Think carefully, in the eyes of Mathias Brunet

Posted On: June 5, 2024

It’s rare that we see something like this in the NHL, but Tom Fitzgerald revealed a little about his plan for the next draft.

The Devils GM makes no secret of it: He is open to the idea of trading his 10th pick to seek immediate help.

The club has been disappointing in New Jersey this season and we want to try everything there to be competitive next season.

This makes sense because the Devils already have a core that can enable them to be one of the good teams in the National League.

Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, Jesper Bratt, Dawson Mercer, Simon Nemec, Luke Hughes, Dougie Hamilton… They are prepared for war, let’s put it that way.

And if Fitzgerald can improve the roster this summer, the team could be quite dangerous next year.

But even though the Devils’ problem last season was in front of the net, Mathias Brunet still expressed an idea in his column of the day on the airwaves of BPM Sports.

Mike Matheson, for the 10th overall pick… Do you think about that if you’re Kent Hughes?

Mathias Brunet seems to be interested in a transaction like this:

If they (devils) offer you 10, yes. I think I tend to, yes. – Mathias Brunet

The journalist explains that this is a good idea because Matheson is performing above expectations and that the Canadian can take advantage of this to maximize the defender’s value.

Nevertheless, we know how important the Quebecer is for Switzerland:

He has restarted his career in Montreal and everyone notices it → https://t.co/QDpV686ocx

— DansLesCoulisses (@DLCoulisses) May 31, 2024

With the 5th and 10th picks, Kent Hughes would have the chance to get a good attacker AND defender for the future.

On this level it is interesting.

On the other hand, trading with a man like Matheson can also be risky. There are two main questions I ask myself:

If Matheson leaves, can it (really) help rebuild CH?
If Matheson leaves, can the Canadian really start the season with three young (almost inexperienced) defenders on the left side?

Tom Fitzgerald will be aggressive in draft (if he has not yet swapped his choice) and Kent Hughes must call him for information.

I support the idea, but we should not rule out the possibility of a three-team transaction.

Let’s assume that CH gets the 10th pick, that a club welcomes Matheson, and that the Devils can get their hands on a goalie in a big transaction… Maybe that can ultimately please everyone.

But at the risk of repeating myself, I don’t think CH will trade Mike Matheson because he has too much value in Montreal.

And in my opinion, a 10th pick overall is not enough because we are not talking about a safe value, even if the club’s recruiters have been making good decisions for two years.

Much

– It is unique.

An award for Jordan Harris 👏

Read ↓ #GoHabsGo https://t.co/NQpB7TA0qQ

— Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) June 4, 2024

– Given the injuries, it would not be surprising.

The end of shows for Pacioretty? https://t.co/Cvq7ojOyc0

— TVA Sports (@TVASports) June 4, 2024

– Ouch.

Jacob Trouba announced that he had been struggling with a broken ankle during the season.

The Rangers captain said that “a large part of his ankle had fallen off.” pic.twitter.com/3PJ8XZZrTP

– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 4, 2024

– It is the good Way of thinking.

“That is a credit to the coach, it worked very well,” he admitted @JiCLajoie. Watch the interview here 👇https://t.co/a7wiT0owTF

— TVA Sports (@TVASports) June 4, 2024

– Oh yeah?