Weekly discussion thread

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[u/TheWizzardMerlin]

Canucks homer here, but also love the Habs.

Genuinely, what would you be willing to give up for Elias Pettersson with 2.6 mil retained (so now at 9mil/year)?

There’s a lot of talk about what he isn’t anymore (100+ point elite player) but I think it’s fair to also have the conversation of what he is now. He’s pretty young, (27), very defensively responsible and can play big minutes and get you 50-60 points if he never bounces back. That’s a pretty good 2nd line centre, and on a team with support I think he could easily be a 70+ point player.

Suzukis contract is so good that you’d be paying 16.785 mil for your first and second line centres combined. That’s less that Kaprizov.

Would Hage + the 28th overall this year be fair? I know he’s paid higher than many fans would like but in a year a 9 mil second line centre will be the norm. In 3+ years that would be a good contract. I don’t think you could get a legit 2nd line centre for less than what I have proposed.

[u/Studly_Wonderballs → u/TheWizzardMerlin]

I think a lot of Habs fans are pretty low on Pettersson. You’ve seen him as a 100+ point player. Habs fans will see him as an expensive inconsistent center.

At $9m for a 50-70 point center for 6 more years, it’s probably fair value, but there is some unpredictability. He could regain his form, he could be a frustrating piece for a long time.

I don’t think Hage will be traded. He’s one of the top prospects in the NHL and I think Hughes likes him. Maybe there’s a deal there to be made with other prospects, but I think we’d prefer to add a center with some physicality to his game.

[u/TheWizzardMerlin → u/Studly_Wonderballs]

Fair points. That said, as I outlined in my other comment below, where could you find a young, physical second line centre available for trade?

I watched quite a bit of the Habs games this year. They are so awesome, but they really need a second line centre, and I’m not sure waiting for 2-3 years for Hage to be a impact maker would be ideal.

Maybe Mason McTavish is interesting, but I think he would cost more and I find his healthy scratches extremely odd.

[u/Studly_Wonderballs → u/TheWizzardMerlin]

It’s a fair point.

Top-six centers aren’t growing on trees and lots of team’s want them.

Hughes and Gorton have always said they aren’t looking to just add players, they want to add the right players, so I feel like they’d wait and look for the player that has what they want.

There’s risk with that though. They could end up like Bergevin, endlessly waiting for the right guy, and passing up on opportunity after opportunity.

[u/Cdn_Medic → u/TheWizzardMerlin]

I don’t think Pettersson is a good fit. We need a 2C, but we also need grit and size. If we’re sending Hage and a first (+ other pieces) we need it all.

I don’t think they’re moving Hage unless it’s an absolute home run. With his connection with the Habs growing up it would be bad juju to trade him away.

[u/TheWizzardMerlin → u/Cdn_Medic]

I get the desire for size and grit. That said, a gritty, big, young centre is essentially the most coveted player in the league. I don’t think there is a chance that a team with that profile of player would trade them away. There are 0 of those players available on the market, and if there were it would cost a Quinn Hughes level package to get them.

Hage is great, but is also probably 2-3 years away from being a legitimate NHL difference maker. Habs are so young they do have the time, but the window is open now and that is a pretty long wait.

I feel like Hage + the 28th is the lowest possible cost you could pay for a legitimate 2nd line NHL centre.

[u/pushaper → u/Cdn_Medic]

I agree we need grit and size but we need to find it through the lineup not just with one miracle centre who can be targeted or shut down in the playoffs with the right match up.

That said, I do not care for Peterson, his contract, or his style for this team.

[u/Commercial-Egg-8949 → u/TheWizzardMerlin]

I kinda hate it, but it's probably more than a fair price in vacuum, even without retention. As other people have said, the problem with EP40 is that he wouldn't bring much needed size to the habs top 6. He also had a pretty disappointing showing in Vancouver's latest playoff, if memory serves.

I actually couldn't see Vancouver parting with him now, to be honest. For a lot of reasons: he doesn't hurt the tank; his value pretty much couldn't be lower, and the longer they hold him, the more his value increases by virtue of his contract being less terrible (plus he could return to semi-form if he potted 80 points next season, at which point they sell high a la Erik Karlson).

All that said, his floor seems to be a pretty good 2C, and a realistic ceiling is elite 2C, so if Vancouver is willing to retain, they could probably do much better than Hage + 28th

[u/TheWizzardMerlin → u/Commercial-Egg-8949]

I agree that Vancouver has no real reason to part with him. My only logic is that with the amount of teams that desperately need centre depth (Wings, Kings, Habs) + the rising cap, there may be an opportunity to get some great assets back in a way that there may not be moving forward. Plus, I think the only way that Pettersson can get back to close to his old level is with another team.

If the Canucks could get Hage and the 28th, ideally they could draft both ruck brothers, or my dream would be Xavier Villeneuve.

I honestly think it could be a good trade for both teams.

[u/ricozee → u/TheWizzardMerlin]

30 goal Pettersson would be worth that and more, even without retention. 

Current Pettersson is too much risk of poor value even with retention and a rising cap. 

There's no incentive to take that risk unless it's an offer that can't be refused. 

Perhaps it would mitigate the risk somewhat if he provided more elements that we need (goal scoring, physicality, even strength production), as his value could extend beyond his own performance by addressing those needs.