-AM: "It's pointless to respond to that because I see no valid reason to include him in a trade right now. We're talking about a young player who is still developing, and we want to do the same with his younger brother as well.
-MOB: A valid reason would be the depth of left-handed defensemen in the organization.
Matheson
Guhle
Harris
Struble
Xhekaj
Hutson and Engstrom are on their way. Maybe even Norlinder and Trudeau.
Decisions will have to be made! If Xhekaj can bring in a lot
-AM: For me, the depth with what has been happening in terms of injuries for the past 3 years... It's not normal that a Xhekaj, Harris, or Struble had regular roles so early in their career. That's the problem. They are not even close to being fully mature.
-MOB: I agree with that, but KH still has to deal with the current reality. He will soon have a surplus of defensemen, so if he can capitalize on the value of one of the younger players sooner rather than later, so much the better.
Everyone liked Romanov, but in the end, we don't talk about him anymore!
-AM: For me, as long as they haven't arrived, they remain suspects in my eyes. Even Hutson!
-MOB: But Xhekaj is a 6th defenseman and I doubt he will be more than a 3rd-pair defenseman eventually. I love his style, but the upside is still limited.
If someone offers a first-round pick for a 6th defenseman, for me, it's a no-brainer!
-AM: To win in hockey, you need a mix of a little bit of everything. It's not for nothing that the Rocket have been struggling so much since the beginning of the season. Too many offensive defensemen, too many left-handers as well. Xhekaj, however, is completely different from all the others.
-MOB: I'm not saying I don't want 'grit' with the CH.
But in my opinion, it's still easier to find 'grit' than raw talent (which a first-round pick could provide you - either by selecting or by trading for a player like Dach/Newhook)."