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Post by NWTHabsFan on Aug 19, 2024 14:52:52 GMT -5
Laine and a 2026 second for Jordan Harris
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Post by Willie Dog on Aug 19, 2024 14:54:06 GMT -5
Holy Saperlipopette... 2nd line issue resolved
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Post by CentreHice on Aug 19, 2024 14:56:03 GMT -5
How high was Harris truly ranked in our D pool...and who behind him receives the boost to his level?
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Post by drkcloud on Aug 19, 2024 14:56:43 GMT -5
Bombshell! This could be huge! Never thought there was a chance. I will be watching intently this winter. Good risk for 2 years. He will either acclimate to his new team culture or he can hit the bricks.
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Post by Andrew on Aug 19, 2024 15:03:17 GMT -5
Seems like a really good gamble to me, and at the right price. I'm sorry to see Harris go, as he'd payed some good hockey for us last year and is a genuinely good person, but the logjam on D needed to be resolved. Wish him all the best in Columbus.
I feel like despite the fan and media scrutiny, Montreal is a great fit for Laine. There isn't a ton of pressure on the team to succeed yet, and with the young core and MSL at the helm he'll have a great opportunity to rediscover his game. He's only 26, and was producing at about an 80 point pace in his two seasons prior to last.
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Post by CentreHice on Aug 19, 2024 15:05:04 GMT -5
Bombshell! This could be huge! Never thought there was a chance. I will be watching intently this winter. Good risk for 2 years. He will either acclimate to his new team culture or he can hit the bricks. True. Certainly gives another potentially positive reason to watch this season. What's the Top 6 look like now? A healthy (in all ways) Laine should also be a welcome PP boost....you'd think, anyway, considering the release. |
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Post by Tankdriver on Aug 19, 2024 15:05:56 GMT -5
Only downside is his 8.7 salary cap hit but we can absord that with Price on LTIR. This is the move I wanted to see the team make to take the next step forward. Plus Laine isn't small and if he works out, we got an 80 point player.
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Post by Tankdriver on Aug 19, 2024 15:09:33 GMT -5
Holy crap.....and we get a 2nd rounder from Columbus!
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Post by Boston_Habs on Aug 19, 2024 15:22:27 GMT -5
Expensive but short-term so the downside risk is manageable. Upside is pretty big if Dach can stay healthy and Laine is in a good head space and regain his form. If he scores 30 goals I think we're all pretty happy.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Aug 19, 2024 15:23:59 GMT -5
A little cap gymnastics is needed if Hughes does not move anyone else for cap relief to get under before the start of the season, after which they will put Price on LTIR in season.
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Post by Tankdriver on Aug 19, 2024 15:41:19 GMT -5
Expensive but short-term so the downside risk is manageable. Upside is pretty big if Dach can stay healthy and Laine is in a good head space and regain his form. If he scores 30 goals I think we're all pretty happy. Jordan Harris is expensive? I was ready to trade him for a second or third rounder. We are getting that PLUS Laine. All it cost us was cap space and money, which we have/had tons of. |
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Post by Willie Dog on Aug 19, 2024 15:45:44 GMT -5
Bombshell! This could be huge! Never thought there was a chance. I will be watching intently this winter. Good risk for 2 years. He will either acclimate to his new team culture or he can hit the bricks. True. Certainly gives another potentially positive reason to watch this season. What's the Top 6 look like now? A healthy (in all ways) Laine should also be a welcome PP boost....you'd think, anyway, considering the release. Laine -6'5' 225lbs Slafkovsky - 6' 3" - 230 lbs Dach - 6'4" - 217 lbs Go ahead, say we're small... I dare you!!! |
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Post by seventeen on Aug 19, 2024 15:46:31 GMT -5
I knew I was going to feel crappy about losing any of our young Dmen, but it was inevitable. Columbus is doing fine with this deal. They didn't really have Laine for the season last year, so it's like adding $8MM in cap space and a great character, 2nd pair dman in the process. I was hoping it would be Barron going the other way, but that wouldn't relieve the pressure on left D.
If Laine can re-discover what he was, and play average defense, we are now in playoff contention. I always thought we were anyway, but adding a possible 40 goals throws Skill's math into a tizzy. 250 goals would be a floor, if you expect 80-75-50-20 = 225 and then whatever the defense can add.
Either Newhook or Roy will be pushed down to the 3rd line. Anderson may be press box material (yahoo!).
The D now looks like
Matheson -Guhle (there's still a jam at left D, so for now, Guhle stays on the right)
Hutson - Savard
Xhekaj - either Mailloux or Reinbacher.
Struble - Barron
Engstrom starts in Laval. the logjam is lifted slightly, at least enough to start the season, but the issue is getting enough ice time for the kids to develop properly. Ideally, when at some point Matheson is gone, Guhle moves to LD, Mailloux and Reinbacher are both starting at RD and Engstrom develops quickly and becomes the 3rd RD after Savard is traded or retired. Engstrom is left handed but played on the right last season with Rogle. If Savard is traded at the TDL, Engstrom should have 50 AHL games under his belt and be ready to come up. It will be a young group, but we had a similar one in 1991 and won a cup with the same group in 93 after they got some experience. This is a mature, high character corps, so the usual caveat about too many young D won't be as much an issue. For now, there's lots of depth to cover injuries.
I hope Jordan has a great career in Columbus. He's a terrific person and he's going to a team with some excellent young players and, now, a GM who seems to have his stuff together. I used to think Waddell was a doorknob because his teams were always losers. A deeper dive, however, reveals he worked with inept owners who were penny pinchers (Atlanta), or with micro manager owners who laid some strict boundaries (Dundon). Waddell's gig in Columbus may be the first time he has an owner will to finance things and stay out of the way. He's done a really good job so far, IMO, in getting the Blue Jackets going in the right direction. It's another nice deal for Waddell and Hughes, where both guys win, as it should be.
This is exactly the kind of trade Bergevin hated making. Namely, paying a lot of money for a guy with potential problems. He traded for Vanek, but he was an 18 game rental and then didn't re-sign him. I love HuGo's risk taking deals. We might lose a few (Lehky/Barron), but when it pays off, it's worth it. And they haven't lost many so far. Good judgment.
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Post by Willie Dog on Aug 19, 2024 15:48:15 GMT -5
And this will generate excitement in the room... Hughes bringing in help
If Laine works out, next year
Caufueld-Suzuki-Slaf
Laine-dach-demidov
OMG!!!
Pick your poisin, who you gonna cover...
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Post by Tankdriver on Aug 19, 2024 15:54:00 GMT -5
And this will generate excitement in the room... Hughes bringing in help If Laine works out, next year Caufueld-Suzuki-Slaf Laine-dach-demidov OMG!!! Pick your poisin, who you gonna cover... That's an excellent top 6. Let's trade Primeau and Barron for Askarov and call it a summer. |
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Post by franko on Aug 19, 2024 16:07:20 GMT -5
for those who were saying that Hugo wasn't doing anything . . .
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Post by Skilly on Aug 19, 2024 16:40:50 GMT -5
Insert me doing the Carlton here
Even if this doesn't work out, it's a good trade as we will free up 8 million when we are expected to be competitive. In the interim, it gives us a trial to solve the second line m the PP, and hopefully this team gets acclimated to winning and learning how to play with leads.
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Post by Skilly on Aug 19, 2024 16:50:57 GMT -5
Do we dare dream that this might be a pre-cursor to Demidov being able to come to North America THIS year?
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Post by folatre on Aug 19, 2024 17:06:46 GMT -5
I love the low risk, high reward approach here. Hockey is debatable, but for me there was no place for Harris in a healthy lineup and frankly I think he was the odd man out as soon as Hutson left university.
It seems the player and the McConnell family both really tied Donnie Waddell's hands here. Laine, through his agent, ominously insinuated the 'problems' in the Blue Jackets' room from 2023-24 remained in place for this season, so the GM was kind of screwed because having Laine in there disliking the dudes who disliked him was probably just too big of a headache. And ownership, by refusing to retain money, really cratered the modest market value that the player had. Basically Columbus, in a cap dump, gave the troubled, talented 26 year old for nothing.
I have no idea if Hughes is somewhat or even slightly hopeful that Demidov could suddenly come over next month. But I think given how the term is right (two years) and the asset cost was nil, he probably does this trade even if Russian stud plays in the KHL this season.
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Post by folatre on Aug 19, 2024 17:16:31 GMT -5
Time will say, but most observers do not believe there is a quick pathway out of the hole Columbus finds itself in. Therefore, this second rounder is very likely going to be in the 35-40 range.
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Post by drkcloud on Aug 19, 2024 17:57:55 GMT -5
Is this the defensive corps that Hugo starts the season with or is there more moves planned? If no one else is traded and we assume no one will be exposed to waivers, I think it looks like this:
Matheson -Guhle
Xhejak - Savard
Struble - Barron
Hutson eases into the NHL as 7th dman, rotating with Xhejak and Struble or dresses every game with limited work on the PP, Habs dress 11/7
Mailloux and Reinbacher either have to have their play force a trade in training camp or are guaranteed to start in Laval as they don't have to be exposed.
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Post by Willie Dog on Aug 19, 2024 18:01:58 GMT -5
That 2nd rounder is like a late 1st rounder in 2026..
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Post by Tankdriver on Aug 19, 2024 18:06:50 GMT -5
No way Barron is getting sent down as he would have to clear waivers. I know I am more bullish on him than others but I think there is a spot for him this year on the team. Plus he is a RD which we are weak on at the moment. I think all our young D will do time in the AHL this season until the playoffs/trade deadline decision is made. I can't see us keeping Savard just because we need to open up some spots but until that decision is made, it will be each guy taking turns.
Even after this summers trades of Harris and Kovacevic, we still are 8 deep.
Matheson
Savard
Guhle
Struble
X
Mailman
Hutson
Barron
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Post by Willie Dog on Aug 19, 2024 18:06:54 GMT -5
Is this the defensive corps that Hugo starts the season with or is there more moves planned? If no one else is traded and we assume no one will be exposed to waivers, I think it looks like this: Matheson -Guhle Xhejak - Savard Struble - Barron Hutson eases into the NHL as 7th dman, rotating with Xhejak and Struble or dresses every game with limited work on the PP, Habs dress 11/7 Mailloux and Reinbacher either have to have their play force a trade in training camp or are guaranteed to start in Laval as they don't have to be exposed. Mailloux has to prove he can beat out Barron because Hutson will be the 7th D. Matheson -Guhle Xhejak - Savard Struble - Mailloux That's a decent D corps, that 3rd pairing will punish guys coming in our zone. What I see is Matheson, Xhekaj and Mailloux being the play drivers on each pairing |
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Post by Willie Dog on Aug 19, 2024 18:08:04 GMT -5
No way Barron is getting sent down as he would have to clear waivers. I know I am more bullish on him than others but I think there is a spot for him this year on the team. Plus he is a RD which we are weak on at the moment. I think all our young D will do time in the AHL this season until the playoffs/trade deadline decision is made. I can't see us keeping Savard just because we need to open up some spots but until that decision is made, it will be each guy taking turns. Even after this summers trades of Harris and Kovacevic, we still are 8 deep. Matheson Savard Guhle Struble X Mailman Hutson Barron Good point, I forgot about Barron needing to clear waivers... |
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Post by folatre on Aug 19, 2024 18:39:10 GMT -5
It may be too bad for Mailloux and/or Struble if those kids prove to be among the best six d-men in camp, but the reality is they are waiver exempt and it would not shock me if one of them starts the season in Laval.
Hutson is also obviously waiver exempt; however, due to the nature of his skill set and his cerebral game, I believe management will be relatively resistant to sending him down even he struggles. I do not think the Habs will regularly play 11F/7D because it is cumbersome, but there can certainly be road games where Hutson gets to decompress in the press box. And one must remember that in addition to Hutson's small stature, he is basically a kid from the US NDTP and college hockey, which are two environments where players are not subjected to the grind of constant games. Being a dynamic, productive 20 year old d-man in the NHL for 50-55 games in his rookie season would be a success in my estimation.
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Post by Cranky on Aug 19, 2024 19:09:04 GMT -5
I can't even go to the loo...and Hughes flips the world on us.
I'm OK with the cost of getting him which is all I cared about. If he's the second coming of Lafleur, great, if he's a flop, no big loss of assets.
I'm impressed with Hughes...
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Post by frozone on Aug 19, 2024 19:20:57 GMT -5
Love the trade. How could we not? Jordan Harris is one of the most likeable players in the league, but that’s a trade that we just can’t say no to.
I’m curious to know what Pascal Vincent had to say about Laine. It couldn’t have been that bad.
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Post by Tankdriver on Aug 19, 2024 19:27:22 GMT -5
From what I gathered, it sounds like it is something in the dressing room of Columbus that caused Laine to want to leave. Maybe issues between him and another player?
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Post by Willie Dog on Aug 19, 2024 19:44:15 GMT -5
Love the trade. How could we not? Jordan Harris is one of the most likeable players in the league, but that’s a trade that we just can’t say no to. I’m curious to know what Pascal Vincent had to say about Laine. It couldn’t have been that bad. I'm wondering if the dressing room was a disaster in CBJ and Laine couldn't deal with it. Maybe it was full of cliques... who knows but he's coming to a real good dressing room. |
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