Montreal Canadiens
Canadiens Potential Trade Targets For Florida’s 1st-Round Pick
The Montreal Canadiens will be looking into dangling the Florida Panthers’ 1st-round pick to add another young, core piece to their roster.
Similar to last summer, when the Canadiens leveraged the 13th and 66th overall picks to acquire Kirby Dach, the Canadiens have an interest in adding to their core via trade this summer as well.
With the Florida Panthers‘ pick likely to fall at 17th overall, unless they go on a Cinderella run in the NHL Playoffs, it could be an interesting asset to dangle for teams looking to get an extra pick in the coveted 2023 NHL Draft.
Here are a couple of options the Canadiens could look at to improve their club for the long term:
Kaapo Kakko
Picked right before Kirby Dach in the 2019 NHL Draft, Kaapo Kakko hasn’t yet found his niche in the NHL at the age of 22.
The Rangers added the likes of Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko at the NHL Trade Deadline and will likely look to retain both players this summer, after they both pushed for trades to the Big Apple.
Alexis Lafrenière has shown some progress down the stretch, and other top prospects like Brendan Othmann and Will Cuylle will be pushing for spots as early as next year.
With such a glut of forwards available and a seemingly impossible ceiling of star players for Kakko to pierce through, he could make for an excellent target for Montreal, who need a scoring winger with size in their top six.
The basis of the deal around the 17th overall pick, but limited to just the pick itself, the Montreal Canadiens could bank on Kakko’s potential and provide him with a golden opportunity to play a premier role on a rebuilding club.
Kaapo Kakko with a BEAUTY
His 18th of the season and his 40th point.
First time in his career hitting the 40-point mark. #NYR pic.twitter.com/gVHWRUc5cq
— Jonny Lazarus (@JLazzy23) April 14, 2023
Alex Newhook
Alex Newhook is another interesting candidate for general manager Kent Hughes, as the two have a very familiar relationship.
The player selected immediately after Cole Caufield at 16th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft had a lot of hype behind him after a very successful NCAA career, but has seemingly regressed this season after a 33-point rookie year.
He failed to truly establish himself as a top-six player with the competitive Avalanche this season when they needed it most and could be looking for a change in scenery to get back to the style of play that made him so effective in college.
That is precisely the style that head coach Martin St-Louis has been implanting in Montreal, as the Canadiens want to play a high-tempo offensive game that is focused on transition and high-end skill.
That described Newhook in a nutshell.
Whether it be as a winger or centre, Newhook would be in a ripe environment to have his top qualities optimized by St-Louis style and method of coaching, in a far less stressful environment than that of the Avalanche, who are in a win-now setting.
Alex Newhook with a gift of a rebound on his birthday 🎂🎉 pic.twitter.com/zJzR3oHqll
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) January 28, 2023
Pierre-Luc Dubois
Then there’s Pierre-Luc Dubois, who will forever be linked to the Montreal Canadiens until some sort of closure is brought to his contractual situation.
Heading into this summer as a restricted free agent (RFA), Dubois has openly spoken about his desire to get through the season and weigh his options once the dust settles.
The has been a significant amount of talk linking Dubois to Montreal as recently as last week, and it seems the momentum hasn’t stopped since last summer.
Naturally, the 17th overall pick would likely not be enough on its own for the Canadiens to make such a move, especially if Dubois comes with an eight-year contract, but it would be a good starting point.
Dubois would instantly provide the Canadiens with an impressive group of centres with Nick Suzuki and Kirby Dach, all while giving St-Louis significant flexibility with the makeup of his lines.
For Winnipeg, a package centred around such a pick could help them to quickly retool and potentially flip the pick themselves in a deal for a more mature player that has some term left on their contract.
Just one minute later and Pierre-Luc Dubois makes it a two-goal lead! ✌️ pic.twitter.com/aSCKPXfwuj
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 19, 2023
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PLD is a free agent next year. Why would HuGo trade a 1st rd pick for someone they can sign as a free agent
You are assuming he will only sign with the Habs but the Jets are moving him this summer if he doesn’t resign and he will be approached with lucrative long term deals by legit SC contenders in places a lot warmer and possibly income tax free.
Those other players are still on affordable contracts and have not reached their full potential on competitive teams needing affordable skill players so unlikely they are going anywhere.
Either he wants to play for the Habs or he is indifferent. We aren’t going to pay him MORE than somebody else would, so it’s up to him. He can negotiate in good faith or go somewhere else. It isn’t do or die for us as we are pretty solid at centre already. But we certainly aren’t going to give up a first rounder for him. Maybe if the Jets go deep, we could trade our Florida pick for theirs, but that’s about as good as it would get. We do need to talk to PLD in advance, tho, and the Jets have to ok that.
Dubois is a legitimate star, and was drafted 3rd overall. Getting him for a 17th pick, plus change, would be fantastic.
Another option woukd be to offer-sheet him, but that would cost our 1st in 2024, and a 3rd.
Add Crosby to the list. As for Dubois, we can secure him and would make them take Dvorak and one if Hoffman or Armia as part of the deal. Montreal also gets a decent prospect as well in return.
What? How do you make them? Why on earth would Winnipeg accept that hot mess back when they could trade him at the deadline for a much better return?
Who are they going to trade him to when he’s saying he won’t resign? They are stuck and we just need to help them save face a bit for some cooperation on thei9r part.
They can trade him to any Cup contending team next season at the deadline. Look what Mtl got for Ben Chiarot, or this year with Tarasenko who is on an expiring contract. Both trades were for more than a 1st round pick. Basically teams will easily give Wpg a 1st round pick, and more for Dubois at the trade deadline, just for the playoffs. They dont care if he signs or not. If he signs with them, that is a bonus.
If they match a Habs offer sheet they can’t trade prior to PLD becoming a UFA, therefore zero return. If PLD signs an offer sheet for 1 year at $6.3M the return is a 1st and 3rd in 24. That would be the negotiation starting point. Habs would have the leverage. It would be exactly the same as it was for Kotkaniemi.
I’m definitely not interested in giving up any assets of any consequence for a player we can supposedly get for free in a year. I’d rather keep the Florida pick over the other 2 players too. Now, if we could package that pick with some other things to pry Lafreniere away from the Rangers, you would have my attention. Obviously, that’s highly unlikely, so I guess we’ll have to keep searching for another option.
I just think that unless we pillage another team in a deal to good to resist, we should just package that 17th pick with Adam Engstrom + perhaps a mid-tier prospect or a #2 or #3 pick too, to move up in the draft to get a high end winger or top RDman. Keep it simple.
I agree a quality right D would be desirable. I think Reinbacher might be worth targeting at tne draft. He looks like a log term keeper to me and if we are getting PLD we are pretty good up front.
why anyone would give ANY assets for PLD is beyond me
the team is in rebuild, would he help? sure, can we wait? absolutely!!!
So why would you give up any assets for a guy who’s all but said he’s going to sign in Montreal as soon as he can for free? It’s a comical discussion, and yet for some reason, the same journo’s constantly bring it up like it’s some good idea.
It isn’t…
We need the Jets co-operation to talk to him in advance. That and preserving the relationship is worth a little bit. We shouldn’t kick them when they are down as they would remember that. I”d expect there will be some mention of “future considerations”.
If the Habs management does it, i assume it would be to have the ability to sign him long term at a better contract. For example, If we trade for him, and sign him @7m for long term, it would be better than paying him a year later @8m. He might not even sign with Mtl once he sees all the teams offering him stupid money to sign him. I could see some teams offering 9+ for a young Power Center who is just reaching the beginning of his Prime years. Too much? Yes in my opinion for someone who has never reached more than 65pts in a season, but ive seen crazier money spent. Look at the Habs trading and signing an over the hill Gomez @7m per season (20yrs ago), lol
I can’t believe so much hype for a 14 goals scoring terrible centre in Kirby the duck. How is he excellent?? He couldn’t keep up with Kane and Toews. Nobody wants the 17 the overall pick. Only montreal does. Pierre luc. Doesn’t want to play here. He will go to a contender. No team wants the habs spare parts. The agent Kent Hughes is inexperienced. Matheson and duck is the best he can do?? The agent needs to concentrate on getting real good players her. Instead of hiring former agent to clients . St. Louis Cavalier Matheson .we are doomed. No cup for Montreal as long as st. Louise is the coach ! Can’t believe u writers think that he’s great. !! Lol.
Lol Dach and Matheson when healthy actually had good stretches on an awful team. This team under Gorton and Hughes finally have a plan. The whole reason they brought in Hughes is because we have Gorton overseeing the whole thing. As for St. Louis, I’m not saying we will win a cup with him but you need to start as a coach somewhere and he’s been given little to work with so how much can you really expect? For the first time in a long time this team has a plan, I for one was sick of having Price cover the teams deficiencies and limping into the playoffs. Top to bottom this team is getting the long over due overhaul it needed and it takes time to build.
So much negativity, Moriarty!
He had 14 in 58 as a 21 year old 6’4″ 212 lbs center, chill out, he’s doing great. I was so pissed about that move, I love Romanov but couldn’t care less that we traded him seeing how Dach is progressing. If healthy, he’s going to hit 20 goals and 60 points next season without issue, might even turn out better offensive player then Nick in a few seasons. I can admit that and even I don’t believe in management until they prove me wrong. If they go big again this summer and get an other big forward that can score and create offense for that Florida first, I’m going to start believing, but if they just sit and wait like what the majority want? Well it’s down hill from there. People want them to build on last summer but want to wait and see about Dubois when our top young guns are scrambling for help. Our young players our going to keep doing to much and getting injured if this team doesn’t take the next step.
No players want to come to Montreal no more. Not because of the taxes. Losing culture here . Lousy coach! No chance to make the playoffs every yr. Why would a really good player come here??. Hire the best coach available. Regardless of language.
You are not a hab fan. Maybe a leaf fan. In thst case, happy golfing, next week!
The only reason the Habs are not picking lower is because of MSL.
Montreal needs to qualify what’s happening with PLD before the draft. Ask Winnipeg for permission to talk to him and figure out if he really wants to play for the Habs and at what price and term. I think we are probably weakest at right D and maybe Reinbacher is our boy at the draft 1st pick spot.If we are getting PLD we are very deep at centre.Centres and D are the hardest to find and keep and wingers are the easiest.
We should maybe worry a bit about Caufield but I don’t think he wants to play for anybody except St. :Louis at this point. He’s just negotiating.by playing hard to get. We don’t have to give Wpg. anything really, but I think there is a decent relationship there and we should try to keep it that way. If we give them Dvorak, it’s something and we don’t need him. Maybe a pick or prospect on top. We will probably need to get rid of some prospect contracts anyway, so help them save face a bit on this deal without hurting ourselves. It would definitely move us forward with quality young centres.
If Dubois really wants to play for Montreal and is ready to take Suzuki money then it’s Florida 1st, Harris and Dvorak or we offer sheet at 6.3 mil, that’s the deal, take it or leave it. At 6.3, it’s a 1st and 3rd from 2024, I’d rather give the 17 from this year and keep our first for the next, always good to have an insurance policy. But if Montreal don’t show any interest, he will never come to Montreal, ever until we have new management. Trying to acquire a local player of is caliber that actually wants to play in Montreal for peanuts or to play the wait and see game is a total lack of respect. Anyone that thinks Florida 17 pick or 2024 1st is better then Dubois is out of there minds. He’s a 24 year old 6’3″ 220 lbs center who’s already putting up 60+ point seasons. Now that’s how you build a contender.