December 9, 2022 – It’s bewildering at how so many GM and management teams bemoan the cap age in the NHL. It’s really not rocket science. It’s always been a gamble to make a trade, but it’s still the best way to resolve an issue.
First off I like Josh Anderson a lot. I get why he’s getting so much ink now. I get his value. His contract really isn’t a bad one either, even with the risk of being a power forward.
Do the Habs need more 1st rounders? Well in this day and age they’re always good chips, but what the team needs most is to improve. They still are a few years away unless something happens dramatically with their D, making Anderson’s cap asset value shift towards dealing.
That being said what would this writer want, and I write that as the NHL’s first analytics guy (for the Habs in 95/96)
I would certainly consider an offer from the Caps of their 1st this year, Hendrix Lapierre, and Anthony Mantha to resolve their cap issue.
Mantha is actually from Quebec as a bonus. He has two years left on his deal. He’s a big man who simply has never really played a big man’s game. He has value and potentially could catch some fire playing in Montreal.
Lapierre is a 1st rounder with potential, but it probably won’t be with Washington as they have a full slate of Centres.
Montreal isn’t as bad as they were at C, but Lapierre might be a good fit in the lower lines and is a francophone.
See it’s not that hard to trade in the NHL. While there may be more value on the table for the talented power forward, the fit of these 3 assets might make a lot of sense for the Habs.
jamie@cornwallfreenews.com