Don't think the Habs will be going down the Kassian road again.

MTL Laughs and hangs up the phone. a 5/6 Dman, a 4th line player, and probably a 20-32 1st round pick wont do it. But then again, Oilers will probably be bad again since they have no defence.

Habs would take the Edm 1st alone, I suspect. Kassian has 2 years at $2M and he'd be no more disruptive than Pacioretty is being. I also think Benning is being undervalued in this. I forget what I saw over the summer, but his advanced stats are pretty impressive.

this right here^ especially given how low the value of paccioretty is atm and how good benning actually is

Just a personal observation regarding your proposed trade of Kassian:

Zack Kassian started his career as the 13th overall draft pick in 2009. In 2012 he was traded to Vancouver (essentially in exchange for Cody Hodgson) which gave him a change of scenery and a chance to play with the Sedin Twins. That opportuntiy didn't turn out as planned and in 2015 the Canucks off-loaded him on Montreal, along with a 5th round pick, in exchange for Brandon Prust. later in 2015, after mandatory treatment for substance abuse, Kassian was shipped to Edmonton in exchange for Ben Scrivens, a goaltender the Oilers didn't need,or want (and it turns out Montreal didn't need, or want, him either). The fall from grace must have been painful, he went from being a highly touted draft pick to playing right-wing on the fourth-line in a city that had learned to hate him during his days in Canuck's colors. Back in the day, Kassian in Oiler colors seemed about as likely a Jim Peplinski joining the Oilers in the 80's. When Kassian arrived in Edmonton, there was an uproar among many fans, particularly those who had not resolved their utter disgust with the Kassian/Ganger stick-swinging incident. Personally, I have learned a great deal of respect for Zack Kassian since his arrival in Edmonton; he's faced the frustration of knowing the disappointment of organizations and fans who expected too much from him, he's dealt with personal demons that almost cost him his career, and he's faced the music, made the necessary changes in his personal life, and accepted the role he's been given by his coach and management. Many feel he is over-paid for the role he plays, and the way he plays it, and few acknowledge that he accepted less salary than he was entitled to under the rules regarding an NHL RFA Qualifying offer.

I don't think it would be fair of the Oilers to send Kassian back to Montreal, the guy deserves to be treated with more class than that. He may be paid more than many think he should be, and he may still be an inconsistent performer, but the guy has character and I believe he's demonstrated integrity as well. It seems Montreal is where he hit bottom, it would simply be cruel to send him back there.

Plus to add to that to which I agree with you, the Canadiens don't in general try things twice! Well I mean unless you are talking about coaches of course, plus Kassian is not passed his prime yet so why would the Habs want him right now?

I live in edmonton and obviously watch every/most Oiler games, Benning is not underrated. he is a 5/6 on all teams not named the Oilers and Habs as their dcores are suspect at best.
kassian has already burned out of MTL. why would they want him back at 2 million. He proved last season he is a 1 million dollar player.

the 1st is nice, but i don't think it is in MTL best interest to take the other questionable assets being sent.

Simple truth: Edmonton won't get a better LW for less and the Habs won't get a better package than a 1st rounder, a decent D and a reasonably priced winger who might actually enjoy a shot at redemption. But even without Kassian, Habs don't seem likely to get better than a 1st and Benning. That's the sad truth when you have a winger who thinks he deserves $11M per year and a GM who bad mouths his players around the league. Given that Pacioretty reportedly turned down a solid offer from the LAK, every GM has to assume he'll be a one-and-done if they trade for him.

Benning's 0.85 5v5 p/60 last year puts him 2nd on the Habs (400 minutes minimum) behind only Weber. Yes, you read that right: he outscored Petry (0.67), Benn (0.67) and Alzner (0.48). Bear in mind that Weber's 1.30 is out of character for him, his scoring in 16-17 was 0.67, and 0.85 the year before, for instance.

Benning's shot- and goal-based metrics (Corsi%, Fenwick%, Shot%, Goal%, Scoring Chance%) are all above 50% for both his rookie year and his sophomore year. He had the 4th highest TOI of Oilers defensemen last year (5v5). He also ran the 2PP last year (2nd most 5v4 time among Oilers defensemen) and actually outscored Klefbom (1PP) in that discipline.

He's a right-shot defenseman with a penchant for big hits. He has value in this league, even if not in your mind.