I remember reading some stuff about Domi+ for mantha but idk how legit it was. Considering domi + a 3rd only fetched Anderson, I’m thinking Mantha would’ve needed a considerable add

Yes that's what red wings fans kept telling habs fans but they would post these trade scenarios everyday with maybe minor changes.

was going to be an overpayment for mantha

3 first rounders is a considerable add.

3 first rounders? I don’t get it? This trade only has one additional first rounder. If you consider Domi+Juulson as your “first rounders” then that’s pretty irrelevant. Domi was drafted in 2013 and draft position really doesn’t matter anymore. Domi doesn’t have more value than a player like Jake Guenztal because one was drafted in the first round and the other was drafted in the 3rd round...

And juulson looks like a bust due to injuries. He’s a 6/7D and doesn’t carry much value. He’s definitely not considered “first round value”

you make valued points and I agree. But they are still 3 first rounders and therefore would fall in the category of considerable add. So let's look at the trade regardless of draft position. 3 for 1. If I am Montreal I make that trade. If I am Detroit, I ask for more.

Yeah I think MTL definitely had interest in Mantha but clearly weren’t willing to pay the price to upgrade Domi to Mantha, whatever that price may have been. So they explored a cheaper option in Anderson

It has been over a month since we stopped seeing Mantha to Montreal trades and thats a good thing. So why in the world would post this ACGM?

Considering what Domi and Mantha both got in there recent contracts I would say the Red Wing fans value their player more than the organization. Pretty comparable deals and one would even say Domi's better due to the terms.

So imo zero chance the habs offered this and zero chance the red wings would decline this offer.

There is no direct correlation with contract value and how an organization sees a player. Some GMs are known for getting players to take “discounts” for various reasons. Yzerman said in a press conference that I sees Mantha as a core component and doesn’t want him to fight so he can stay on the ice. Mantha has great analytics for playing on a historically bad team and over his last 82 games has 30G and 42A (again on a historically bad team). So I’m going to take the words from a GM over your speculation.