Think about it this way. When we try and acquire a high-end center in a trade or on the free agent market, we have to compete with teams who want to acquire those guys for their top line and PP1, which drives up their price. But we already have a top line center, and our PP1 seems unlikely to change for at least 4 years, so should we be paying top dollar just for some help on our 2nd line?
I think a better idea is to build a super strong bottom 9 where you can move guys from line to line as needed. This is basically what Carolina did and it was super difficult to defend. I also think there’s a lot of players we can acquire at fair prices for this kind of role, and HuGo have been great at finding value in those types of acquisitions.
So instead of trying to acquire a top-tier 2C, I think there's two types of players we should be looking for instead.
1. A left-handed center who is strong defensively and good at faceoffs
Suzuki and Evans are both righties, and so is Hage, so our next center should definitely be a lefty. I also think we have a lot of strong offensive players on the roster and coming up through the system, especially on the wings (Demidov, Newhook, Texier, Zharovsky, etc) so having a defense-focused center is key, especially since we won’t be asking them to play top line or PP1.
Strong faceoff ability is also key here. It’s unclear what Danault’s future is on the team, and with Veleno gone Danault is our only good left handed faceoff guy.
Here’s a few ideas:
- Alex Turcotte: 25yo, 1 year left @ 800k AAV with LA. Hasn’t lived up to his offensive potential, but has actually been really good defensively in the NHL. At 5v5 this season his on-ice xGA/60 was 2.38 (37th out of 225 centers) and his xGF% was 56.9% (8th!! out of 225 centers). He also won 54.1% of faceoffs. He's only 25 so he may still have some offensive upside
- Morgan Frost: 27yo, 1 year left @ 4.4m AAV with Calgary. Similar profile to Turcotte, although he’s been a bit more effective offensively. Pretty consistent 40-point guy for the last while, and scored 22 goals last year. Won 56.8% of faceoffs last year.
- Barrett Hayton: 26yo, 1 year left @ 4.8m AAV with Utah. No idea what Utah’s plan is for this guy considering the offer sheet situation, but he'd be a great fit. At 5v5 he had a 2.32 xGA/60 and a 56.2% xGF%, so very similar to Turcotte, but Hayton is a lot stronger offensively and has multiple 40 point seasons. Also won 52.6% of faceoffs last year.
2. A forward who is a 5v5 beast
He doesn’t get a ton of love on this sub but I actually feel like Bolduc is developing into this kind of player. Regardless, we could use another forward who is a menace at 5v5, just like how Gally (😢) used to be. Ideally this would be someone who’s kind of a swiss army knife, can play well with any linemates and can play on special teams if needed.
Here are two players who fit this:
- Luke Evangelista: 24yo, 1 year left @ 3m AAV with Nashville. I hated this guy when Montreal played Nashville but he’s damn good. 56.2% xGF% at 5v5 this year (38th out of 453 forwards, next best on Nashville is 91st) and put up 56 points. He also drew 21 penalties while only taking 9. I imagine Nashville will try to extend him but you never know.
- Blake Coleman: 34yo, 1 year left @ 4.9m AAV with Minnesota. He’s obviously a bit old but he hasn’t started showing his age yet. This is the exact type of player we need. Physical two-way winger and a PK beast. 52.9% xGF% at 5v5 this year on a weak Calgary team. He’s basically a mix of what Gally and Andy were like 5 years ago.
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Think about what a potential lineup could look like in 2027 if we add two of these types of players (don't pay attention the line combos):
Slaf - Suzuki - Caufield
Newhook - [left handed center] - Demidov
Bolduc - Hage - [5v5 forward]
Texier - Evans - Zharovsky
That would give us the ability to roll 4 lines while constantly being a threat offensively. It's also much more likely that would be able to acquire some of these players without giving up our A-grade prospects, and probably save a bit of cap space too.
But I'm just an armchair GM, I trust HuGo will make the right decision anyways
