Panthers decline, Tippett isn’t available

Sure, who's your next best prospect?

I don't see Gallagher being available unless the return is worth it. Gurianov isn't worth gallagher

Gallagher is a bottom 6 player on a contending team. Montreal won't be a contending team for 8 years. That is if they continue to say we are only a piece or two away from contending. The pieces they are missing are an elite franchise centre and a very good 2nd line centre. They don't have those and should rebuild bottom out and find those players in the draft. Every year you wait the harder it'll be to trade Weber and Price. It may already be too late to trade Weber.

Gally is a top 6 on a contending team imo and still he has TONS of value to MTL and who the hell is the guy we are getting?

I know NYI is the low hanging fruit, I even understand their dyer need of a #1 goalie. But what rebuilding team in their right mind gives up that many draft picks on a Carey Price that hasn't looked like Carey Price in almost 3 years!?

Where would he play in Toronto? Or in Tampa? He's a 2nd liner on most good teams and a 3rd liner on the super elite teams. Who does he pump out of the top 6 in Winnipeg?

He's a valuable guy but he's not an elite player. He's a middle 6 depth guy who does a lot of very valuable things.

This is the exact reason why I think Montreal needs a rebuild. They are doomed if they wait to trade Price. He's going to decline in his 30's and then will be a 10.5 million dollar immovable asset.

None of the Panthers top prospects are available is a trade for Patches

You really are not being helpful here. Its been widely reported that Florida is the front runner to get him. Who do they send in return and please don't be a usual homer fan and offer up a 7th rounder and a 27 year old depth winger.

Sorry to disappoint you but the best offer you will probably get is Bjugstad Petrovic and a 3/4 round pick

I'd take that if I was Montreal for sure.

I think you'd need to retain a lot on Price for the Islanders to accept. With Tavares leaving, NYI would also need to make a move or 2 to shore up the D before committing to Price and that insane contract.

Lou isn't a good GM anymore though, so I can see him doing this thinking it'll be a good old school build from the Net out thing. He did just give Leo 3 million for 4 years and picked up Martin. Those moves, combined with Lou's departure from TO in favour of Dubas tells me he just doesn't see the league in the right way anymore.

Not sure about that. He isn't signing speed, I'll give you that... but what options were available after the Tavares saga? What options were even available BEFORE the Tavares saga?

Lou's plan isn't true contention just yet, which is your mistake in assuming. Otherwise he'd have emptied the pipeline already. He's signing guys to change the culture, which was badly needed. If you ever watched the NYI play they were incredibly soft. Look up the Burakovsky quote; see the retaliation after Marchand hit Tavares. He's making a team that is going to be tough to play against.

Not sure how an oft-injured goalie making $10M for the better part of a decade fits into that. I stand by my original post. If he were to trade for Karlsson and Faulk, then it's a revisit.

Montreal is the poster child of a team that is spinning its wheels trying not to be terrible when they just don't have the pieces to be a contender but won't admit it. Price was once the best goalie in the world, still likely is one of the best, but he's aging and they have so many holes they need to fix. This team should trade everyone they can for future pieces and build up with the guys they have under 25 years old. If they don't then in 3-4 years they are truly doomed because instead of trading Price and Weber, they'll be trading Drouin and guys like him for draft picks because those will be the only assets they'll be able to move. Who's taking a 35+ year old weber with his contract? No one.

Same story will happen for Price. Giving both term and cap hit to people in their 30's is the worst thing someone can do. Corey Perry is getting almost 9 million to be a slow 3rd liner who gets a pile of powerplay points.