J-P

Yup, agree, and if he's the pro I think he is he'll give his all to make the NHL roster, and if it's not enough he should give his all in Abbot instead and learn the young guys what being a pro is all about. No need to feel sorry for himself or for fans to pity him with the contract he has.

Hm, if Motte can stay healthy while still playing like every game is his last - which he needs to do to be effective - and that's a big if, he's definitely a good 3rd liner on a contending team. Don't see him in the top 6, but then again, he was a profilic scorer on lower levels so you never know. As for the Highmore/Lockwood comparisons, I'd say Motte is a better player by far. Both Lockwood (especially him since we don't have a good grasp on his ceiling yet) and Highmore has room to grow though, but the most likely ceiling for both IMO is 4th line.

In my ears that's pretty much what Benning said. If we get Foote or similar value for the pick and maybe a slight add like a 4-5th rounder, then sure. Otherwise no. I agree about not exposing or trading OJ, that would be selling low, think he still has got a lot of untapped potential and his contract will almost certainly be a bargain, which is crucial as most of our other D:s are at or above market value. As for Myers, I'm more torn. Overpaying slightly for the freedom to expose Myers in ED is one of JB:s more shrewd moves IMO, gives the team flexibility in both trades and cap. I don't really see Myers being a vital part of our contending team, but I agree it would hurt losing him short term. For a trade like Foote I would expose him though.

True. On the other hand, if you draft a player like the ones in this article (Gaudreau, Klingberg, Gallagher, Slavin, Kaprizov etc. all round 5 and below) in the lower rounds every five year or so it's well worth the gamble ;-) https://www.thesportster.com/hockey/the-15-biggest-nhl-draft-steals-since-2010/

Hence his draft position, his physical tools are intriguing so without question marks he would have gone much higher. I like the philosophy swinging for the fences after the first rounds though, picks like him and Viktor Persson are the ones that could really pay off big time, but of course you need a number of picks like that for one to hit and most of them will not lead to an NHL player.

Not disagreeing regarding draft ranking but drafting is one thing and evaluating developed players trade value another . I think if EP hits his ceiling he's in a different tier. I still hope OJ will be a second pairing D that can both shutdown players and make crisp breakout passes. Also OJ and EP have a history of raising their level in championship games, might be too early to tell regarding Ehlers and MT but I don't have that feeling regarding them. Kempe and Glass are fine players but again, when evaluating trade value they are depth only compared to the other players.

Shaw + Muller would be really solid and probably a change that would do Green a lot of good as well.

Kempe is a good player but not good enough to tip the scale in a discussion like this. I personally believe nobody will even consider trading EP + OJ for Ehlers + Tkatchuk in a few years, when it matters, but time will tell.

Can we still whine about Baumer then? ;-)

Wow, the hockey in this game feels like another level compared to WPG-MTL...

I think the need for QH to be a "true" 1D is a bit overblown. He can just be the player he is without comparisons to all time greats, he's already one of the better offensive defensemen in the league. He didn't have a great season despite the points, but that will happen to young players and I think he will be better for it in the long run. He has already shown ability to defend by positioning and finding the right angles (although he's made a lot of mistakes as well), that part will develop as he gains more experience and mature. And most of all, once the Canucks are a better possession team he will be able to play to his strengths instead of spending extended time in his own zone and then +/- will be less of a concern. .

Of course it's not true for every game and I'm not saying a top tier offensive approach with one or two high scoring players taking up over 10 mil in cap space each is the way to build a winner these days. It's also of course equally true that you need balanced scoring to win in the playoffs. But the last few games the players who've made the difference on the score sheet have been aho, rantanen, kucherov, Marchand etc (granted it's been on the PP to a large extent and not just 5v5). That's not coincidence. Granted Montreal has a decent core developing (we've seen that before though...) but 2021 it's obvious at least to me that Winnipeg's forward group are on another level. Less subjective I think it's safe to say that if Montreal continues to score 3 goals 5v5 per game they will win the series before scheifele returns and I will stand corrected. Don't see that happening though, their chance over a full series is to win low scoring games, but I believe Winnipeg has the advantage in those kind of games as well. I do believe it will be a long and even series though.

Would love Dobson on our team, but if NYI make that trade they're stupid and considering who their GM is I wouldn't bet on it. I think you'd need to offer more than Schmidt to make that deal, too much to be worth it for our team.

Yup, would love all of those guys on our team, and they definitely have a good D, but my take is they're not talented or physical enough up front. I see them as NYI but without the forward grit and talent. Again, with a better D though.

You need elite offensive talent to score the winning goals 5v5 also though, and especially in the playoffs. Montreal are well balanced, agree on that, but I just don't see them matching up to wpg offensively and physically. Will be an interesting series either way.

Good point about Montreal D, that's a solid group although not flashy. I'd say the advantage for wpg regarding forwards is bigger than Habs advantage on D though and that's by a wide margin. But of course D wins in the playoffs...

Not sure about that. I see Montreal more as a regular season team whereas wpg is built for the playoffs. But Montreal's been uneven all year so hard to tell what they're really made of, so you could be right of course. Want to see a long series regardless...

Not staying with Timra for the SHL after their promotion it seems, instead giving it another go on a one way deal with San Jose. Don't think it's confirmed but there was a newspaper article in Sweden stating he would opt for SJ if they offered a one way deal and that he'd informed Timra he was leaving. https://www.expressen.se/sport/hockey/shl/dahlen-har-bestamt--sig-om-sin-framtid/

DP

Good point. My gut feeling is still that it will be a long series since WPG is the better team and are better coached. So I'm thinking rather than tipping it in Montreal's favour, injuries and the suspension evens out what should have been a clear win for WPG. But we'll see I guess.

Ha ha I agree, both with you and actually with everything in the video from DoPS, including the length of the suspension. 4 games in the playoffs would be a lot more in the regular season but is still a suspension that hurts both Schiefele and his team considerably, so as a first time offender I think 4 games is about right. That said - the length of the suspension is correct considering current standards. I don't think the Canadiens feel it's long enough for them to not go after him when he returns. Looking at it from that angle - the current standards maybe aren't that good after all, unless it's violent entertainment we seek.

Sounds like a 4C to me in today's NHL. I'd be ok with Sutter in that role (4C) for 2.5 mil tops if Beagle is not coming back or alternating with Beagle as C/W (one of them will be injured on occasion...). He's not a playmaker though and not someone who drives offence on his own more than sporadically, so hard no from me relying on him as 3C going forward.

It's an interesting idea and a good topic/thread, but personally I don't want a 10 mil+ D right now regardless if it's Jones, Makar or someone else. I'd rather sign Adam Larsson or similar RD at around 5 mil and have the remaining money left for another D or top 9 F. I see Hughes as a 1B D (not good enough defensively to be a true 1D) and want us to build by comittee around him. OJ, Rathbone, Myers, Larsson, Schmidt or replacement at similar level + one more will be a good D in 1-2 years imo.

Agree to disagree. I don't see him as the leader you seem to think he is and I believe the facts of his career so far supports that argument I'm not attacking him, just saying I would prefer us not to spend our precious cap on him, although he is of course a very talented player.

Right, he did put up a few goals on the PP in the A but you're probably right he's more of a passer. Not enough shooters on the team!