You desperatley need a centre. You have a chance if you get some forward help because the west is so weak. You take this to not only make a run this year, but also get 4 more years for it

We keep Staal, who is better than Haula, for another year and are better off. Go after Haula in free agency if they want him.

It really isn't help when you replace someone with a lesser player. Help would be adding Haula to a roster that has Staal on it.

Staal is still an option to re-sign for cheap short term if he's still worth anything after htis deal is up. Staal wants to stay in MN, he took a cheap extension to not get traded as a rental last year. He could have easily become a UFA and gotten a much larger payday (from a better team) somewhere else after the season.

I'd argue that Haula is as good as Staal, and younger with a much higher ceiling. The only reason we'd target staal is because he's a Hurricane legend, like targetting Williams

So we desperately need a center but we're giving up our 1C here? That makes zero sense...

I highly disagree that Haula is as good as Staal (and I really do like Haula) but even if you believe that then your logic of us desperately needing a center still doesn't make sense, we'd still need another center lmao. Haula is almost 29, he is what he is at this point and he's reached his ceiling.

You need a C, and Staal is maybe 2 years from retiring? Koivu is even closer to retirement. Haula gives you a longer term answer, and Carolina get their 2nd best player of all time back so he can retire in the right place

Then once again, Guerin can just go after Haula in free agency instead of giving up assets for him. This year is a lost cause whether we have Haula or not, I just don't see the point of giving up a player we could get some decent picks for (Staal) for a longer term answer when we could just try to sign him and keep Staal and also get the picks if we trade him. This would just be poor asset management on Guerin's part. We have a lot of center prospects: Boldy (he's playing center in college), Khovanov, and Beckman so it's also not like we have zero options for the future.

Haula is almost 29. He's reached his ceiling. Even if it's a lateral move in skill it doesn't make sense for MN.

1. If Haula is actully a 1C he's getting more than $4m a year. Even if he's an average 2C he'll be getting a $6m-$7m x 6 deal. Coyle just got a $5.25m x 6 as a 3C/2RW, Hayes $7m x 7, Schenn a $6.5m x 8, and Nelson a $6m x6. These would be the comparable contracts Haula should be looking for in both term and AAV.

2. Expansion draft considerations. 7 slots for: Parise (NMC), Zucc (NMC), JEE, Kunin, Fiala, Zucker, Greenway, Donato, add in Haula and that makes 9 that should be worth protecting.

3. There is no need for MN to make this move. They have Staal for another year on his current deal for cheap. If anything hold on to him until the TDL next year and still get a very nice return for him.

4. Haula wasn't the best locker room guy in MN. He didn't get the nickname Haulafamer for his play, thats just how big of an opinion he had of himself was.

5. He had issues with 2 different head coaches in MN (Yeo and BB) and now has issues with a 3rd coach.