I don't hate the trade the issue IMO is the retention, I just don't see Hughes willing to retain that long, I would but I don't think Hughes would

Place Drai between 2 aging power forwards, both at the backend of their career is a recipe for disaster.
Nashville trade is unrealistic, too many pieces moving.

Kane is starting to show signs of decline but still plays decent in our top 6, not disagreeing though, I do think come next season we may need to look into moving Kane.
Anderson is getting close to that but I wouldn't say he's declining yet, Montreal just isn't the place for him since they're prioritizing their young players getting ice time over him.
Coming to EDM he could find his game with a better lineup and generational center.

Idk what you mean by that for the Nashville trade, every trade on this site isn't realistic lol it's all just ideas to have fun.
7 piece's being moved is more than average but not a lot.

the retention is not happening

I also don't know if Hughes will retain any salary, he may be saving his final spot for a potential Monahan trade.

Value wise I think I'm fairly on point though, Anderson isn't very movable for MTL without retention and Holloway may enjoy being on a non-playoff team playing in a higher role.

I like the Habs trade as a Canadiens fan. I don’t think management is holding money for that long unless it’s a massive overpay, not to mention they over value Anderson as it is

It's an interesting proposal, but ultimately doesn't work for Montreal.

That's a lot of retention for a player they don't really have a reason to move.
I believe they will give him another shot next season after a rough start and early injury to Dach. If he still can't fit in they'd be more open to such a move.
The biggest issue is already being down one retention slot with more than one pending UFA if they are still selling at the deadline next year. Dvorak and Savard will require retention to maximize any return, and moving Allen may require retention as well if they need to end the 3 goalie rotation.

It's just the wrong time and situation for Montreal to consider such a move. They aren't in a rush and Holloway isn't appealing enough that they need to jump at the opportunity to acquire him.

How do either of these trades benefit Edmonton?

Anderson probably can't be moved this season: I won't argue anyone what the perception of this player is. He's producing like a fourth-line winger and is heralded in many circles as a bonafide top-line piece. This isn't what Edmonton needs right now. Draisaitl absolutely needs an upgrade on McLeod and Foegele but I believe that the two players themselves represent the archetype he best excels with. He needs speedy players alongside him, and we've seen the results with Hall, with McDavid, and now Foegele/McLeod. Anderson just isn't that. He's a bruiser. If that was the playertype Draisaitl succeeded with, there wouldn't be talk in Edmonton about flushing Kane at the next available opportunity.

Carrier isn't an upgrade on Ceci in about any shape or form outside of the pure puck-moving ability. This is the inverse case as the Anderson trade above: this is the right player archetype they need to stick alongside Nurse but they need a player that can do more. The gap in the TOI between Ceci and Carrier should not be bridged by giving more work to Bouchard or Desharnais. Likewise, all Lankinen really offers over Pickard at this moment is a more recent NHL resume. Neither of these players, even with the retention and cap savings, are worth what Edmonton's being asked to pay here. The package being offered to Nashville should be enough to fetch a bonafide upgrade to Ceci, not a downgrade for the sake of doing so.

I get the concerns around Anderson and am ok that people don't see the value due to his stats, it's very understandable given he makes 5.5 and hasn't produced well over the last few years. I watch how he plays and like what I see but I get that not everyone is big on the eye test, to me I see some similarities to Hyman (obviously not at all saying he would come to EDM and have the impact Hyman has had) but I do think Anderson could work very well along side Drai and Kane/Foegele. Anderson is quite fast, not quite to Foegele/McLeod's speed but he is faster than say Kane/Brown. I see Anderson as someone who is stuck behind younger players that MTL is going to prioritize developing as they aren't competing and unfortunately for Anderson it means he doesn't get much ice time with talent that helps him.

Carrier is an upgrade on Ceci, he is a much better skater, transition defender and puck mover; and a bit better in the offensive zone and at cutting a cycle in the D-zone. I like Ceci, he's been great for us given his contract and does most things well, Carrier is a better version of that IMO. We won't need to allocate more TOI to Bouchard or Desh, Carrier plays ~18:25 a night now and Ceci ~20:10, the extra 35 seconds a period isn't gunna kill him. Additionally this allows us to move Brown's cap hit off our books next season and gain a more legitimate 1B (if we need, Pickard's been fine but only time will tell). One thing I'll say is when looking at this I didn't realize I put Bourgault in that trade, the original I saw had him but I wanted that swapped to Niem/Savioe with the addition of the 4th and Lankinen, I'll change the trade to reflect that.

Overall I think pairing Nurse with a better skater/puck mover helps our transition play, something that the Nurse/Ceci pairing at times lacks causing us to get stuck in zone.
Anderson is a gamble though and I get that, I like him but get that others REALLY don't. His recent play has been decent till he got injured, he looks good when he's on the ice, but I won't argue if you don't like him cause I get it.

Anderson's issue really isn't even eye test versus analytics, it's the sample size: we've seen years of this player not justify his salary. He's a drag on the play no matter which way the puck goes. His scoring numbers might suit him at half his salary but the amount of babysitting his linemates would need to do for him make it hard to justify. That's not Draisaitl's M.O either: Leon isn't lazy per say but his commitment to the defensive side of the ice is inconsistent. Giving him wingers that aren't speedy and don't have some two-way acumen is a recipe for disaster. Both Foegele and McLeod are responsible, and I'd actually double down with McLeod (and his brother, coincidentally) being one of the better defensive forwards in the league right now.

Anderson at 50% has value, how much value I won't argue (I'd wager less than a rental #3RW, his term and health are scary), but I don't see a fit with the cash-strapped Oilers. I'd be much happier to pay out the nose for a fully-retained Konecny who costs the same but has monster production compared to Josh.

The difference between a shift more per period per night seems trivial but if there is any wobble to Carrier's game, and there is, then you could be realistically looking at upwards of three extra goals against per game. All it takes to get scored on is a bad shift.

PuckIQ has an interesting metric called DFF% (percentage of dangerous fenwick for vs against ) and buy and large I think it's one of the best metrics to evaluate defencemen with. Not all shots are equal and the dangerous shots are the ones that will more often than not beat goaltenders. The whole reason to have defencemen is to limit these chances against. A very quick and brief overview of this metric and some of its supplemental counts (I like per-60 as a way to see through variable icetimes) shows us the following:

1. Carrier and Ceci are almost interchangeable when it comes to winning the dangerous shots battle against elite competition. Carrier is more effective against middle-tier competition and Ceci outperforms Carrier against the gritensity group by a wide margin.
2. Less happens on the ice - both for and against - when Carrier is skating than when Ceci is skating against any level of competition (adjusted for icetime).
3. The stats relative to their own teammates paints Ceci as one of the worst defenders Edmonton has iced all season, Carrier is consistently in that middle-pairing range but barely breaks even against mid-level opposition relative to his teammates

I did concede that Carrier was a better puck mover (I should have been more specific: I do agree with your points about skating and transition) but I have justifiable concerns about his usage.

For Edmonton to upgrade on Ceci, Edmonton needs a player that does everything Ceci does but better without a shadow of a doubt. Beyond moving the puck, they need to be able to eat minutes (the dream is Edmonton runs two top pairs of Ekholm/Bouchard and Nurse/[X]) and penalty kill. Carrier, like Ceci, is a dream #3RD but would be asked to take on too much if put alongside Nurse given the way Edmonton runs its blueline. Their numbers are too similar to suggest there is any real statistical advantage to buying on Carrier in the hopes that - at minimum - he maintains his underlying numbers in what looks like a completely different environment. This is what I interpret Point #1 above to be telling me: these are virtually the same player save for a few stylistic differences that the chemistry Ceci and Nurse have are likely covering up for.

Point #2 I find to be disconcerting as Edmonton thrives as a high-event team. Half of their imperative is to open up games and lure the opposition into playing firewagon hockey. Carrier's lesser rates suggests that he may not adapt immediately to that kind of system, as Nashville as a team plays far more conservatively, especially when Carrier is on the ice. It's not quite trap hockey, but a four shots total on either goalie every three minutes is a lot less Edmonton's style than the near two shots per minute either way the Oilers see with Ceci on the ice.

But Point #3 is where I make my own decision admittedly: we know Ceci is THE piece to upgrade on Edmonton's blueline and the numbers confirm this. If the goal is to run two top-pair calibre pairings in Ekholm-Bouchard and Nurse-[X], Carrier just misses the mark entirely. He's a good #3RD with a few inconsistencies to his game, which is where I believe Nashville uses him more often than not, and that's just not what Edmonton should be shopping for. They need a high-end puck-moving RHD (without that player being one-dimensional, we've seen Barrie fail in this role) to pair with Nurse.

Before the season began, Dylan DeMelo, Rasmus Andersson, and Mack Weegar were the players I had the most time for and its in that vein of player I want to see Edmonton shopping. Names like Borgen, Carrier, and Fabbro have intrigue to them yes, but not enough so to supplant what Edmonton already has in Ceci. Right now I think there's an opportunity with Spurgeon if he's healthy to not only improve on Ceci but also very cleverly unload Campbell, but I haven't seen much else in terms of names that could be available today that gives the Oilers that bonafide one-two punch on the back end. Zub maybe?

I don't disagree on the Anderson discussion, I like him and as such created this to show an equal value move to add a play I see value in to a situation he may become more productive in, but I also agree 100% that it would be a risk to make this move as if Anderson doesn't pair well with our top 6 we are stuck with a 2.75M bottom 6 while losing one of our best prospects. His health concerns are also an issue that I don't want to under play.

I think unfortunately a poor narrative surrounds Anderson as well due to the systems he's been in, going from Columbus to Montreal in the states the teams have been doesn't allow for much success for a player like Anderson. However, I will say that narratives can be very skewed. I see a similar player to Hyman, who was seen as a horrible signing by Edmonton when we got him, in Anderson. A gritty puck hound who can move well for his size and get net front with ease, able to protect the puck and is good both in transition and in the O-Zone. Pairing that with another hound like Foegele and a generational playmaker/player like Drai could unlock some potential (though again, that is a gamble).

The concern on usage is justified but also maybe exaggerated, if it was a ~4 min total jump I would understand but ~1:40 min is less of a concern in my eyes. This also paired with Carrier getting a vast upgrade in D-partner going from Lauzon to Nurse would additionally assist in his addition TOI.

I like the idea of Weegar/Andersson but that's unfortunately very unrealistic given where we would acquire them from. In my eyes I also would like another Ek/Bouch-esk pairing on EDM and to me Carrier could potential match that fit with his puck moving and skating abilities (with what we can say is equal (IMO better) defensive abilities vs Ceci). I just can't find a Dman right now that would be available who fits that role with Nurse, Spurgeon would be wonderful but I doubt MIN considers that move ATM (at least until they fall out of playoff contention, which may be soon).

here's the thing ... MTL isn't looking to move anderson

I don't know about that, I would imagine Anderson isn't on Montreal's no trade list.
They may not be actively shopping him but he could still be moved.

Again though, if the retention is a non-starter for Hughes than this trade wouldn't exist. I don't know his stance on retaining players salaries, especially with 2 slots taken up.