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We need your A game tonight buddy. Habs can’t afford a win…

Ottawa pulls out the 5-3 victory.

Years ago, on this very site, I crunched a bunch of numbers on Koivu and discovered that he produced like a PPG player, except that he would have long slumps of, like 10-15 games per season where he would basically produce nothing. 🤷‍♂️ Hence the endless argument over whether he was a #1A or a #2C. The other thing about him was that (with all due respect to Commandant) he was a playoff beast. I mean, he put Joe Thornton in his back pocket even while playing through a cracked rib. The tragedy of Koivu, as I’ve lamented many times, is that he was never the same after his knee was destroyed. I am sure he could have been a top-10 player if not for that. He was that dominant before the knee injury.

Franchise of Futility vs Franchise of Forever Projected line combos, courtesy Daily Faceoff Canucks exceed the Habs in every way, except in net, where I assume Casey DeSmith will be between the pipes owing to Demko's injury (as well as the fact that you'd dress him anyway, against a bottom-feeder like Montreal). I will be at this one, along with the 18 000 or so other local Habs fans who always swarm the arena when les boys come to town. GO HABS GO!

David Reinbacher's first game: A month or so again my wife and I and another couple decided we'd drive the hour to Belleville and watch Laval play the Bellville Senators. Last night was the night we bought tickets for and it also happened to be the first game for David Reinbachers so we were all interested to see him play. I expected to see him struggle with the speed and the smaller rink but other than a few isolated moments he looked totally at ease and I thought he played very well and fit in seamlessly. The only time I saw him confused, to me at least, was when they put him out towards the end of overtime, three on three, and I assume they were playing man on man and he probably had never played three on three before. His man took the puck and retreated out towards centre ice and DR looked to the bench, seemingly unsure if he should follow him or stay put. But other than that I thought he did very well. He is a very good and fast skater and was physical, not overly, but definitely used his size at time to his benefit. His teammates huddled with him before every face-off and they seemed to be discussing responsibilities and who should be where. On top of it all he used his skating and hockey smarts to pick off a pass, picked up a loose puck and skated in with another Laval player as a decoy and sniped a nice goal to the far side. His teammates mobbed him and it was definitely a great moment for him and the team. He also was named third star of the game by whoever picks the stars in Belleville. So if this was his first real game in North America on a smaller rink and a faster pace, I thought he did extremely well and I think he's going to as advertised, a very good skating, solid defence man who can carry the puck out of his end and make plays. A very good first game, IMHO!

The Coyotes pull their goalie, tie it up and win in overtime. That's a good night!!

I feel pretty confident that Hughes will make the right trades and not get unduly attached to players even if he picked or traded for them himself. If you can make the team better by trading, you do it, even if you are sending out a player that you like.

It was a painful night. First ever game live for my son. Stupid flames had an 80’s theme night where they had old players and kept showing highlights during the intermission of their one and only 89’ cup win. anyways, it was close until the second period, than the flames pulled ahead, habs battled back and than idiotic refereeing put it way. some thoughts at seeing most of the young players live for the first time and being able to just follow them: -top line is going to be something special, but they have to stop trying to setup the perfect pass all the time and shoot more. -Slafkovsky is a big dude and I’m hoping he can be a Leclair type force - but I think he can also become a much more skilled player that generates more offence on his own than Leclair did. -Caufield’s shot is still off. I know he scored of a deaflybshot tonight. But his One timer isn’t there. Too many times tonight, he just didn’t have enough zip on his shot. Hopefully he is fully recovered by next training camp. -Harris just isn’t physical enough and doesn’t bring the offence you’d want from a non-physical dman. May be a bad night, but was really disappointed in him and how easily he was pushed around. -Suzuki can really slow down the game. There were times the Habs were running around like chickens with their heads off, and Suzuki got the puck ragged it around until everyone settled down. He will score 80+ points next year. -as with the top line, this team needs to shoot more - way too many cute passes and too many cross ice pass attempts - particularly too Caufield. Can’t keep doing that when you have to make those passes through traffic. -Evans effort level surprised me. He is an also a very good stick handler. He’s also being wasted between the two Bergevin two worst remaining long term deals. Anderson and Gallagher are useless. Garbage play by both. Anderson hit a post, but otherwise was useless. Can we just buy them out this year??? I know it’s going to cost a lot, but may as well get them out of the lineup and reduce their cap hit two years from now, when we hope to be competitive. -Roy is a smart player. Hoped to se more offensively. But you could see the high hockey IQ Jennie was on the ice - with and without the puck. -we need someone from the young D to step up. Wasn’t really impressed by anyone tonight. Was hoping to see more and better from Guhle, wifi and Struble, and like I said earlier, was surprised how disappointed I was in Harris.. And the young D also need to start shooting more. Savard was shooting, but the young guys during the first half were just not getting the puck on the net hen there was traffic in front. I wish this game was a few w escalate and maybe I could have seen Hutson live. -Premieau flops around and is out of position. A LOT!! He.needs to work on his positioning and not take himself out of the play as much. anyways, this was really the only game I wanted them to win for the rest of the years hopefully they lose the rest, but the young guys get a ton of points.

Keep in mind any comparison is a stylistic comparison, not a talent one.... so just cause someone is compared to Aho doesn't mean that the point totals is what we are comparing. He's a centre IMO. Yes, I see him in the NHL in 25-26, but I wouldn't say regardless of who takes him. Every team has different philosophies on what they do for development, but I'd think barring injury and lost development time in 2024-25, he'd be in the NHL by then. Some teams might even put him in the NHL 2024-25. What are people missing? I think he has almost no weaknesses. He does everything you need a player to do at an above average level, while still being elite in a few areas

Arizona should celebrate with winning their last two games 🎉

WHY in the world would the Habs want to "ice their best lineup"? Wins only have the potential to worsen their draft position. Hutson is getting at least one game because that burns a year of his ELC ... THAT and getting some $$$ in his pocket immediately is why he signed now ... there was always the "possibility" of his waiting and ultimately deciding to play another NCAA season. Struble is with the Habs because they only have 7 healthy defencemen and one of them could be injured/get sick before the game roster is submitted. @dlbalr made it clear that Baby Xhekaj is playing because Stephens can't, not to "give him a game". So, not the management screw-up you seem to so often hope for.

Boy, look at Morgan Reilly's numbers. I always liked his game - my kind of defenceman. For a guy in TO, where they pump the tires of every bum who cycles through the lineup, he seems almost underrated. And that's the only nice thing I'm gonna say for the next 12 hours. F**k off, Leafs. I hope Boston or whoever takes a leaf-blower to you and sweeps you in 4.

A team filled with NHL prospects is not the way to succeed in the AHL, though, that's a different type of team construction.

College free agency has started up. I've done a series of pieces for PHR with an overview of some of the better options by position. Some goalies/defence have signed since posting while the forwards were just posted this weekend so they're all still available for now. Gorton mentioned recently that they were doing some planning for college free agency so it appears they'll be trying to sign some players, likely some of the ones in these columns. Goalies: https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2024/03/2024-college-free-agency-preview-goaltenders.html Defence: https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2024/03/2024-college-free-agency-preview-defensemen.html Centres: https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2024/03/2024-college-free-agency-preview-centers.html Wingers: https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2024/03/2024-college-free-agency-preview-wingers.html

It was a fun game to be at last night. First time in eons the Habs came away with a win in Colorado. There was a nice tribute video for Newhook, and he interacted with a few fans wearing his jersey during warmups. I was a bit surprised at the amount of "give me a stick" type signs that folks were holding up during warmups, I guess pictures or pucks isn't enough anymore to satiate some greedy fans. The Habs have a strong skating defense. Guhle and Matheson are fun to watch.

I'm quite OK with other people being excited about it now, and I'll get excited about it myself come draft day. But, for now, I'm not going to invest a ton of time learning about prospects that may never pull on the CH sweater. That's just me. 🙂 And I'm still keenly following all our prospects, and especially those that might be joining the team for the final games of the season. That's excitement enough for me!

Quinn Hughes on being small offensive d-man going form NCAA to NHL. Canadiens weekly notebook: An awkward milestone, an endorsement for Lane Hutson and more - The Athletic “I figure why you’re asking, but I’m sure he’ll figure it out and he’ll be fine.” "He, of course, is Canadiens prospect Lane Hutson, a similarly undersized offensive defenceman currently completing his season at Boston University. Hutson’s name was never mentioned to Hughes, but he had no problem identifying the reason behind the question. Hutson has been compared to Hughes for years, and Hughes clearly knows it." “Right away, for the most part, I think I felt very confident. My first year couldn’t have gone better. I had a great season, and the second year, we struggled. I thought my third fourth and then this year have been really good. It’s just about building,” Hughes said. “Lane’s going to … it’s not about how good he is at 20 or 21, it’s about how good he is at 25, 26. I tell my brother Luke that, focus on one foot in front of the other, and he’s having a great year, too, but just keep grinding so that at 23, 24 you can say you’re one of the best in the league."

Hope is not a plan

Going to be in house for this one. If there's one last game they need to win, it's tonight. Going with an Oilers fan.

Martiineau is with TVA Sports ... he spoke with three players who played against Reinbacher this season (Google translate, minimal editing): GREATEST ASSET: Maxim Noreau: His hockey sense is very good. I would even say that he is above average for guys drafted in this stage of the draft. I saw him make very effective zone exits. He is also very smart in his decisions made in the heat of the moment. He never does anything for no reason. He will make a small, subtle maneuver with his body to help a teammate. He doesn’t panic and prefers to keep the puck than get rid of it. He can draw an attacker towards him in the neutral zone before giving the puck to his partner. And thanks to that, he has just created a three against two. He won't make spectacular lift passes or plays like that. But it will allow Caufield and Suzuki to have the puck quickly and ultimately, that’s what you want. Guillaume Asselin: His speed, his mobility. Without a doubt. He is very difficult to beat one on one for an attacker. Marc-Antoine Pouliot: He skates very, very well. He is very powerful. I've been playing in Switzerland for 12 years and a 19-year-old defenseman like him, in terms of the skating power/size combination, is extremely rare. OFFENCE: Asselin: I find that his ability to break free in offensive territory is underestimated. He knows how to make himself available without attracting attention. If you put him in a junior league, he'll give you 70 points. Hence the importance of taking some and leaving some with the numbers. He's not a Cale Makar, but I read some comments about him and it's completely false to say that he's only defensive. Pouliot: His mobility in enemy territory helps him a lot. He also has a shot that hits the net consistently. His team is doing a lot offensively. I wouldn't rely on his stats, personally. Noreau: Currently, in Kloten, he is playing with worse players than elsewhere in the league. This is the strict truth. Often, he makes a high-quality zone exit. But he doesn’t even have time to press the attack when the puck is back in his territory. If you put Reinbacher on a team where the forwards are good, he will get the puck to them when leaving the zone and allow them to attack the offensive territory with speed. That’s also offence. Without being spectacular, he will still collect his share of points. DEFENCE: Asselin: He can hardly be beaten in speed. His gap [distance control] is very good. He never gives you space one on one. He has a great stick. He is very intelligent in the way he positions himself on the ice. Honestly, he's not a defender you like to face. It's not fun playing against him! And I tell you this knowing full well that he is only 19 years old. He does this despite his young age and while playing in one of the best leagues in the world against men. It’s big, to be honest. There are a few Quebecers on the team and obviously, we sometimes talk about Reinbacher, because we know that he belongs to the Canadiens. And everyone agrees that he is strong and very difficult to beat. Often, when you know a guy his age is on the other team, you know you're going to be able to have fun. But with him it’s quite the opposite. His defensive game is very strong. Pouliot: I faced him several times this season and every match I had to face him, I felt like I was facing a man. His head moves a lot and he is turned on in his territory. He makes me feel like he's already 30. NEEDS TO DEVELOP: Noreau: I would say he's going to have to work on his battles for the puck, whether it's in a melee or with his stick. He's smart, but he's not the nastiest in the corners. Winning pucks in duels is very important. I also think he could be more mobile and hungry in the offensive zone, but that will come with coaching, in my opinion. Asselin: I would like to see him trust his offensive skills more in the offensive zone; be less conservative, more daring at times. He has more in him offensively than his decisions with the puck demonstrate. COMPARABLES: Noreau: Honestly, style-wise, he reminds me of Devon Toews. He is not flashy, he skates where there is space and does not try to outsmart opponents. At the end of the day, Toews, everyone puts him in the category of very good defender, but when you look at his game, there is absolutely nothing special about it. It’s the simplicity and good decisions that make it so good. Devon Toews is a gem for a coach. You can use it for 25 minutes anywhere and you know it’s going to do the job. I'm not saying that David Reinbacher, even at his peak, will be in the top 5 of best scorers among defensemen. But will CH fans really be disappointed to have a defender like Devon Toews on their team? To be at his best, a Cale Makar needs a Devon Toews. Asselin: The first name that comes to mind is Alex Pietrangelo. He is complete. He is not all offensive or all defensive. He skates well. He's the type of guy who helps you win. Reinbacher doesn't have an eye-catching style like Lane Hutson's, but he will still have great use for Montreal. He will play on the second unit powerplay and on the first unit penalty-kill. He will play between 24 and 27 minutes per game and will be matched to the best opponents. To win Stanley Cups, you need players like him. Champion teams often rely on big defenders who skate well. And Reinbacher is exactly that.

This org stills needs top-pairing-quality young D. Even Guhle has not clearly established himself as being at that level. So, although he wasn't a sexy pick, this kid is an important piece. Here's hoping he makes the jump to Laval and flourishes.

Breaking the rules here but no GDT so here it is. Seriously, we need to lose this one

Andersson and Heineman score in the 3rd as Laval takes it 5-1. https://theahl.com/stats/game-summary/1026269 Laval is now two points behind Belleville. The Sens have a game in hand still but Laval has the tiebreaker.

Have been thinking about what the Habs' D corps could look like for the next two years. Not the cup contender version, but the transitional team that should start competing for a playoff position. So, this is what I have on a (somewhat?) factual basis: Matheson has scored 60 points this season, no mean feat on a team that only has 224 goals, and does not look like he's slowing down Savard does look like he's starting to slow down Guhle is solid and reliable 1LD/2LD, now with some flexibility to play on the right as well Harris flexible on left/right, though better on the left Kovacevic is not stellar but quite reliable on the right Neither Reinbacher or Mailloux likely ready for NHL for another season or two Hutson is a wild card. He's only 20 and seasoning in the AHL would make sense but he'll surely be a target there Then we have Xhekaj/Struble and Barron I'm thinking that Matheson likely stays with the Habs, unless another GM is willing to pay a king's ransom to get him. For all his defensive warts, he is in the top 10 in D scoring in the league, and that's elite D scoring. Maybe pair him with Kovacevic for stability and balance? Our help on the right is a few years away, so does Hughes keep Savard? I suspect not, so that would mean that Harris and Barron need to be the other two RD, unless Reinbacher is stunningly good in training camp. I think very unlikely that they would bring him up at 19yo. So, need a defensive partner for Barron, and a more offensive one for Harris. Is that Guhle-Barron and Xhekaj/Struble-Harris? Or is Hutson really a viable option here? I would think not yet. Of course, if Hughes trades one of the young(ish) D, all this calculus will need to be redone. 🙂

Or the 2021 Habs!

I think Mailloux needs a bit more work on his defensive game. He's only spent one year in Laval and this is a guy who basically missed two full years of Junior Hockey due to Covid, his arrest and suspension, and then his shoulder injury. He hasn't made that up yet.

Maybe we should break the mould and play 3 defensemen and 2 forwards.

I’m looking forward to seeing if his game translates to the NHL. Not expecting to have that question answered over two games but it’s a start

Actually, I believe Torts has been most successful with young teams. Rebuilding Rags, rebuilding Columbus, Tampa when they were developing into champs. He completely flopped with a veteran team in Vancouver. And he had great success in Philly UNTIL, as others noted, he crapped on and humiliated the veteran captain. Veterans probably tire quickly of his ego and his abuse. Young players, hungry and eager, are probably more willing to follow him, especially when his demanding style has them suddenly winning games after years of failure. He's a jackass in my book, anyhow, so I'm not shedding tears over his problems.

And that's okay from a seventh-round pick. If he's a reserve forward who comes in when injuries arise and can kill penalties and play on the fourth line, there's nothing really wrong with that outcome. That said, his price point can't go much higher than it is now if he wants to stick around. Fortunately, management saw this as a possibility and slightly front-loaded his contract so he'll only be owed a $1M qualifying offer next summer.

Yeah, I think it's more this than anything. This is a team that was 'built' to contend for first overall in the lottery standings and even sold at the trade deadline when they were in a playoff spot. A letdown was bound to happen.

If we're going to blow the draft pick, might as well blow it in a big way!

They wouldn't need to burn a year on Xhekaj by signing him for this season. They'd just sign him to a future contract that begins in 24-25, then give him an ATO for Laval for the stretch run. I see no reason why he wouldn't be in Laval over the next few days unless he's been playing through an injury that needs to be addressed.

That is true, still think it was the right decision. Signing Danault would have made us better in the short term but still well short of being a playoff contender. He is 31 now, we needed to rebuild.

Regarding the Flames pick it has become simpler to figure out as the Flames pick won't be 20-32 this year and the Panthers 2024 1st rounder will transfer to Philly this year. Basically for next year it comes down to the following: 1) if the Calgary and Florida picks are both outside the top 10 then we get the better of the picks 2) if Calgary's pick is inside the top 10 but Florida's is not then we get the Florida pick Ideally they both tank next year.

Anyone who has EVER thought that players "tank" was an idiot ... players can lose hope/spirit and play a stinker, but that is not the same thing.

Goaltending stats for both the team and individual goalies. Habs are solid here.

Wheeler has 11 prospects in his "tier 2", ranked from 2 to 12, seems like there are many options at a fairly similar level once you get past Celebrini. I'm not going to get excited about any prospects (unless the Habs win the lottery) until they actually make the picks since we really don't know what Hughes will do.

He improved all season? He scored two goals last year. Two. In 58 games. Yes, he had some assists and was okay most nights but, again, two goals. When you're one of the highest-paid forwards on the team, it's hard to put improved and two goals in the same sentence.

Joshua Roy is still out of action, and so is Martin St-Louis. Will Struble and Ylonen sit in the press box again? Check here tomorrow to find out that answer and more.

Well, that was one of the worst performances by a Habs team I’ve had the misfortune of seeing live. The first 10 minutes were good. They were competitive. Then Vancouver gradually took over. The hinge moment was probably when DeSmith stopped Gally in close from a beautiful Suzuki feed. After that it was all downhill. What I was startled by was just how physically dominant the Canucks were. Bigger, stronger, and extremely businesslike, they won most of the board battles and basically manhandled the Habs the entire night. I think you’d have to have been there in person to fully appreciate the extent of this domination. I didn’t see much pushback either, including from the guys you might expect to bring it, i.e., WiFi, Slaf, Anderson, etc. It was a game where the extent of Vancouver’s control was so overwhelming that you could almost feel the self-belief draining from the Canadiens as the night ground along. The Canucks I saw last night were scary - a team in complete command, clamping down defensively, getting all the goals they need, and grinding the sh*t out of the opponent, shift by shift. That looked like a squad ready to go deep, playing Rick Tocchet hockey. By contrast, the Habs had waaaaaaaay too much dead weight, especially in the bottom 6. Whether it’s Gally or Anderson (LOL) or Pearson or White, etc., etc., these are duds who simply cannot hold their own against a strong and determined squad like Van was last night. That third period was utterly listless. Impotent. It’s easy, when you look at the 38 one-goal games or whatever it is, to think that we are one major additional FW away from making the playoffs. But last night’s spectacle suggested a team that needs quite substantial improvement up and down the lineup - a team that is a LONG way away. The only particular positive that jumped out to me was Newhook. His speed is something to see, and he’s making plays with it.

OT point didnt help the cause last night, but what can ya do, was nice to see Habs score a couple. 14 more beatings to go.

If we don’t win the lottery and can pick Celebrini, my top two choices are Demidov and Parekh. From the guys that have decent size, from an elite skill perspective, they look to be the best options and both look like the type of players that can take over a game and win it on their own.

Evans was very noticeable in a good way.

Mattheson is not who you want showing young D how to play in the NHL. He is not a sound defensive player, nor is he good positionally. Given the team has no business trying to win games I do not see the value in him on the roster, holding up a spot, demonstrating that offense allows mistakes to be accepted and generally showing how not to be in position. Due to his skating he makes up for most of these mental issues, but again that is not who you want demonstrating the way to young D. I don’t believe it is coincidence that Guhle has plateaued while partnered with him. I believe Guhle’s game is going to suffer long term because of it. I already notice him playing worse defensively, his gap control has gotten worse but that may be because he is worried Mattheson is gonna decide to play rover (even on d assignments) and Guhle has to accommodate.

Hey Habs Fans. A few years back I bought some seats from the Forum. The seats are out of section 401, Row K, seats 34 & 35. That being said, I am looking for any "hockey" ticket stubs from these seats. Its a needle in a haystack kind of request, but worth a shot. I would love to find some stubs to go with these seats for my shrine to the Forum I will have in my basement in the coming years. Thanks in advance!! Sec 401 Row K Seats 34 & 35

The Oilers-Avs game was about as good a game as I have seen this year. The OT was phenomenal when you get 3 on 3 with McDavid, Draisaitl, MacKinnon and Makar. Arturi scores with a second left. I still say without a doubt that McDavid is the best player in the world but MacKinnon is certainly number 2, a phenomenal player.

Wow Something is obviously very wrong. Best wishes Marty

Flames TV asked <Jakob Pelletier> if the CH was his favorite team during childhood. “No, because I think they kicked out the Nordics. Most people in Quebec (City) hate the Habs. It’s going to be special for me to play against them” replied the native of the "Capitale-Nationale" - (Translated from TVA Sports) His name is often mentioned in Calgary-Montreal trade rumours ... have to guess he wouldn't be pleased if that happened.