Looking at the Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook trades. Where Hughes traded for young players who were struggling with their drafting team.
Can we expect he will do the same this year and if he does. Who could he target that matches this trend?
One of them could be Nicholas Robertson from the Maple Leafs. He is a talented offensive player that seems to be injury prone and he’s been struggling to find his place on the roster.
He was healthy scratched for 7 of the last 10 games of the saison. Playing very few minutes when he did play (No PP time).
The Leafs might want to make some changes this summer after another failure in the playoffs.
Tell me who else he could be aiming for.
Here is Nick Robertson on a nice breakaway.
[https://www.rds.ca/videos/hockey/maple-leafs-nick-robertson-sort-bobrovsky-de-ses-culottes-lnh-3.1442193](https://www.rds.ca/videos/hockey/maple-leafs-nick-robertson-sort-bobrovsky-de-ses-culottes-lnh-3.1442193)
by Quick599
11 Comments
Not a bad idea. They could definitely benefit from one of our young D (Harris, Struble, Barron, etc.). The first two would basically fit in their top 4.
Gimme Kent Johnson. Super talented but struggled last year a bit and not getting top-6 minutes in CBJ — he’s a perfect KH/MSL rehab project imo and would complement Dach quite well.
Other options in order of preference: Holtz, Kakko, Berggren.
– Holtz has clear top-6 talent but for some reason NJ’s coach has it out for him.
– Kakko may have some juice to breakout like Lafrenière, but NY only has room for one of them to play with Panarin lol.
– Berggren is more lowkey, probably a good third liner instead of top-6 player, but DET seems to have no room for him and I could see him and Newhook solidifying a strong third line.
I prefer that we pay big to get an A prospect that could potentially play on the 1st line, instead of going for a middle-6 player.
Absolutely not nick robertson, if hughes wants him he will probably be available on waivers.
Why do we need to aim for struggling players? I don’t understand this mindset, identify a player worth a haul, and trade for them.
Middle 6 players and reclamation projects are moves we make when we need to fill out a roster.
Nick Robertson is not a good player.
– Kent Johnson – 21yo, 6’1″, 168 lbs, LW/C – Lots of skill, coming off an injury, pretty one dimensional. I could see him flourishing under MSL, but I could also see him becoming Drouin at his worst.
– Anton Lundell – 22yo, 6’1″, 185 lbs, C – Probably a good middle six forward. Doesn’t have the offensive upside I think MTL will be looking for. I think Florida really likes him.
– Dylan Holloway – 22yo, 6’1″, 203 lbs, LW/C – Could be a physical top-six player. Had good chemistry with Caufield at Wisconsin. Don’t think Edmonton will trade him.
– Trevor Zegras – 23yo, 6’0″, 185 lbs, C/LW – Highly skilled. Possible point-per-game player in the near future. Some bad blood between him and ANA management. Finished the season injured. I think it would take a big package to get him. Might be a headache if we do.
– Martin Necas – 25yo, 6’2″, 189 lbs, RW – Had 71 points last season. Needs a new contract and CAR maybe doesn’t want to pay him. Would take a lot to get him, but he’d fit the top-six for sure.
– Alexander Holtz – 22yo, 6’0″, 192 lbs, RW/LW – Wasn’t being used much under Ruff. Looks like a breakout candidate. Top end scoring talent. Not sure why New Jersey would trade him, but if they do, he’d be a great fit in MTL.
– Cole Sillinger – 20yo, 6’0″, 197 lbs, C – Still very young, all-around good player. Highly doubt CBJ would trade him, but maybe he wants a new start outside of the chaos of Columbus.
– Arthur Kalieyev – 22yo, 6’2″, 190 lbs, RW/LW – Solid scoring prospect with good size, but isn’t getting much opportunity in LA. Needs a new contract. I don’t think KH goes this direction, but Kalieyev’s name has been out there a while.
– Cole Perfetti – 22yo, 5’11”, 177 lbs, LW – Smaller skilled forward who hasn’t been getting a lot of minutes in Winnipeg. I think he’d be a good fit, but I expect KH will want somebody with more size.
– Jonatan Berggen – 23yo, 5’11”, 197, RW – Broke through last year in Detroit with a decent rookie season. Battled injuries this year. Plays with a lot of energy and skill. Could be a decent middle-six point producer.
– Patrik Laine – 26yo, 6’5″, 206 lbs, RW – Someone is going to buy low on Laine and if he has found his game, it’ll be an absolute steal. I really hope he finds the place that will support him properly. MTL is probably too busy for him, and he doesn’t really fit our timeline.
We should actually just trade to acquire the scouting staff of the Dallas Stars.
He mentioned this year he wanted to get a more established top 6 forward to help the core. Im looking more at keller, necas, zegras etc. I also dont think robertson is much of an upgrade on joshua roy. Hard pass.
I think the Dach trade messed with people’s expectations a little bit. Very few teams go for “scorched earth” rebuilds like Chicago did. Most other teams would want to build on their young core, but Chicago wanted to tank very aggressively. (It worked after all…) Still, when you think about it, it’s crazy how cheap Dach was. Newhook was fair value because Colorado had (still has) few picks in the next drafts.
IMO, just because there were similar trades the last two years doesn’t mean there will automatically be one this year, but we’ll see. But my point is, the price for a young forward with real top 6 upside will likely be higher than it was for Dach.
I think it’s going to be a more established player. We need more than a middle six guy and we have tons of assets. Maybe a guy like Kent Johnson who has a higher ceiling could work, but I think a proven player like Zegras or Necas, or maybe even a guy a couple of years older than them should be the target.
This might be a hot take but if our pick falls between 5-7, I’d be more than willing to trade it to Carolina for Necas.
25 yo, has a 71 point season under his belt, and has a mix of skill and speed unlike anyone else in our current lineup. I see a real top line ppg player in him, and think MSL could help take his game to the next level. A second line of Newhook – Dach – Necas would be DEADLY.
Not sure why they’d be willing to trade him but I keep hearing that he’d be available for the right price. If a top 10 pick is too steep for some (it’s not for me), I’d be willing to package the WPG 1st + Mesar + Struble/Barron/Harris.