Why do have so many picks??!!

It's been the same thing over and over for the last few years. Sign Cousins, trade him for a pick. Sign Peca, trade him for a pick. Sign Thompson, trade him for a pick. Sign Kovalchuk, trade him for a pick. And the list goes on. It's good asset management, Bergevin almost never lets UFA walks.

I love it. Wish my GM's did it lol

Duclair could want more and we don’t really need him. I’d prefer to have Armia or Lehkonen in his spot and Byron on the 4th line and keep the cap space for a deadline acquisition when we will know our needs instead of having to guess them

If someone really offered more he would have signed by now

here's my 2 cents. Bergevin is a student of the game and I know he spent time learning about Sam Pollock who was a genius at pick management. So by signing ufa's then moving them, he has stock piled a ton of picks. Then at the draft, he will pick on or two in a round but then often trade down to collect two more picks.

The thinking is if we have 5 forwards then we have 5, but if we have ten picks and draft ten forwards, then we increase our probabilities of landing on a sleeper or late bloomer.

i'd play Juulsen over Mete if it's to play with Ed!!

He's definitely gonna be tested this year. Lets see what he does with Tatar and Armia

Let's also not forget Markov and Radulov...... *still crying*

Edmundson to compensate for Mete's lack of size would be great, it'd allow him to do his things like he did with Weber

Yep, and also flipping picks at the draft for a pick in the same round the following year. He did that alot more in previous drafts than he did at this one, but I still really like how he flipped one of this year's extra 2nds into Tampa's 2021 2nd rounder (plus a 4th). Gives us options in the trade market at next year's draft that other teams won't have.

... and *gulp* Danault.

It's different when we are in a playoff spot, as we need those players. But otherwise he's selling the most he can.

and kudos to Molson for not dismissing Bergevin. I think it took him 4 to 5 years to figure out how to be an effective GM. The last 3 yrs have been much better.