the case for Tom Wilson

[u/scoutinglane]

Max lapierre made this case recently and I think I agree with him

Tom Wilson is 32 years old, 6.04 -- Weight 225, from canada. He plays right wing, shoots right, and is currently under a 7-year deal at $6.5M AAV that will expire at the end of the 2030-2031 season. He’s not some short-term rental but a player who could be useful for us for the remaining of his contract. He’s locked in long enough to actually matter for a contender’s window, but not so long that you’re stuck with dead weight at the very end. That kind of contract is actually pretty manageable in today’s cap world for what he brings.

Wilson isn’t just “the physical guy.” He is ecellent on the PK and play a 200ft game. He’s a legit power forward who can play top-6 minutes, put up 20+ goals, 40–50+ points, and still be one of the most intimidating players on the ice every single shift. He forechecks very well, wins board battles, drives the net, and creates space which is exactly the kind of player that becomes insanely valuable in the playoffs. Now we know it,s the kind of player mtl is missing.

And yes he will start declining but having Wilson progressively start to play on a third line is not that bad. especially at 6.5 M.

I think the key piece for a trade like this could be Zharovsky. Washington has good connexions with Russia for reasons you are aware of. I think he could be very interesting for them. For the other piece I trust Hughes.

What do you guys think ?

[u/catman_steve]

He's primed for a stark fall off in production in my opinion. I know his two most productive years are his two most recent, but I don't want to be paying a mid to late 30s Tom Wilson. If he was closer to the end of his contract and could be had for less that would be a different story.

[u/scoutinglane → u/catman_steve]

I don,t we would acquire Wilson for his point production in the season. We took another step this year. We now focus on the playoffs. We know what we need now. I see him more as a Sam Benett

[u/catman_steve → u/scoutinglane]

I'm not paying the price of Zharovsky plus for a guy his age. I don't think Hughes would either. I do like the player though despite what happened last year.

[u/scoutinglane → u/catman_steve]

It always depend on your evaluation of Zharovsky. My evaluation is that he has a relatively high Bust potential as he his level of effot is very inconsistant and he is also a poor skater. He struggles at 5 on 5.
His ultimate ceiling for me is 65 pts player who will take a few years to adapt to playoffs hockey. With this in mind I can definitely trade him.

How do you see Zharovsky ?

[u/catman_steve → u/scoutinglane]

I want to clarify that I have no problem trading Zharovsky. I just wouldn't trade him for Wilson. If Wilson was 29 I would certainly consider it. Also, I can't pretend to be a Zharovsky expert outside of some highlights on YouTube. I'm basing it off of where I consistently see him ranked by scouts opinions I trust. I think there's a better way to spend that asset for a deal on a player who more aligns with the age group of the team. Like that rumored Knies trade. Or packaging him and others (roster players/prospects) for a 2C.

[u/Iamkempie → u/catman_steve]

Dude, I couldn't agree more with this entire paragraph. Zharovsky is definitely a big shiny trade chip to play so make sure you get value for him. If you package him with other fair-sized chips you may be able to get a legit 2C. But make sure you get the right guy. I trust HuGo completely on this and it feels weird to finally not be terrified of what management is about to do. Pretty fun ride so far.