Drouin Traded To Montreal

[MadDevil]

Drouin is good, but Montreal has now traded Subban and Sergachev in successive offseasons, and still don't have the center they really need. It seems like it would have made more sense to use Sergachev to go after a top center. Unless they think Drouin is that player.

[hobie]

I've seen people express that TB needed Sergachev but I wonder if Montreal might be needing him more.

 Petry-29

Markov-38

Weber-31

Emelin-31 

is Montreal's top 4 d-men with no clear cut quality prospects in the pipeline.

[flyercanuck]

Could be a win-win deal. 

 

 Personally, Sergachev, as a very high ceiling defenceman holds more potential value though he hasn't reached anywhere near that yet. Drouin certainly hasn't leveled out in his development either, but as winger his positional worth is less. Then again when you throw the "francophone' factor in les Habs probably value that over any need at a position. 

 

 I guess Montreal is in "win now" mode and didn't want to wait? 

[ruxpin]

2 hours ago, flyercanuck said:

Could be a win-win deal. 

 

 Personally, Sergachev, as a very high ceiling defenceman holds more value though he hasn't reached anywhere near that yet. Drouin certainly hasn't leveled out in his development either, but as winger his worth is less. Then again when you throw the "francophone' factor in les Habs probably value that over any need at a position. 

 

 I guess Montreal is in "win now" mode and didn't want to wait? 

They're in "screw it up now" mode.   Honestly, I don't think they helped themselves at all.  @hobie's observation is terrific. 

[MadDevil]

Montreal kind of has to be in "win now" mode after the Weber trade last summer, and with Price's contract ending next summer. Personally, I don't think they've got enough up the middle to make a serious run. Maybe they dangle Galchenyuk to get that done.

 

As somebody who doesn't really watch the Habs that much, was he really that bad at center or did they just not use him properly?

[flyercanuck]

2 hours ago, ruxpin said:

.  @hobie's observation is terrific. 

 

Nail on the head!

[murraycraven]

17 hours ago, jammer2 said:

 

 Sergachev is SUPER talented. Has a great shot from the point, will probably end up playing with Hedman on the Bolt's top pp (in a few years) This kid is breathtaking when rushing the puck, elite moves and silky smooth stride that looks effortless. Very smart vision wise, but was benched this year once because he was taking some lazy penalties. He's gonna be a star, but he will struggle when first breaking into the league. As he gets more and more comfortable, he will start controlling the pace of the game etc.

 

 I see a 50+ point defensemen and one of the best skaters in the league on the back end. This video shows some of his better stuff.

 

 Comparing him to Flyers defensive prospects?  I see a lot of Myers in him, basically same size and skating/shot are close also.

 

 

yeesh... I know it is a highlight reel but that kid is silky smooth on his skates...

[murraycraven]

17 hours ago, jammer2 said:

 

 Sergachev is SUPER talented. Has a great shot from the point, will probably end up playing with Hedman on the Bolt's top pp (in a few years) This kid is breathtaking when rushing the puck, elite moves and silky smooth stride that looks effortless. Very smart vision wise, but was benched this year once because he was taking some lazy penalties. He's gonna be a star, but he will struggle when first breaking into the league. As he gets more and more comfortable, he will start controlling the pace of the game etc.

 

 I see a 50+ point defensemen and one of the best skaters in the league on the back end. This video shows some of his better stuff.

 

 Comparing him to Flyers defensive prospects?  I see a lot of Myers in him, basically same size and skating/shot are close also.

 

 

yeesh... I know it is a highlight reel but that kid is silky smooth on his skates...

[habsguy26]

4 hours ago, ruxpin said:

They're in "screw it up now" mode.   Honestly, I don't think they helped themselves at all.  @hobie's observation is terrific. 

They added a 60-80 point roster player without trading anyone from their NHL team. You could argue Sergachev would have made the team next season, but MB clearly has something up his sleeve concerning Galchenyuk, i.e trading him for a young defenseman. 

 

It's a win for both teams.

[Podein25]

42 minutes ago, habsguy26 said:

They added a 60-80 point roster player without trading anyone from their NHL team. You could argue Sergachev would have made the team next season, but MB clearly has something up his sleeve concerning Galchenyuk, i.e trading him for a young defenseman. 

 

It's a win for both teams.

 

He's not a 60-80 point player until...he actually scores 60-80 points.  Small point, but a necessary one. I know he has the potential. 

 

Another point I'd make is, if they do move Galchenyuk, they traded size upfront and replaced it with small. I thought the Habs wanted to get bigger? 

[habsguy26]

37 minutes ago, Podein25 said:

 

He's not a 60-80 point player until...he actually scores 60-80 points.  Small point, but a necessary one. I know he has the potential. 

 

Another point I'd make is, if they do move Galchenyuk, they traded size upfront and replaced it with small. I thought the Habs wanted to get bigger? 

Fair enough, 80 points is extremely optimistic IMO but 60 should be in the bag.

 

Here's a look at their top 6 without Galchenyuk:

Pacioretty-6'2

Radulov-6'2

Danault-6'1

Drouin-5'11

Plekanec-5'11

Gallagher-5'9 

 

Gallagher is really only the small forward there. And there's also speculation the Habs will trade Galchenyuk & Beaulieu for an older 2C and a defenseman, obviously you can  take that with a grain of salt, but who's to say they can't make another trade for a big forward or sign on in free agency? MB is clearly not afraid to pull the trigger. 

 

Also there's the fact that they have about 7 third and fourth line players over 6'  

[Podein25]

1 hour ago, habsguy26 said:

Also there's the fact that they have about 7 third and fourth line players over 6'  

 

Ha! The Flyers have you beat: they have about 11 4th liners!

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

11 minutes ago, Podein25 said:

 

Ha! The Flyers have you beat: they have about 11 4th liners!

 

Awesome!

Only team in the NHL with an elite bottom 12?? 

[Podein25]

18 minutes ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

an elite bottom 12

 

That's great branding of suckage if I ever saw it

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

1 minute ago, Podein25 said:

 

That's great branding of suckage if I ever saw it

 

Well, I DID work closely with one of my past employer's marketing department for awhile.

It's ALL ABOUT that nice bow and wrapping you put on the package, rather than the product itself. Hehehe

[yave1964]

So what are the Habs doing about center? Seriously, looking through the roster and the potential keepers it appears that after this deal it is very possible that Plekanec is lost to the Knights. Drouin is not now and likely never will be a center same with Chuckie and Danault is a 25 year old who very well might be the proverbial flash in the pan and quite frankly like so many others on this team is better suited for the wing.

 

  As far as Radulov goes, with the additional income taken in by trading for Drouin and a stagnant cap it is possible bordering upon probable that Drouin is his replacement and he will be unable to be resigned unless a deal is worked out moving Chuckie out.

 

So in essence looking at the big picture the Canadiens traded/potentially are losing:

 

Radulov

Plekanec

Sergachev

 

FOR

 

Drouin

 

and still no center. That is the definition of hustling backwards. Of course they may still move Galchenyuk for one of the Wild defensemen but that creates yet another hole in the top six. 

 

From the Bolts perspective, they managed to snag the much needed young defenseman and clear the cap room to retain Tyler Johnson and Palat who need/deserve raises. PLUS dealing Drouin allows Yzerman to protect another young forward such as Killorn who would almost certainly been lost.

 

So they dealt:

 

Drouin

 

FOR

 

Sergachev

Keeping Killorn

Saving cap space to retain their own.

 

No brainer for the Bolts. No brain for the Habs.

 

[Podein25]

9 minutes ago, yave1964 said:

No brainer for the Bolts. No brain for the Habs.

 

Clever, if a bit harsh. 

 

Given the situation the Bolts were in cap-wise and expansion draft wise, I'm surprised they were able to get Sergachev and a 2nd for the sucky (and as yet unproven) Drouin

[ruxpin]

4 hours ago, habsguy26 said:

They added a 60-80 point roster player without trading anyone from their NHL team. You could argue Sergachev would have made the team next season, but MB clearly has something up his sleeve concerning Galchenyuk, i.e trading him for a young defenseman. 

 

It's a win for both teams.

  

I know you have to try to feel good about this if you're a Habs' fan, but he had 53 points this year.  That's as close as he's been.  With a lot of first line time.    The only thing he's consistent about is being inconsistent.   He's not a 60-80 guy. There is no way on God's green earth that I'm trading that kind of defensive prospect for Drouin.  No way.   The Habs got soaked on this.

 

And so you trade Chucky for a dman.   First, I don't think you get great quality for him.  And even if you do, you've ended up exactly where you started:  No Center, a young defenseman who hopefully as good as the one you lost, and a winger who is only about on par with the winger you chased out for the replacement defenseman (that you had when you started!).

 

This is not a win-win.   This is bad asset management by the Canadiens' front office. LOL and Tampa gets a 2nd round pick on top of it.   That's simply astounding.

 

 

[radoran]

20 hours ago, ruxpin said:

  

I know you have to try to feel good about this if you're a Habs' fan, but he had 53 points this year.  That's as close as he's been.  With a lot of first line time.    The only thing he's consistent about is being inconsistent.   He's not a 60-80 guy. There is no way on God's green earth that I'm trading that kind of defensive prospect for Drouin.  No way.   The Habs got soaked on this.

 

And so you trade Chucky for a dman.   First, I don't think you get great quality for him.  And even if you do, you've ended up exactly where you started:  No Center, a young defenseman who hopefully as good as the one you lost, and a winger who is only about on par with the winger you chased out for the replacement defenseman (that you had when you started!).

 

This is not a win-win.   This is bad asset management by the Canadiens' front office. LOL and Tampa gets a 2nd round pick on top of it.   That's simply astounding.

 

53 points in 73 games is "on pace" for 60. In his second full season in the league.

 

60+ is not impossible. 80 would be an outlier unless MTL seriously upgrades his line mates.

 

That said, I also don't think Montreal does this deal to acquire an American or a Russian, for example... The Francophone aspect cannot be overstated. It's not an "on ice" thing, but it is a thing for Montreal.

[Podein25]

19 hours ago, radoran said:

The Francophone aspect cannot be overstated

 

This certainly appears to be the case. So not just a "hockey deal" as they say. It will be interesting to see how Drouin responds to the pressure cooker that is Montreal.

[habsguy26]

 

2 hours ago, yave1964 said:

So what are the Habs doing about center? Seriously, looking through the roster and the potential keepers it appears that after this deal it is very possible that Plekanec is lost to the Knights. Drouin is not now and likely never will be a center same with Chuckie and Danault is a 25 year old who very well might be the proverbial flash in the pan and quite frankly like so many others on this team is better suited for the wing.

 

  As far as Radulov goes, with the additional income taken in by trading for Drouin and a stagnant cap it is possible bordering upon probable that Drouin is his replacement and he will be unable to be resigned unless a deal is worked out moving Chuckie out.

 

So in essence looking at the big picture the Canadiens traded/potentially are losing:

 

Radulov

Plekanec

Sergachev

 

FOR

 

Drouin

 

and still no center. That is the definition of hustling backwards. Of course they may still move Galchenyuk for one of the Wild defensemen but that creates yet another hole in the top six. 

 

From the Bolts perspective, they managed to snag the much needed young defenseman and clear the cap room to retain Tyler Johnson and Palat who need/deserve raises. PLUS dealing Drouin allows Yzerman to protect another young forward such as Killorn who would almost certainly been lost.

 

So they dealt:

 

Drouin

 

FOR

 

Sergachev

Keeping Killorn

Saving cap space to retain their own.

 

No brainer for the Bolts. No brain for the Habs.

 

Uhm, how do you figure they are losing Radulov? Montreal sits with about 11M in cap space right now. They will try to trade Plekanec for a cheaper option as he was pretty ineffective last season. 

 

Tampa is still in the exact same cap situation, as Drouin was an RFA. Sure it helps not having to resign him, but they didn't save any cap space, technically. 

 

Like holy crap, the Habs could trade a 2nd rounder for Sidney Crosby and you guys would rip it apart.

[habsguy26]

1 hour ago, ruxpin said:

  

I know you have to try to feel good about this if you're a Habs' fan, but he had 53 points this year.  That's as close as he's been.  With a lot of first line time.    The only thing he's consistent about is being inconsistent.   He's not a 60-80 guy. There is no way on God's green earth that I'm trading that kind of defensive prospect for Drouin.  No way.   The Habs got soaked on this.

 

And so you trade Chucky for a dman.   First, I don't think you get great quality for him.  And even if you do, you've ended up exactly where you started:  No Center, a young defenseman who hopefully as good as the one you lost, and a winger who is only about on par with the winger you chased out for the replacement defenseman (that you had when you started!).

 

This is not a win-win.   This is bad asset management by the Canadiens' front office. LOL and Tampa gets a 2nd round pick on top of it.   That's simply astounding.

 

 

 

He had 53 points in 73 games, his first full year. 22 years old. Write it off as a bad trade all you want, but they haven't even hit the ice yet and Montreal has alot of roster shaping to do. Tampa will not get the second rounder as will likely Sergachev will play 40 games for the Lightning next year. 

[ruxpin]

56 minutes ago, habsguy26 said:

 

He had 53 points in 73 games, his first full year. 22 years old. Write it off as a bad trade all you want, but they haven't even hit the ice yet and Montreal has alot of roster shaping to do. Tampa will not get the second rounder as will likely Sergachev will play 40 games for the Lightning next year. 

I hope you're right. I think he's ridiculously overrated. 

 

At the end of the day, they traded away something they need for a smallish player they don't and haven't addressed their biggest need. And I don't think his fellow forwards in Montreal are an upgrade from what he had in Tampa so that will only exacerbate his inconsistency. 

 

But you're more than likely right that they're not finished yet and time will tell. The problem is that if they use Chucky to get a dman, they've spent their most attractive assets and still don't have their center. 

 

Time will tell, I guess. 

[yave1964]

@habsguy26

 

With all sincere apologies, I truly believe that it was poor cap management on the part of the Habs. If it is part 1 of 2 or 3 and they end up with a 1C and a top four d-man and still manage to hold onto Radulov then fantastic, but the way it stands now I do not see this move as good cap management. Sorry.

 

  That said, Drouin has proven he can play. Part of my problem with him is the spoiled brat syndrome, the kids who hit the league and whine their way out of their first city. Kyle Turris did it in Arizona, Derek Brassard was the biggest crybaby that I have ever seen while in Columbus and Drouin is cut from the same cloth. I have a hard time giving those guys a break, I admit it so it is possible that I am selling Drouin short.

 He did manage 50 plus points last year but that was mostly playing on the top line with the ultra talented Kucherov because Stamkos was out so if anything his point production to me should have been higher, but like I mentioned I simply have a hard time giving a break to guys like him and maybe I am selling him short. He did have stretches last year where he showed immense talent.

  My problem is not Drouin so much as the fact that acquiring him does not fix the teams glaring deficiency as they are desperately ISO a 1C and frankly a 2C as well. He is best suited for the wing, so is Galchenyuk, so is Danault. All can play center (poorly) in a pinch but none suit the teams biggest need. And also keep in mind that by trading for Drouin before the expansion draft now they will almost certainly lose someone whom they would prefer to keep as Drouin knocks a player off the keeper list.

   I am glad that you are in here to represent your boys, we need a Montreal contingent, this is a knowledgeable but sometimes tough crowd in here. You should have seen the Hell that I got in here when Kronwall knocked Voracek pretty much out cold with a clean hit (my version, lol). Worth it. Worth every snarky comment.

 

  So yeah, I grudgingly admit that Drouin is a good player but think the cost was prohibitive and the risk/reward is awful high and doesnt fix the most pressing need. My scenario has a lot of ifs but all could end up happening. It is a ballsy move, my team has the most absurdly conservative GM in the game today, Kenny Holland drives me nuts with his lack of activity so I do grudgingly give your boys credit for at least trying, I just think Tampa clearly won this when you consider all of the outside variables such as the money saved allows them to resign key RFA's and the extra forward they can protect now. I would have liked the deal a lot better for Montreal if they had done it post expansion, of course Yzerman would not have done this deal then and that is why it works for both.

 

[jammer2]

2 hours ago, habsguy26 said:

 

He had 53 points in 73 games, his first full year. 22 years old. Write it off as a bad trade all you want, but they haven't even hit the ice yet and Montreal has alot of roster shaping to do. Tampa will not get the second rounder as will likely Sergachev will play 40 games for the Lightning next year. 

 

 

 I think a lot of people were down on Drouin, but I don't know if it was deserved. The personality-diva thing is worthy of rippage, but his point totals, that is mostly due to being a classic late bloomer. The skating, offensive instinct, shot....they were always there, he just needed more time than most to put it all together IMHO. Some of this is due to McKinnon producing in his first few years (admittedly regressed last year, like most Ave's). In a way, probably not fair, but he will always be compared to his high scoring junior teammate.

 

 It's subjective, cause I don't know who is going to be playing with Johnathan, but I see him getting 70pts next year and maybe 80ish the following year.  The talent is legit and undeniable.