Joined: Nov. 2017
Posts: 159
Likes: 52
I disagree harshly on the line combinations, but personal opinion aside - Is it worth selling off Pageau and DeMelo? I keep seeing people trade them off and never really entertaining the idea of keeping them around. In my eyes, I see DeMelo as Methot and Chabot as Karlsson in this rebuild, a solid duo that has no real reason to be split unless things start going south for them. In Pageau's case, I see us re-signing him because he's the familiar face along with Anderson, Borowiecki and Ryan, the only ones to have spent more than 3 seasons and a 'selling point' or face of the team for the fans (though that's mainly Chabot now). I've always liked the idea of him playing 1st RW with Tkachuk and White, being the veteran presence on that line and a solid two-way contributor (not the mention playoff warrior when we actually make it)
If it turns out there is a log jam at centre and we start selling off some pieces to make room for more young guys, then I see Tierney being a better (higher value) trading asset, as he's coming off a pretty strong season on a very bad team. I might also look to flip Anisimov instead (and maybe eat a bit of salary) due to the extra year on his contract. On defence, I agree Hainsey is most definitely being moved - as while I don't see Lajoie being a permanent blueliner, I can very easily see Brannstrom getting the call fairly early and potentially multiple times across the season if he somehow doesn't stick around for the whole year