Bergevin wouldn't do this, but anyone with a freaking iota of vision for the future can see that this year is the right year to tank...
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A few things taken into consideration for this tank setup :
Hoffman is coming back soon, hence why he is in the lineup. Same thing for Paquette and Perreault except I'm putting them as healthy scratch for now. Niku might also be back soon enough.
Price isn't coming back to play this year. He might, but I have chosen to believe he won't for this specific setup.
Allen comes back from injury to be a big brother to Primeau. They share games 50/50 as much as possible so Primeau gets some experience.
Byron stays on LTIR for now. Rumor is he might be back to play towards the end of december, but I have disregarded that fact for this setup.
Weber's career is over. Drouin said it - albeit by mistake - but it's clear. Rumor is he's been offered a pro scout job in the habs' front office. He might already be transitionning towards that.
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Explanations for the moves and the signings :
Montembault on waivers
Pretty much self-explanatory, I think Minnessota might pick him up on waivers, if not them or any other team he goes to Laval and finishes his contract there (if there aren't anymore injuries).
Kulak trade
Clearing space on the blue line (along with Wideman). This gives more space for Romanov, Niku, Norlinder and Brook to get some NHL experience.
Toffoli trade
I'll admit this one is kind of a doozy. Considering the current situation with injuries with Vegas, Toffoli could jump in to help them get back on track right now. In the future, when Pacio, Stone and others come back healthy, he can still play on the middle 6 and contribute offensively. The three prospects coming back are not exactly elite potential, but getting prospects from Vegas has worked well so far for the teams willing to trade with them (see also; Pacioretty trade, Nolan Patrick trade, etc.)
Wideman trade
Anaheim have had a good start all things considered, Wideman can help their RHD depth and second powerplay unit.
Petry trade
Petry goes back to Edmonton, who needs RHD depth to stay competitive. At this point in his career, he can be a leader on any team and he now has actual playoff experience - which Edmonton is lacking. It's been rumored that he regrets leaving Edmonton before McDavid was drafted, so his NMC/M-NTC won't be an issue. Salary retained to sweeten the deal, which for the next 3 season after this one is not really gonna be a problem for the habs cap-wise.
Chariot trade
Chariot goes back to Winnipeg. He's having an above average start of the season and Winnipeg could use a veteran like him once the playoff starts. Salary retained to sweeten the deal, doesn't really matter since it's only for the rest of the season.
Jacob Olofsson signing
We need to bring this guy over to the NHL. He's 21 and showing real potential as a two-way player. He could fit really well with Evans and Gally (more on that below), as he works as hard as anybody and has a really good work ethic.
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Explanations for the line combinations :
First line
Drouin - Dvorak - Anderson
This line should be playing against the other team's top line. Dvorak isn't a first line center offensively, but he is really responsible and works hard. Drouin and Anderson play well together and can keep the other team's offensive defensemen in check.
Second line
Hoffman - Suzuki - Caufield
To those saying Caufield needs to play in Laval for the rest of the year, I say ''Nah...''. Seriously tho, I think giving Suzuki a less stressful role as a second-line center will help him be successful. Also, complimenting him with Hoffman and Caufield, who can both shoot it from anywhere, is a - potentially - deadly combination, or at least in my mind.
Third line
Olofsson - Evans - Gallagher
As mentionned above, I think this guy should come over to the NHL already. I really see a potential fit with Evans and Gally and this line's primary role would definitely be as follows : Be agressive on the forecheck, try to create scoring chances off the rush and go straight for the net to get rebounds. A perfect combination of speed, swiftness and determination.
Fourth line
Lekhonen - Poeling - Armia
To be honest, this one is kind of a placeholder for Armia and Lekhonen. I can't really see myself trading those two without a tangible return. Poeling could go back to Laval to play a more offensive role there and be replaced by Paquette and/or Perreault.
First pair
Edmundson - Savard
You can call this the ''stay-at-home-first-pair''. Simple; they play against the other teams' best lines. Up to 25 minutes a game if they have to. Hopefully they don't get injured....
Second pair
Romanov - Niku
Romanov should play as physical and however he wants to play. He's been hyped way too much by the media as the next Markov or whatever and I think everybody can see right through that now. I think he can be a Alexei-Emelin-type and can make the other teams forward think twice about entering the zone on his side. He's also only 21, so his development will continue for the next 3 to 4 years. Niku is charged with staying put in case Romanov misses a check or whatever... He can also take care of the defensive zone exit pretty well with his first pass vision.
Third pair
Norlinder - Brook
This pair is designed to give a chance to defensive prospects. I would start with Norlinder and Brook but they could switch with other prospects as much as once every two games or so. Ghule, Fairbrother and Belpedio can have their go at it as well.
Powerplay and Penalty kill
Pretty much the way it is right now if you replace Wideman with Niku, Petry with Brook and Kulak with Norlinder. Edmundson and Savard stay on the ice as much as possible for the penalty kill.
Scratches
Xavier Ouellet - Sorry bud, but you are only here in case every defensive prospects we have signed gets injured. Get used to the press box...
Cedric Paquette - As mentionned above, he can come in if somebody gets injured or plays bad on the bottom six (Mostly Poeling).
Perrault - Same thing as Paquette.
Taxi Squad
I just put every player who had one year left on their contract in here, don't pay attention to it. NHL should've kept the taxi squad concept this year though (For the Senators and the Sharks...)
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Conclusion
This was put together in about half an hour, so you can definitely call this half-assed if you so please. I am open for debate concering the trades and the line combinations or if you have any pent-up anger to deliver at someone.
You're basically giving Chiarot away here but the Jets are pretty flush with LHD.
You're getting essentially nothing for Petry.. Lol
Long term retention like that isn't realistic, no GM would ever do that.
Johannesson is an underated prospect, but the 6th round pick is pretty much magic beans, I'll give you that.
Petry's value is way down, and salary cap retention isn't used enough especially if you are going into a rebuild. We're talking about 2.5M for the next three years after this season, that's about what Lekhonen makes. I prefer trading Petry while he is still worth something instead of a bottom 6 depth forward.
An argument could be made to change the 3rd round pick for a 2nd to be fair...
I like your thinking but I think your value are way too low. Chiarot could get us at least a 2cnd round pick, if not a first. He’s what a contender look for, a big guy who can play a lot of minutes. Instead of meh prospect, we should go get a first for Toffoli. Petry with retaintion could get us a prospect and a pick. Id also put Poehling on that 3rd line, I dont see anything great about Olofsson. He’s not even an Ahl player.
McDavid, Connor
$250,000)
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