So MTL really need a Draisaitl ?

Reilly is a spare defenseman. Pacioretty is wildly inconsistent, wants to go to a southern American market, and is considerably old with only a handful of prime years left. The 2019 1st barely sweetens the deal too. And all that for Draisaitl? God no.

Where does MTL sign? Done deal!

i agree with everything but the wildly inconsistent part. Take out this year and the lockout year he has what 5 straight season of 30+ goals. Now if you give him an actually #1 centre to feed him the puck, better yet, arguably the best centre in the league, he'll be pottiong 30+ for another 5 years comfortably imo.

I believe you meant pacioretty is "streaky" which a lot of high end goal scorers are.

all we need is his center abilities to give to drouin

I like the trade and, yeah, @ItalChech is right about the inconsistency part. Indeed, Pacioretty is about as inconsistent as a Rolex. He just gets it done with very little flash.

Reilly has been a pleasant surprise. He's certainly replaceable, but I think he's a genuine NHLer now, more than just a spare part. If the 2019 pick were not top-5 protected (it's possible Price just never returns to form), I would rather give up this year's first (assuming it's not the #1) and keep Reilly and the 2019 pick. Habs should also be sure to use one of their 4 second rounders to draft Olivier Rodrigue, the best eligible goalie in the Q.

I know it's heresy to say but this is a solid trade for both teams and Edmonton would be smart to make it, too. Last thing: you might have to give Carlson an extra $1M, especially if it's to lure him out of the U.S. Northeast.