A mock trade proposal making the rounds today has the Montreal Canadiens sending futures to the Seattle Kraken for winger Jared McCann.
The package, floated by IceMetrix on social media, has Montreal parting with Jayden Struble, Owen Beck, a first-round pick and a third or fourth-rounder.
Seattle's return in that scenario is simple. Just McCann, and nothing else coming back to Montreal.
McCann has been productive for a Kraken team going nowhere fast. He's got 20 goals and 20 assists for 40 points in 52 games this season, with seven of those goals coming on the power play.
He's also sitting at a minus-7 rating, which tells you something about the water he's treading in Seattle.
His cap hit sits at 5,000,000. That's the number Kent Hughes would need to find room for if this ever moved past a fan graphic.
Montreal has already seen McCann up close twice this year, and won both times in overtime, 5-4 at home and 4-3 on the road.
Why giving up Struble and Beck stings more than it looks
Struble has quietly turned into a real piece on Montreal's blue line. He's up to 12 points in 59 games with a plus-4 rating, and he's only 24.
Beck is still finding his footing at the NHL level, with 1 point in 15 games. But he's 22, and cheap, carrying a cap hit of 853,333.
Would Kent Hughes actually attach a first-round pick to a 30-year-old winger who's a minus player on a team that's lost three straight? That's the part of this proposal that doesn't sit right.
Montreal is 48-24-10 with 106 points, sixth overall in the league, riding a 7-3-0 stretch over their last 10 games even after dropping the most recent one.
Seattle is the opposite story. They're 34-37-11, 79 points, 27th overall, and stuck on a three-game slide with a 2-8-0 mark over their last 10.
That gap in direction is the whole problem with this trade. It's like trading a fresh set of tires for a car that's already parked in the impound lot.
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Nobody in Montreal's front office has confirmed talks with Seattle, and nothing here suggests this is anything more than a graphic built for engagement.
But mock trades like this one tend to stick around in fan conversation long after they're forgotten by everyone actually paid to make trades.
Should the Canadiens give up a first-round pick and two prospects for Jared McCann?
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