisition, the cost of acquisition may be too high AND too short. Plus while he's really good defensivly, he's an offensive upgrade to Chairot and Edmy, but that's a pretty low bar to begin with.

They will instantly want Guhle and then some. Absolutely no chance in hell of that trade. Guhle is likely to eat Chairots and Edmy' lunch in two years. He can skate circles around them, much better hitter and their offense is 3rd rate. That's why I think that two years from now, there is no Edmy and/or Chiarot in our lineup.

So what are we willing to give up? Our 1st? Sure, but not enough. Add who? They wont want Chiarot back and we're not going to them our top prospects. 6th-7th Kulak is not enough. They will demand a LOT more then we are willing to give up.

A more interesting trade would be Vince Dunn. Kid has offense through skating, shot and offensive instincts, but debatable defensive hockey IQ. That later is somewhat fixable AND he would be a future piece. Particularly if he's playing besides Weber. His cost will also be far lower. Probably our first for Dunn and a 3rd or 2nd.

Except Dunn isn't available playing on a plyaoff aspiring team like St. Louis. That's why Ekholm makes sense. I think we have enough prospects to find one that would work with a pick that isn't Caulfield or Guehle.

[seventeen]

If I’m David Poile and Berg calls, it would be a short call. I’d ask for Caufield and either Norlinder or Struble. Ekholm is close to what Habs need. The window isn’t closing on Montreal’s Cup chances but it’s closing on Berg’s Cup chances.

[Boston_Habs]

I'm not sure what a year and a half of Ekholm does for the Habs. While Berg expects this team to be in the playoffs, it's clear the best version of the Habs is a couple of years away and hinges on the development of KK, Suzuki, Romanov, and hopefully the emergence of Caufield and one of the prospects on D. The best case scenario would be if the Habs really take off next season and you have a guy like Ekholm in the mix.... but then he'd be a UFA so it seems pointless to give up anything meaningful now.

I'm more interested in being tactical sellers at the deadline. Tatar, Danault, Armia. I kind of think we can be a playoff team without at least one of those guys, maybe 2. Tatar and Danault are the kinds of players teams like to pick up down the stretch, so if we could get a pick/prospect and make the playoffs anyway then there's a logic there.

[Willie Dog]

Mar 12, 2021 10:06:09 GMT -5 Boston_Habs said:

I'm not sure what a year and a half of Ekholm does for the Habs. While Berg expects this team to be in the playoffs, it's clear the best version of the Habs is a couple of years away and hinges on the development of KK, Suzuki, Romanov, and hopefully the emergence of Caufield and one of the prospects on D. The best case scenario would be if the Habs really take off next season and you have a guy like Ekholm in the mix.... but then he'd be a UFA so it seems pointless to give up anything meaningful now.

I'm more interested in being tactical sellers at the deadline. Tatar, Danault, Armia. I kind of think we can be a playoff team without at least one of those guys, maybe 2. Tatar and Danault are the kinds of players teams like to pick up down the stretch, so if we could get a pick/prospect and make the playoffs anyway then there's a logic there.

This would be a great scenario if MB had job security. He should have thought this way a few years ago.

I'm worried he'll do something in job saving mode... it's where a PoHo would stop that sort of thing... long term vision...

[folatre]

Bergevin is not trading the pending UFAs unless the floor literally falls out from under the Habs' season over the next four weeks.

Ekholm is going to attract interest from at least a dozen teams because the combination is rare (top four d-man, affordable cap hit, not a rental). I would say it will take approximately what Toronto gave up for Muzzin -- first rounder, good prospect close to NHL ready, and a B-level prospect.

[Cranky]

I bet the house, they will demand Guhle.....and "settle" for a first and a top prospect like Cc.

Just a simple NO....Ekholm is NOT an impact move. If makes our defense a bit better, which Guhle will do in a year or so....and a decade more.

But I'm scared. Bbinz would normally never make a trade like this...but his job is on the line. If he does, it's a gross mistake.

[folatre]

Cranky, I am about to go out on a limb (that could snap), but I feel relatively certain saying that Bergevin is not trading Guehle or Caufield in a package for Ekholm.

[Skilly]

The rumour on thefourthperiod the Habs are after Ekholm and another site lists the offer to be a package Mete, first round, second rounder, and prospect with Nashville retaining salary cap

[seventeen]

People do strange things when they're under pressure, so I wouldn't put it past him. Look at it this way. If Ekholm helps win a round or two of the playoff, Berg saves his job. If he doesn't, Berg loses his job, but without the trade it's probably lost anyway, so there's no downside for MB. I wouldn't do it, but then I wouldn't have fired Waite or done several other things he's done, so my opinion means squat in his world.

Interesting how Price is playing better before Sean Burke has had a chance to work with him. Must be those Facetime sessions.

[seventeen]

Mar 12, 2021 14:57:39 GMT -5 folatre said:

Cranky, I am about to go out on a limb (that could snap), but I feel relatively certain saying that Bergevin is not trading Guehle or Caufield in a package for Ekholm.

That's why I suggested Caufield and a lesser highlighted name like Norlinder and Struble, either of whom could actually work out as well or better than Guhle. There will be less criticism moving Caufield and a second rounder or 3rd rounder (Struble and Norlinder respectively) than it would Caufield and Guhle.

[seventeen]

Mar 12, 2021 15:00:05 GMT -5 Skilly said:

The rumour on thefourthperiod the Habs are after Ekholm and another site lists the offer to be a package Mete, first round, second rounder, and prospect with Nashville retaining salary cap

Id wait for a better offer. The Habs first pick, in this weaker Cdn division is going to be 16th and up for sure, probably in the 20's. That's not that good. Mete has his issues and Nashville already has some smaller Dmen. The rest is a dart throw. Ekholm is worth more than that with 1.5 years left.

[folatre]

Toronto gave the Kings a first, Grundstrom (nice prospect but nothing too special) and Durzi (ditto for this kid).

Guehle and Caufield are way more highly regarded than those kids were/are.

Also, the Leafs were in a way worse pinch on their blueline at that moment than the Habs are right now.

[Cranky]

Mar 12, 2021 14:57:39 GMT -5 folatre said:

Cranky, I am about to go out on a limb (that could snap), but I feel relatively certain saying that Bergevin is not trading Guehle or Caufield in a package for Ekholm.

Normally, I'd say Bbinz would eat his left arm before he would trade those two BUT his job is shaky iv we don't make the playoffs.

We can afford to lose our 1st in a year were the 30th pick can be as good as a 10th. 1st plus Mete plus Brooks....OK. But we also need Ekholm to sign 5x5 to make it worthwhile.

[Cranky]

Mar 12, 2021 15:00:11 GMT -5 seventeen said:

People do strange things when they're under pressure, so I wouldn't put it past him. Look at it this way. If Ekholm helps win a round or two of the playoff, Berg saves his job. If he doesn't, Berg loses his job, but without the trade it's probably lost anyway, so there's no downside for MB. I wouldn't do it, but then I wouldn't have fired Waite or done several other things he's done, so my opinion means squat in his world.

Interesting how Price is playing better before Sean Burke has had a chance to work with him. Must be those Facetime sessions.

In no world does Ekholm make that kind of difference. None. He's an improvement on our LHD, he's NOT Petry 2.

You need serious impact players that can help you win rounds. Players like Petry...which there are none available.

You want a dirt cheap potential huge impact player? DIRT CHEAP TO GET? Subban. The guy would probably go through a wall to prove he's not dead. But that is never going to happen.

[Cranky]

The problem with trades is that the perceived value is relative to the current state of mind.

At the beginning of the year, nobody would trade major assets for Ekholm. Now that we're wetting the bed, we hope/pray that if we add this guy or that guy, well, we got better. Playoff rounds are ours for the taking.

Not so.

We got Anderson and Toffoli putting up 27 goals, players we didn't have last year, yet the last 15 games has been sad. How exactly is adding a top 4 defensive defenseman going to change us?

If you trade at the deadline, you either ad an impact player or fill a hole. We got a hole the LHD. Fine, fill it, but don't expect that will make more than one more game impact.

You want impact? Getzlaf. He MAY be a huge impact the way Dubois was against the Laffs. For ONE series.

[BadCompany]

I like Ekholm, I think he is a solid player. I was a little surprised as his point totals, as he never struck me as a classic puck moving type, but there you go. He'd be an upgrade on Chiarot and Edmundson for sure. But I'm not sure he's worth a Grade A prospect like Caufield or Guhle. I'm not even sure I'd part with a Norlinder or Struble, to be honest with you.

Here is a 2019-20 Season in Review for Ekholm. It's okay, but not exactly glowing. I don't know how he is doing this year, and I can't help but wonder if the trade buzz around him is simply a by-product of him simply being available.

Speaking of availability... what about Brandon Montour? I look at him and he reminds me of Jeff Petry, though not as big. But a kid who came along nicely, and then kind of fell apart under the weight of high expectations. Petry, like Montour, was about to become a UFA, and Bergevin was able to scoop him up for a song. The question is, who is the real Brandon Montour? The 24 year old with 42 points? Or the 26 year old with just 5 points this year? Was he overrated when the Sabres traded a 1st rounder and Kaiden's older brother for him? Or is he a product of the dumpster fire that is currently the Buffalo Sabres organization, in much the same way Petry was dying in Edmonton? Montour isn't that vaunted LD that we supposedly need, but I could see a place for him.

Romanov - Weber
Edmundson - Petry
Chiarot - Montour

Bergevin has earned the benefit of the doubt with his trades of late, so we'll see what, if anything, he does. But I'd keep an eye out for this one.

[Cranky]

Mar 12, 2021 16:24:10 GMT -5 BadCompany said:

I like Ekholm, I think he is a solid player. I was a little surprised as his point totals, as he never struck me as a classic puck moving type, but there you go. He'd be an upgrade on Chiarot and Edmundson for sure. But I'm not sure he's worth a Grade A prospect like Caufield or Guhle. I'm not even sure I'd part with a Norlinder or Struble, to be honest with you.

Here is a 2019-20 Season in Review for Ekholm. It's okay, but not exactly glowing. I don't know how he is doing this year, and I can't help but wonder if the trade buzz around him is simply a by-product of him simply being available.

Speaking of availability... what about Brandon Montour? I look at him and he reminds me of Jeff Petry, though not as big. But a kid who came along nicely, and then kind of fell apart under the weight of high expectations. Petry, like Montour, was about to become a UFA, and Bergevin was able to scoop him up for a song. The question is, who is the real Brandon Montour? The 24 year old with 42 points? Or the 26 year old with just 5 points this year? Was he overrated when the Sabres traded a 1st rounder and Kaiden's older brother for him? Or is he a product of the dumpster fire that is currently the Buffalo Sabres organization, in much the same way Petry was dying in Edmonton? Montour isn't that vaunted LD that we supposedly need, but I could see a place for him.

Romanov - Weber
Edmundson - Petry
Chiarot - Montour

Bergevin has earned the benefit of the doubt with his trades of late, so we'll see what, if anything, he does. But I'd keep an eye out for this one.

We agree again? Something not right with the world....

Elkolm is Elkolm. Steady defensive defenseman that upgrades the tiny step over of Edmy/Chiarot, but nothing that will win you more then a game overall. Edmy and Chiarot will have their lunch eaten by Ghule within their contract so replacing them is no much of a priority unless it's for a much higher quality offensive defenseman. There are no cheap Petrys out there.....

Montour and your previous like of Dunn is more the way I would go. They are going to be cheap and potentially as much an impact as an expensive vet with a large loss of futures.

I've watched Dunn, he is underrated and a bit of a work in progress, but solid skating, shooting, bad dandruff and offensive awareness. Dunn needs to think more defense, which he has the vision to do so. He may get to another level playing besides Weber. Or not. Montour...I don't know..yet.

BTW....do you still play LHD? I dusted off the skates and I can't even get them on. Must be all those toe curls and pinky workouts!

[BadCompany]

Mar 12, 2021 17:02:09 GMT -5 Cranky said:

We agree again? Something not right with the world....

Elkolm is Elkolm. Steady defensive defenseman that upgrades the tiny step over of Edmy/Chiarot, but nothing that will win you more then a game overall. Edmy and Chiarot will have their lunch eaten by Ghule within their contract so replacing them is no much of a priority unless it's for a much higher quality offensive defenseman. There are no cheap Petrys out there.....

Montour and your previous like of Dunn is more the way I would go. They are going to be cheap and potentially as much an impact as an expensive vet with a large loss of futures.

I've watched Dunn, he is underrated and a bit of a work in progress, but solid skating, shooting, bad dandruff and offensive awareness. Dunn needs to think more defense, which he has the vision to do so. He may get to another level playing besides Weber. Or not. Montour...I don't know..yet.

BTW....do you still play LHD? I dusted off the skates and I can't even get them on. Must be all those toe curls and pinky workouts!

Yep, still play. Ice and ball. Or at least I was playing until this whole Covid thinking happened (speaking of things wrong with the world). Still on defense when playing on ice, but I moved up to center on the court. Seems my friends don't like running as much as they used to, so they dumped that on me!

I still like Dunn, but with St. Louis sitting 2nd in their division I don't think they'll be moving out roster players for picks any time soon. Buffalo though, is trying to move everything not named Rasmus Dahlin, from what I'm reading.

[Cranky]

Mar 12, 2021 17:22:37 GMT -5 BadCompany said:

Yep, still play. Ice and ball. Or at least I was playing until this whole Covid thinking happened (speaking of things wrong with the world). Still on defense when playing on ice, but I moved up to center on the court. Seems my friends don't like running as much as they used to, so they dumped that on me!

I still like Dunn, but with St. Louis sitting 2nd in their division I don't think they'll be moving out roster players for picks any time soon. Buffalo though, is trying to move everything not named Rasmus Dahlin, from what I'm reading.

So no more dreams of wearing the CH on LHD?

You know when you finally admit you are getting old? When you can't even work up the fantasy of...of playing for the CH.

So the NHL is safe....i'm not breaking bones on RHD and you ain't doing Bobby Orr on LHD....

Pass the kleenex...*wimpers*

As for Sabres....i'm thinking....Risto and Montour? Problem is Webers contract. And then the second problem....i hate trades that are within striking distance of FA.

Risto and Montour for Struble and 1st? Sure. But Weber needs to nod to a trade back to the Preds, which i doubt he'll take...and now we got Weber who thinks he's done with us.

If trading was as easy as NHL2000.....

[drkcloud]

Friedman reporting the cost for Ekholm is a first, a second, a prospect and a current player.

No thanks

[NWTHabsFan]

Mar 16, 2021 22:49:06 GMT -5 drkcloud said:

Friedman reporting the cost for Ekholm is a first, a second, a prospect and a current player.

No thanks

Nashville won’t get that.

The problem for any Habs move will be cap space. They would have to move a roster player with salary to make room.

[seventeen]

TATARRRRR!!

[Disgruntled70sHab]

[folatre]

Interesting tidbit there, Dis. Thanks.

Poile can ask for whatever he wants, for now. I would say that is considerably more than Rob Blake got Dubas to hand over for Muzzin, and Muzzin contractually (term remaining and approx AAV) was the same thing as Ekholm is now.

No way Poile truly gets an elite prospect and a first rounder. Neither Durzi nor Grundstrom were elite.

[Cranky]

Walk the hell away if he wants a 1st and Guhle and Poehling.

Walk away...we're not contenders and Ekholm isn't Rob Blake. It would be a waste of assets.