While the club has several good defensive prospects, the offense leaves something to be desired.
Therefore, the club's leadership will have no choice but sooner rather than later, to use its large pool of defensemen to acquire a marque forward. On this subject, during a recent edition of their podcast Processus, Mahias Brunet and Simon Boisvert analyzed a transaction proposed by a listener.
Warning, the following lines contain speculation and not rumors
The transaction in question is quite simple and includes only one player from each side. Here it is:
After acquiring the young Jacob Perreault at the last trade deadline, the CH could get another son of the club's former player, Yanic Perreault.
Gabriel, who was the 23rd overall pick of the last NHL draft, is by far the better of the two brothers. His vision of the game and his hands make him a creative and unpredictable attacker. He could therefore be an important asset for the CH in the coming years as offense is his cup of tea.
The price to pay, Kaiden Guhle, would, however, be very high. As we have seen this season, at only 22 years old, he is already a key piece of the CH's defense. Many think, however, that his injury history will make him a fragile player, who will often miss games throughout his career. If Kent Hughes shares this view, he might be tempted to take advantage of his current high value, right now.
However, trading Guhle for Perreault is something to think carefully about. Brunet and Boisvert are of the opinion that the CH would refuse this trade, but the latter claims that if he were the GM of the CH, he would think about it very long. This trade could prove fruitful.
The one nicknamed the Snake reminds that this kind of trade does not happen often in the NHL. It is very rare to trade an established player for a top prospect. There was of course the trade involving Cutter Gauthier and Jamie Drysdale, but there was the context that the former Flyers prospect did not want to play in Philly.
A trade like Guhle/Perreault might, however, occur in a year or two, when the CH has figured out what they have on defense. Kent Hughes had indeed made a similar move when he arrived at the club when he traded established defenseman Alex Romanov, to ultimately acquire the then somewhat established player, Kirby Dach.
There are therefore precedents in this style of transaction but they are very rare. Parting with an established player for a prospect is quite a risk to take!
See the whole thing around the 36th minute of the podcast:
Via Habsolumentfan - JOUEZ AU DG: Payeriez-vous le prix pour cet espoir de premier plan?
POLL | ||
AVRIL 20 | 844 ANSWERS Blockbuster trade has just been proposed between the Habs and Rangers Would you trade Kaiden Guhle for Gabriel Perreault? | ||
Yes | 114 | 13.5 % |
No | 730 | 86.5 % |
List of polls |