by Blain Potvin, Staff Writer, All Habs Magazine
HALIFAX, NS – Valeri Nichushkin is a winger with size (6-foot-4-inches, 208 pounds) and skill. He’s a left-handed shot who loves playing his off-wing, making his hard, accurate shot even more deadly. His main asset is his skating able to make plays at top speed and drive to the net.
Nichushkin is known as a player who goes into the dirty areas and succeeds. These are all assets on which Marc Bergevin places a high value. And it has been reported that he is available.
#Stars Val Nichushkin reportedly on trading block. Would be hard for some GMs to straight up say nyet on acquiring him.
— By Bill Whitehead (@BillWhiteheadFL) February 23, 2016
Nichushkin’s downside has been his lack of consistency at the NHL level. He has shown flashes of the brilliance that enticed the Dallas Stars to draft him tenth overall in 2013, but has had a difficult time to consistently show that brilliance. Dallas coach Lindy Ruff has been reluctant to take ice-time away from veterans like Patrick Sharp, Ales Hemsky and Cody Eakin who are far more consistent and defensively reliable than the 21-year-old Nichushkin.
This lack of top-6 ice time has given Nichushkin doubts about his role in Dallas as he is scheduled to become a restricted free agent on July 1st. With players such as Brett Richie, Radek Faksa and Jason Dickinson in the pipeline, it could be a good time for general manager Jim Nill to use him as a trade asset.
So could a young Nichushkin perform better in Montreal and what impact would he have on Les Canadiens? Nichushkin would bring his raw talent, size and speed to a team desperate to add those aspects to their top six. And because of the lack of top six depth in Montreal, he would be afforded more opportunities to display that talent with more even strength and power play ice time. Off the ice, the language barrier is less of an issue with the strong Russian contingent in the dressing room and a city with a European flavor would ease the adjustment.
What would it take to get him out of Dallas? As mentioned, the Stars are rich with offensive talent. They are also the highest scoring team in the NHL, yet their defense has allowed the 10th most goals so far this season and finished 25th last season. They are in need of a veteran mobile, physical top four defenseman who can play either side and compliment the puck-moving defensemen such as John Klingberg, Alex Goligoski and the up-and-coming Julius Honka.
Alexei Emelin fits this scenario, and his NTC lifts this summer allowing Marc Bergevin to move him at will. However, Emelin alone would likely not be enough to entice Nill into moving Nishushkin. This is where Bergevin will need to be willing to move some youth as well.
Adding Charles Hudon would provide Dallas with a playmaking winger who is not far from being NHL-ready. Nill would upgrade his blueline and receive a player who fills a need for creativity and speed on the wing, which is not found in Dallas’ prospect pool. In return, Bergevin would instantly upgrade the second line right-wing position.
Many seem ready to ship Emelin out .Top 4 D are hard to come by and he is that. I love the way he plays and trading for a maybe doesn’t make sense. Lots of maybe players there now in Danault and Matteau De la Rose etc. Trying to solve a problem by creating another is no answer !
In this case, a top 4 D is what Dallas needs, and would demand for Nichushkin. And with Beaulieu and Markov capable of filling the top 4 LH side it doesn’t hurt as much. But in a deal you have to give to get. And there will be top 6 UFA forwards available this summer, but it is unlikely two will sign with Montreal. So a trade of a top 4 D to get one is a plausible scenario.
Markov days are numbered.You don’t trade away top four D men
for” might be an answer.”.Gomez is a perfect example of a quick fix at a great cost.No more of that. Hopefully the days of panic moves and short term decisions are in the past.
You are really married to that Gomez example aren’t you? it’s the 2nd time you’ve used it. How is this trade like that deal? If anything, it’s the reverse of it. We’re the ones giving up the aging player for a young prospect. I would like to know how moving Emelin now while we have 3 top 4 LHD for a big RW with top 6 potential a panic move?
You are married to potential and I like up Emelin and performance.My point was that you over pay when you suggest giving up an ” aging ” Emelin and others for an inconsistent maybe . If Emelin is aging , what is Jagr or even Markov. Proven for unproven is at best a gamble and at worst a disaster ( Gomez ). Gee there he is again. There is three times .
Jagr and Markov are also aging, but be honest, Emelin is not a comparable, at all. That’s a strawman argument. Style of play factors in on this and physical players like Emelin breakdown much faster. As someone who has been watching since 1955 you should know that physical players like him wear down much quicker. And your continued use of the Gomez example doesn’t make it true. Also, Nichushkin at 20 yrs old has been in and out of the top 6 of the highest scoring teamL for 2 seasons, which is exactly what Galchenyuk did, and they produced at nearly the same pace at the same age. As I laid out above, his lack of use is his defensive play. Trading the proven to be useful but not necessary and expensive aging physical Dman provides for a young forward that fills a serious need and capspace. How about this for “examples”, it’s the reverse of the Chelios trade. Please, feel free to make a trade proposal that you believe would be based on sound judgement
“A young forward that fills a serious need ” is pure speculation and wishful thinking on your part.Hasn’t done it on the team he is on but you expect him to do it on Montreal ?
So a RW power forward isn’t a need? And, he hasn’t done it so far on a consistent basis, but for a player completing only his 2nd season under Lindy Ruff he has progressed at the same rate as other top 10 picks have done recently (see Galchenyuk). The fact that Dallas is sorely in need of D and have so many similar players in their system makes him a trade chip that can be used to fill their need for D. I would love to read what you would do in Bergevin’s shoes
If I were GM I would ignore the Press critics and wannabe GMs and start with the Team that started this season excluding Weise Fleischman and And Semin Pateryn and Beaulieu as starters.I would exercise patience above all.Thank you for the discussion.
did you mean add Semin? And would you look to add any UFAs to augment your current crop of players?
No I meant team that started last October minus Weise Semin and Fleischman who are gone. None of them were top 6 although was the intention with Semin.I really don ‘t think there are any Top 6 forwards out there free agent or UFA who would come at a reasonable cost in terms of present roster players or potentially valuable prospects.There are certainly no top 6 power forwards available that teams would trade you. Be patient and let the teams that need defence come to you not you go to them and have to pay too much. You also need significant cap space for TOP players and they don’t have a lot considering Galchenyuk is up for a significant raise as is Patch in a couple of years. You want a long term player not a one or two year guy you are going to pay too much for..Good Night .
so in other words, you would do absolutely nothing unless someone calls you for a player and offers more than market value?
Market value is decided by the people who make the trade.If you make a trade , you are not paying more than market value or receiving more than market value because the trade decides what market value is.I said I thought the value you seemed to think was fair in fact would be overpaying for something that in the end would not necessarily improve the Team.That is my opinion but market value will not be decided by opinion , yours or mine , but in the actual trade when and if it were to happen.Let’s wait and see what happens with a full healthy Team before we start offering up those players who started out 9 and 0.Patience my boy !
so by this logic the Gomez trade wasn’t an overpayment and was market value. And the team that started 9-0 ended up at .500. You can’t expect to be 100% healthy, and the 9-0 team still had serious deficiencies, that’s why the 9-0 team had signed Semin to play in the top 6. We have a solid core, and an over abundance of bottom 6 an Dmen as well as smaller forwards with talent….time to move some to fill that top 6 with a market value trade an UFA signings
In my opinion Emelin & Pleky are in the trade mill & MB must sign a player like Nich but Hudon has never been given a real chance in Montreal .
I really like the offensive talent of Hudon & I think he needs to be given a better shot @ showing what he can do in Montreal .
Nich would be a great pick-up but MB does not want to sell off the farm for a player that may fade-out of the picture .
Every move is a gamble but MB is patient & does not make off the cuff moves in the face of the heavy pressure in Montreal .
Next season leaves a lot of options for MB & some of the veterans need to be shipped out .
Go Habs Go !!!!
I completely agree with your first sentence, all of it. But Nich is the type of player MB loves. And Moving Emelin now, while his value is good now is not easy, but to upgrade the top 6 and clear up some cap is a good gamble. Hudon will be a top 9 player, but it’s unclear he’ll be more, and size is a factor for the Habs, but not as much for Dallas as they have plenty in all positions
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