NHL team to pull Eric Lindros-like trade to land Alexis Lafreniere?!

OH. MY. GOSH.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 3 years ago
NHL team to pull Eric Lindros-like trade to land Alexis Lafreniere?!
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The first phase of the draft lottery may be taking place tonight, fans and pundits are thinking ahead and imagining what could be a blockbuster trade of the ages when the draft occurs. 

It all started back a few months ago, when a panel from La Presse in Montreal met up to discuss the possibility of the Canadiens pulling an Eric Lindros-like trade at the NHL Draft to land the projected first overall pick Alexis Lafreniere. 

It is no secret that the Habs have been looking for a top forward saviour for seasons now, and the fairy tale would be complete if the superstar came from the area. Enters Lafreniere. 

Unless there is a supernatural luck and the Canadiens win the draft lottery, Lafreniere is not expected to be GM Marc Bergevin’s pick in late selections. This means that if Bergevin wanted to acquire the talented forward, he should try to convince the team that will earn the first overall pick to trade with Montreal.

Good luck!

However, a panel of hockey experts decided to put together what it would take for the Canadiens to convince that team to move their first overall pick in order for the Habs to land the hometown kid. 

First of all, they concluded that any offer would need to start with the maximum possible compensation for the signing of a restricted free agent using an offer sheet, that is to say four 1st round picks. 

They then added that a team swapping a player with such great potential to become a league superstar would also demand a top offensive prospect, defensive prospect and and one in between the pipes. 

In the end, the result of the offer built by the three panelists to get hold of Lafrenière was as follows:

  • Nick Suzuki OR Cole Caufield
  • Alexander Romanov
  • Cayden Primeau
  • 1st round pick in 2020
  • 2nd round pick in 2020
  • 1st round choice in 2021
  • 1st round choice in 2022
  • 1st round choice in 2023

This is an absolutely monster offer! But you have to imagine it would take that much to convince anyone to let go of Lafreniere and his bright future in the league. 

In comparison, here is what the Quebec Nordiques had received from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Eric Lindros at the time:
Mike Ricci, Steve Duchesne, Ron Hextall, Peter Forsberg, Kerry Huffman, Chris Simon, 1st round pick in 1993 and 1st round pick in 1994.

Remember? Could we see a similar scenario this time around? Hey, it’s 2020, you never know! 

Source: La Presse