The NHL Trade Deadline has produced an early trade. That’s right. Marc Bergevin swings a deal with the Buffalo Sabres for the services of Eric Staal. The 36-year-old center had 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 32 games. Overall, he was one of the few Buffalo players with a possession rate of over 50%. Despite that, he was a -20 but then again the Sabres have lost 16 games in a row.
What This Means for the Montreal Canadiens
Here is the trade with graphics thanks to PuckPedia.
-
Ep 77: Patrick Kane Signs, Goalie Issues, Corey Perry, and More
by Full Press Coverage on December 3, 2023 at 3:05 am
Jim and Chris are back for another Pucks After Dark on Full Press Hockey […]
The #GoHabsGo acquired 36 y/o C Eric Staal (Yr 2/2 $3.25M Cap Hit – 50% retained) from #LetsGoBuffalo for 3rd & 5th '21 picks. Had 3G 10P in 32 GP#MTL adds $1.625M annual Cap Hit ; $616K actual cap hit for remainder of year.#MTL had 3 2nd's & 3 5th's.https://t.co/l0wRVklsz3
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) March 26, 2021
A nice way to translate this is as follows. Staal provides nice center depth but again expecting him to win clutch faceoffs is a bit much. Is he that three points in every four games type of player? No. Is he better than one point every three games? Likely yes. Marc Bergevin is also left with just over $200,000 in pro-rate cap space which comes out to approximately $884K in annual cap hit.
Basically, he has LTIR options and maybe the waiver wire (though that has been tried already). Yes, Montreal still possesses plenty of draft picks but other avenues need to be opened to increase cap space.
At this stage of his career, Staal is a middle-six player with some offensive upside. He even could spark the power play a little bit. Staal did have 14 or more power-play points in Minnesota during his four-season stay. Also, he has been mostly healthy — missing just a handful of games.
The question becomes what does the center has left in the tank. In an insulated middle-six role on a very good possession team, Staal could improve on his numbers but if anyone is expecting him to cure faceoff woes, they are sadly mistaken. This is not the Staal of 5-6 years ago where he regularly won 52-53% of his draws. He is what he is — a depth pivot and little more.
What This Trade Means for the Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo begins their selling spree with decent picks for a very expendable player. Staal is only the beginning for Kevyn Adams as more moves are on the horizon. Montreal was on Eric Staal’s no-trade list and yet he waived anyway. The third and fifth-round picks for this summer are reflective of the discounts made. And yes, Buffalo had to retain some salary as well.
It is all about stockpiling…
Back to Marc Bergevin
Some final thoughts include the sentiment err idea that Bergevin is under the hot seat from Geoff Molson and that is likely true. Pandemic circumstances seem to matter very little at this point. It’s either win err make a run or we will find someone else. Montreal is a hockey-crazed, win-hungry town after all. Staal appears to be a pre-cursor move. That is the hope anyway. If it is not, then the Canadiens are still on the bubble and in trouble.
-
Ep 77: Patrick Kane Signs, Goalie Issues, Corey Perry, and More
by Full Press Coverage on December 3, 2023 at 3:05 am
Jim and Chris are back for another Pucks After Dark on Full Press Hockey […]
-
Ep 76: Oilers, Flames, Winter Classic Jersey, Avs, and More
by Full Press Coverage on November 23, 2023 at 6:42 am
Jim and Chris are back for another edition of Full Press Hockey Weekly to […]
-
Ep 75: Hockey After Dark
by Full Press Coverage on November 15, 2023 at 3:12 am
Jim and Chris are back for the first edition of Full Press Hockey After […]
-
Off to Motown: Patrick Kane Signs with Detroit Red Wings
by Full Press Coverage on November 28, 2023 at 7:07 pm
Jim Biringer is back once again joined by Kevin Allen of Detroit Hockey […]
-
What's on Russ's Mind: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
by Full Press Coverage on November 23, 2023 at 1:00 pm
Jim Biringer is back once again joined by Russ Cohen of Full Press Hockey, […]
-
Off To Alberta To Check On The Edmonton Oilers
by Full Press Coverage on November 19, 2023 at 1:00 pm
Jim Biringer is back once again joined by Avry Lewis-McDougall of the […]
-
Ep 87: Captain Brad Marchand, New Season Expectations, Bruins Hockey Is Back
by Full Press Coverage on October 11, 2023 at 11:10 pm
Ian and Chris return for the start of the Bruins season as they talk Brad […]
-
Ep 86: David Krejci Announces Retirement
by Full Press Coverage on August 14, 2023 at 10:28 pm
Ian and Chris react to David Krejci's retirement. Learn more about your ad […]
-
S5Ep13 - Patrick Kane Signs with Detroit Red Wings
by Jim Biringer on November 28, 2023 at 5:21 pm
Jim Biringer is back for the fifth season of the Final Word on Hockey in a […]
-
S5Ep12 - Time For William Nylander To Get Paid
by Jim Biringer on November 19, 2023 at 1:00 pm
Jim Biringer is back for the fifth season of the Final Word on Hockey […]
-
Wild at Blackhawks - Sharks at Rangers - Blue Jackets at Bruins
by Broken Controller Media on December 3, 2023 at 3:00 pm
Hunter Logan Previews Wild at Blackhawks, Sharks at Rangers, Blue Jackets […]
-
Predators at Sabres - Avalanche at Kings
by Broken Controller Media on December 3, 2023 at 3:00 pm
Hunter Logan Previews Predators at Sabres, Avalanche at Kings on Stack The […]
-
Avalanche at Ducks - Canucks at Flames - Capitals at Golden Knights
by Broken Controller Media on December 2, 2023 at 5:00 pm
Hunter Logan Previews Avalanche at Ducks, Canucks at Flames, Capitals at […]
-
Episode #147: Sloppy October Is Over?
by Full Press Coverage on November 2, 2023 at 8:37 pm
On this edition of The Calder Farmstead, Sean and Sarah finish out the […]
-
Episode #146: Spooky Luck
by Full Press Coverage on October 27, 2023 at 4:09 pm
On this episode of The Calder Farmstead, Mr. Anderson (Sean) and Tina […]
-
ROP Recap Preds 2 Sabres 1 Game 24 2023-24 NHL Season
by Charlie Saunier on December 4, 2023 at 3:33 am
ROP Recap Preds 2 Sabres 1 Game 24 2023-24 NHL Season Learn more about […]
-
Full Press Canadiens - 12-3 - Great work from Suzuki in tough loss
by Full Press Coverage on December 3, 2023 at 4:00 pm
Full Press Canadiens - 12-3 - Josh Gosse and Jesse Poirier speak about the […]
-
Renegades Of Puck Ep 829
by Charlie Saunier on December 3, 2023 at 9:11 am
Ep 829 The Renegades Of Puck Recap 4-3 L Vs Rangers Preview Sabres & […]
-
ROP Recap Rangers 4 Preds 3 Game 23 2023-24 NHL Season
by Charlie Saunier on December 3, 2023 at 5:55 am
ROP Recap Rangers 4 Preds 3 Game 23 2023-24 NHL Season Learn more about […]
-
Renegades Of Puck Ep 828
by Charlie Saunier on December 1, 2023 at 6:59 pm
Ep 828 The Renegades Of Puck Recap 6-1 L Vs Wild Preview Rangers & […]
-
Full Press Islanders - 12-1 - Take the 2 points and run
by Full Press Coverage on December 1, 2023 at 4:55 pm
Last night wasn't pretty but they found a way to win and that's what […]
-
12/1 - NFL MVP, Week 13 Picks
by Full Press Coverage on December 3, 2023 at 2:18 am
Ian and John discuss the ever-changing MVP race and give their predictions […]
-
11/28 - MNF Reaction, State Of The NFL
by Full Press Coverage on November 30, 2023 at 3:49 am
Ian and John react to Monday Night Football and discuss more of the state […]
-
11/27 - Thanksgiving Recap; Jalen Hurts, NFL News and Notes
by Full Press Coverage on November 27, 2023 at 10:43 pm
Ian and John recap Thanksgiving weekend, discuss Jalen Hurts' moment, and […]
-
11/24 - Thanksgiving Recap, Jets/Dolphins, Week 12 Picks
by Full Press Coverage on November 24, 2023 at 3:47 pm
Ian and John react to all of the action on Thanksgiving Day and look ahead […]
-
Ep 162: Joe Flacco, Dak Prescott and The MVP, Week 13 Discussion
by Full Press Coverage on December 3, 2023 at 3:58 pm
Ian and Braden discuss Joe Flacco's return, Dak's MVP candidacy, and more […]
-
12/1 - NFL MVP, Week 13 Picks
by Full Press Coverage on December 3, 2023 at 2:18 am
Ian and John discuss the ever-changing MVP race and give their predictions […]
-
Ep 193: Ayako Hamada
by Full Press Coverage on December 2, 2023 at 3:00 pm
Ayako Hamada has had a wide and varied career through AAA, SHIMMER, TNA, […]
-
Ep. 262 - The In Season Tournament is Going Better Than Anyone Expected
by Full Press Coverage on December 1, 2023 at 12:56 am
Jet and Sap share their thoughts now that group play is over with in the […]
-
Ep 198: Week 13 vs Chiefs
by Full Press Coverage on November 30, 2023 at 8:20 pm
In this episode, co-hosts Kyle Senra and Jesse Hall are joined by Braden […]
-
Ep 316: Week 13 Fantasy Football Preview
by Full Press Coverage on November 30, 2023 at 4:08 am
In this episode, Kyle Serna and Brad Harvin provide a survival guide for […]
-
11/28 - MNF Reaction, State Of The NFL
by Full Press Coverage on November 30, 2023 at 3:49 am
Ian and John react to Monday Night Football and discuss more of the state […]
-
Ep 180: Hall of Fame Class Of 2024 Semifinalists Discussion
by Full Press Coverage on November 28, 2023 at 7:02 pm
Ira and Clark dissect the 2024 Hall of Fame class semifinalists. Learn […]