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Forum: Armchair-GMFeb. 18 at 11:07 a.m.
Thread: The Holtz Brunette connection
I think that the NJD should absolutely go after Juuse Saros, he fits in perfectly to their needs. That said, he also fits into what Nashville is doing with a line-up of vets on their roster. They have a young stud in Askarov coming through the system who will be the #1 goalie of the future. The question that Nashville needs to ask is "does this year's underperformance push them into a retool/rebuild?" If that answer is yes, then they should be looking to convert other players into younger assets such as:
Ryan McDonaugh
Gustav Nyquist
Ryan O'Reilly
And yes...even Roman Josi (who turns 34 in June)

These four players (plus Saros) could return a serious haul of 'roster players', 'young prospects' and 'picks'. Nashville would have to view this as a 5 year plan to win the Cup and to milk other teams who are trying to compete now of their farm system.

Now as for Saros and NJD, if I'm Nashville I'm looking at Dawson Mercer as being the main piece coming back, and maybe including Kevin Bahl and a 1st round pick in 2025. (very deep draft year). They would probably need to take Vitek Vanecek too as NJ wouldn't have a need for him and his cap hit, and Nashville will need a vet to support young Askarov.
Forum: Armchair-GMFeb. 15 at 10:29 p.m.
Forum: Armchair-GMFeb. 13 at 10:38 p.m.
Thread: Desperation
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>KentMcNally</b></div><div>Personally, I think that Xhekaj is coveted by us Habs fans because he brings an element of toughness that Montreal really needs (and cannot easily replace), plus he can play decently well for an enforcer (skates pretty well for his size, has a good shot and a bit of offensive talent-- not a Norris candidate by any means). I would not say that he is untouchable or that he will develop into a Byfuglien type (but who knows, sometimes those guys come out of left field and have very good careers), but a trade would have to involve a fairly good piece coming back to Montreal.

I think the value he adds to a playoff team is that his type of game is very well suited for the playoffs (although he does take bad penalties at times).

I find it hard to believe that another team would offer up what Kent Hughes may want for him, because of his value to the Habs, but I imagine there is a package of players out there that would work if Montreal wanted to do so,</div></div>

<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>Samsquanch14</b></div><div>To answer your legit question, as noted, he provides the toughness and beastliness that's been missing. That said, it looks like his confidence has dropped a bit this year, but he still is good at getting shots through and transitioning the puck well, via breakouts or neutral zone transitions. He definitely lacks speed and his positioning needs some work as I feel he chases the play too much and seems to focus too much on where he is now vs where he should be next, which allows for plays against him to unfold. I love him as I think there's room to grow, but with the possible talent in the pipeline, he needs to REALLY improve these downfalls. I think what you'll find with us fans is that it's exciting to have that grit on the team. It's a part of hockey that many enjoy and the next toughest guys are Pezzetta and Anderson.</div></div>

Thanks for the responses here guys, although that leave me with a couple follow up questions (remember, these are legit questions, I'm not trolling):
1. There are a lot of skilled tough guy, and even more who lack high end skills but are tough. When I've seen Xhekaj, he is...at best...neutral on the ice, but quite often a liability. I just feel that there are so many more talented/tough options out there.
2. The game has changed. It has wholly changed. Tough guys (goons) aren't appreciated anymore. To quote that talentless bag of cement - Ryan Reaves "Make hockey violent again" isn't reality. The kids are coming in an skating circles around the pylons. Xhekaj is an alright skater, but there are definitely upgrades out there.

What has prompted this line of questioning was the offer made here by a Leafs fan to trade one legit prospect, one legit young roster player and a 1st round pick for a bunch of stuff, but Xhekaj (damn that's hard to type) as the main player coming back. I personally think that's an absolute DUMB amount to pay for him, but I saw Habs fans saying no to an offer they obviously should say yes to and it's not even close.
Forum: Armchair-GMFeb. 10 at 9:44 a.m.
Thread: Reasonable Reinforcements
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>RipNasty</b></div><div>This is how every non leaf fan sees the leafs no matter who's involved. A 24 year old top 4 defenceman has no value only because he's a leaf.</div></div>

The quote should include the word 'tradeable' before assets. They shouldn't be looking to move Liljegren as he plays a key role for them now, and will be even more when Brodie and Giordano move on. You can't move him for a rental. Minten, Cowen and Niemela represent the prospect pool for your team in two years. The lack of assets the Leafs have to trade is a direct result trades done the past few years for players who have moved on:

Ryan O'Reilly - Lost a 1st, 2nd and 3rd for 24 games played by R O'R and 34 games by Noel Acciari including playoffs.
Erik Gustafsson - Lost Rasmus Sandin, but got a 1st rounder too (Easton Cowan)
Luke Schenn - Cost a 3rd rounder to Van (ended up being a good prospect in Sawyer Mynio)
Sam Lafferty - Cost a 1st and 2nd for him and McCabe, recouped a 5th rounder from Van for him and two of Chicago's 5th rounders
Noel Acciari - See Ryan O'R
Ilya Lyubushkin - Cost a 2nd rounder in 2025
Nick Foligno - Cost a 1st and two 4ths
David Rittich - Cost a 3rd rounder
And of course the very tragic death of a promising young Rodion Amirov.

Give Kyle Dubas credit forbeing aggressive, but he also bears the brunt of the blame for emptying the cupboards and not having much to show for it.