Just Toying Around Next Year

Team: 2020-21 Montreal Canadiens

Initial Creation Date: Nov. 10, 2019

Published: Nov. 10, 2019

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

So many assumptions had to go into this.

1. Assumed KK's and Heinola's values are close, as both NHL-ready blue-chips. For this I also had to assume that KK is just in a sophomore slump right now, and that he'll pick up his game. Still probably unlikely as-is, since WPG will have to rebuild by this point--I tried to give youth for youth though.

2. There are so many current AHL'ers / Juniors / Overseas players that I could've factored in. Chose to leave Romanov develop a little longer, since he's not a point producer in the KHL and would get limited time here anyway.

3. Some big decisions will need to be made the following year. Gallagher, Petry, Tatar, Armia, Fleury, Lehkonen, Poehling contracts expiring, in order of importance. But Weal's 1.4M expires and Alzner's buyout penalty drops by 2M. So there's 3.2M to play with--another trade must be made, preferably Byron for picks, giving us 6.6M to distribute in raises. Perhaps a second trade will be needed.

4. Assuming Byron and Poehling actually play well.

5. It hurts to put Thompson as a healthy scratch... Ideally, Poehling is in the AHL, but I'm assuming that he'd have developed too much by then.

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