Unless Caufield is a part of the package going back to the team with the #1 pick, I don’t see any team even discussing the potential of trading Lafrenière.

Wait...why does Tampa have the #3 pick?

I think it's because they might finish 3rd in the Atlantic this year......so that gets them the third overall pick.

Detroit has 21 points and next is NJD with 30. I'm sorry but Detroit will finish last guaranteeing them at least the 4th pick.

you're ignoring the trade scenario , lets try this again . . .

NJD Intends on Drafting Raymond
They've chosen Centers 2/3 last years 1st OA
Thats ontop of drafting only Centers in the 1st from 2012- now excluding Ty smith in 2018
As a Result no elite wing talent to replace their aging core top 6 wingers
Raymond solves a lot of problems

i cherry picked the only trade partner who doesnt need a Center specifcally for this reason
NJD Again In This Scenario is Looking to Trade down to get the Piece they Need and get paid for it
They could just pick Raymond 1st he deffinately has earned the right to be in the competition as he's younger succeeding vs Men in Sweden top league .
But they want the elite Winger

As Bob Mckenzie and Elliotte Friedman pointed out this landscape is very similar to the Hicher/Nolan draft in which the top 2-3 players are a playoff championship away from 1st . So its not unreasonable to think Byfield or Raymond could unseat him if they go deep in the playoffs .

the draft generator chose this i just switched NJD and OTT's spots because i needed NJD to have the 1st OA
upon review TBL as it stands is the bottom end of the Eastern Standings . the metro division has both Wildcard spots locked up by more points then 2nd in the Atlantic division.

i'm assuming this factored in

you think you’re getting a third overall pick for the 8th pick and danault? Better be throwing in a good prospect as well. And Tampa has zero use to draft another goalie in the first round for at least 5 years. And it better be Caufield or poehling going to New Jersey if you think you’re moving from 3rd to 1st.

You think that Los Angeles is going to get higher than 26th in the entire League?

Send me some of that stuff. I'll take up smoking again.

Lafrenière isn’t a center though. His primary position is LW. He is playing exclusively on the wing, both for Team Canada and for Rimouski.

And even if he was a center, the Devils would trade Hischier away before moving the #1 pick.

This is a more fun idea to explore
Watched Hischer in Junior live a lot and he's an awesome prospect .

i'd still rather Byfield over Lefreniere but you know MTL and the whole French first approach .

name 3 examples in Context in which this has happened .
i looked up the history the the 1st OA being taken and built my moves based on Facts as a GM has done it

i like basing my trades on similar moves actually made otherwise we're just having a war of opinions based on nothing if there is no Context .
people pretend there is a huge margin between 1st ,2nd and 3rd OA picks but the reality is for example Hughes , Kakko and Dach all have similar success .
Year before that the draft class for the top 4 have all but KK 65-75 points ,
Year before that Hischer #1 and Pettersson #5 almost double 2nd ,3rd and 4th's production . Both Hischer and Pettersson went higher then expected but are cleary better then Nolan who for 2 years before the draft was in everyone's opinion undisputed .

Its only once every 6-7 years a Mcdavid level stand out who's that much better then the other two top 3
Given we got Mathews and Mcdavid already in recent memory something tells me we got a bit to wait before another Generational Star Appears .
1 things for sure Lefreniere isnt it he's at best a Stamkos level All Star and at worse a Lecavlier level player .
I mean that's still worth alot but its sure as **** not worth giving up a Caufield who will IMO end his career with more goals then AL which is what MTL needs most .

Upside to this post is i learned i can basically get Raymond for a lot less and get a speed based player who's thriving at age 17 in a Swedens top Pro Mens League the SHL.


https://grantland.com/the-triangle/were-no-1-the-history-of-trading-the-nhls-top-pick/