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REV-G

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Everything posted by REV-G

  1. 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!
  2. Even though they are at different levels and age, do you think it is fair to compare Lane Hutson with Quinn Hughes, when Hughes was Hutson's age? Are they in the same conversation?
  3. I just read an article stating that New Jersey will likely trade 22 year old Alex Holtz. They said he's a 22-year-old sniper who hasn’t gotten quite enough opportunity with the Devils. The former seventh-overall pick has 13 goals and 24 points playing mostly in a bottom six role. Are any of you familiar with him and do you think we're interested in him? It sounds like he's the type of player Kent Hughes would be interested in. Thoughts??
  4. I think it's absolutely foolish to draft a player like Guhle, develop him and see the potential of a top 2 or 3 defenceman and then trade him?? I would only include him in a trade if you were getting back a Dylan Larkin or a top level player that you will have for years and who will be a key member of your team. To me a player like Guhle on the back end is equivalent or close to a Suzuki or Caufield on the front end. I would, for the right player, include a Jordan Harris or a Barron with some other pieces, but for me, Guhle would not be a player I would want to move.
  5. I think there are some interesting things happening around CC this year. At the halfway point this season he has played 41 games, scored 11 goals and 17 assists for 28 points and is -3. He's on pace for 22 goals and 56 points. Last season he played 46 games and had 26 goals and 10 assists for 36 points and was -10. He was on pace for around 40 goals and 15 assists for 55 points. So points wise he's on par with last season but I think we all expected him to score between 35-45 goals, which he's quite far behind that pace, goals wise. So what's up? I think there could be a few things happening. Some have suggested that after surgery he has lost something on his shot. For me that's unlikely because nowadays rehab is so good and other players who have had the same surgery have returned to their normal way of playing and shooting. However I do I think that injuries to some of his teammates have affected him in a few ways. I think losing Kirby Dach really affected the top line. When Dach was moved up to their line last year they saw immediate improvement in almost every area. They were a threat. And when Alex Newhook got hurt they lost another player who could possibly help them offensively, although the sample size was pretty small. In reality I think teams are putting more effort on covering CC because you can see that he is getting that clear one-timer far less often than he did last year. It also appears that goalies are keying on him more because they seem to already be in position to stop him by being over and covering that side of the net as or before he shoots. Last year he seemed to have more of an open side of the net as he was shooting his one-timer. Last year, with Dach on their line, the scoring was more spread out and CC's one timer seemed to happen much more often. Due to a lack of genuine scoring threats from a depleted lineup other teams seem to be covering him much closer. You can see that on the pp when he gets the puck there is always someone on him, which wasn't often the case last year. Last year he always seemed to have room to maneuver and either shoot or pass. This year there seems to often be only the option to pass. The positive outcome for me is two-fold. First it has given Slafkovsky an opportunity to break out and I we're seeing the breakthrough with him that we were all hoping for. I think with the opportunity he's had this year, and the one-on-one coaching, he's breaking through that barrier and I think he is simply going to get better and better. He is still only 19 for another month, so he has so much room to still grow and develop. Second, next year we will have Dach & Newhook back (this year) and Slafkovsky that much better. I assume a few guys will be traded and we should have some exciting new players coming up. I think CC will be fine and will get back to scoring between 30-40 goals and overall as a team I think we have a very bright future.
  6. If Savard is moved, what do you think a reasonable return would be? A 1st? 2nd? Or a decent prospect??
  7. I have to admit I was fairly, and pleasantly, surprised by CP performance Thursday night against Vegas. For most of the game I thought he played extremely well. He did not have a lot of help and Vegas seemed to control most of the game with many high danger chances. You normally would not say that a goalie played well after letting in 6 goals, but it could easily have been a blow-out before the first period was over. At 24 he seems to be right at the point where many NHL goalies begin to establish themselves. He's had lots of experience in the AHL and a little in the NHL, but I have had thoughts lately that made me wonder if he was being fed to the wolves. He played against a very good New Jersey team and then his next start is against Vegas. They are certainly not protecting him and I have questioned why they're giving him those kind of starts. Since we are at a point where one goalie is going to have to go, I wonder if trading Jake Allen and keeping the two younger guys is the way to go? Has CP earned a shot at playing a number of games so we can see where's he's at in his development? Due to the sample size of goalies blossoming a bit later I think we need to take a closer and longer look at what he can do now and not rely upon past years. For the entire first period I thought he looked very impressive and sharp. You could clearly see Vegas gaining momentum throughout the game and it seemed only a matter of time before they scored because they were getting so many quality scoring chances. If we saw a glimpse of what 24 year old CP is becoming maybe we shouldn't be too quick to trade him away. Give him a more games to play over the next two months and let's see what we really have. If last night was the exception rather than the rule then proceed with giving him a fresh start somewhere else. However we better be sure we know what we have before we make that move.
  8. Personally given their age, I would trade Jake Allen and keep the two younger guys. I think this may be our close to last opportunity to get something for him. He's still playing well but age and injuries are certainly in play here. Why trade a younger guy when they seem to be able to do the job right now, although Primeau still has a pretty small sample size. He may be ready to blossom. But with goalies, you never know.
  9. No attempt on my part to connect the two as being related. Just used the upended societal norms around the world as an intro to some crazy hockey developments that none of us saw coming. Very good comment on the very disappointing early Boston success!! Can it last??
  10. This is a hockey blog so I won't talk about the absolute upside down state our world seems to be in. Countries, leaders and society seem like they've been injected with something that has turned logical, rational, moral thinking into something nobody understands. The hockey world, specifically the NHL, in a different sort of way also seems to have been turned upside down since the start of the season. Here are just a few of the things that are the exact opposite of what many players, fans and reporters expected. 1. The Boston Bruins. Who would have ever thought that an aging team that lost some key players in the offseason would be dominating and at the top of the league. 2. Toronto Maple Leafs. Again?? Are they cursed?? I'm obviously not a fan, and things could turn around, but they seem to be heading for another huge disappointment with the team they have assembled. It's the same story that just keeps repeating. Strong forward core of 4-5 but a weak defence and suspect goaltending. For a team that was expected to be a serious contender, they could be fighting for a playoff spot if things don't start improving. 3. The Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins??? Yikes. What's happened to these teams that were supposed to be much improved? At the moment they're awful, the opposite of what they should be, compared to the expectations many had for them. 4. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Jonathan Huberdeau, Nazem Kadri?? Really good players not playing anywhere near their expectations. I have never seen, in my lifetime, so much chaos, shock, uncaring and lack of respect for humans than I'm seeing in all areas of society throughout the world. We are living in perilous times!! What do you think?
  11. That makes sense. Perhaps our desperate need for one or two elite snipers is showing up not just on 5 x 5 but on the pp as well. I wonder if any of next years UFA's will have one we could sign. If you look at our prospects I don't think we have an elite scorer in the ranks yet. Is free agency or a trade the only possible way to get one at this point?
  12. Our power play has been awful for what seems like an awfully long time. So I wonder if we are in a similar position as to where we found ourselves a number of years back when we seemed to be unable to find much needed centers for our team? Do you remember Marc Bergevin's comment, something like, "Good centers don't come easily" or "they're hard to find". For some reason he couldn't get his hands on one whereas Kent Hughes found some rather quickly. How is that connected to our lousy pp? Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't our PP very good when we had Markov as the pp quarterback. We had good forwards back then but I think we have enough good forwards now. What I think we're missing for our pp is another Markov, a good pp quarterback! If that's a correct assumption, shouldn't we be able to go our and get one? How many more games would we win if our pp was clicking at just a normal rate instead of year after year being at the bottom of the league in that stat? Or, is Kent Hughes intentionally waiting a year until Lane Hutson and or Logan M. make the team and could potentially fill that missing piece? Maybe it comes down to, should we go out and get one or wait till next year? What we can't do is go back to the MB dilemma, "They are hard to find". If we want to genuinely find one, there must be some available somewhere, if that is our main problem on the pp. What do you think?
  13. Interesting how teams can be very careful in keeping or trading their assets and others seem to give up a lot for little in return. I just read a report suggesting which teams have improved the most this summer and in the article the writer listed a few teams and what players had been moved out and which had been brought in. I couldn't help but notice what we have received from Pittsburgh just in the past year. Pittsburgh traded Mike Matheson to Montreal for Jeff Petry and Ryan Poehling. This summer Pittsburgh moved out Jeff Petry and Ryan Poehling to make room for Erik Karlsson. So Pittsburgh gave up Mike Matheson, Jeff Petry and Ryan Poehling. Just from a Montreal perspective we received from Pittsburgh in the past year, Mike Matheson, a 4th round pick in 2023, Jeff Petry (back again & then traded for), a 2025 2nd round pick (Pittsburgh's), solid backup goalie Casey DeSmith, Nathan Legare. Looking at it from a Montreal viewpoint, we gave up Ryan Poehling and we received back Mike Matheson, Jeff Petry, Casey DeSmith, Nathan Legare, a 4th round pick and a 2nd round pick. So far we have all of those assets except for Jeff Petry. A very good one-sided trade from my perspective. I think we received the best player in Mike Matheson, plus a 2nd and 4th round pick, plus a solid # 2 goalie and a depth defenceman. No matter how you look at it from a Montreal perspective, we came out way ahead.
  14. I think the Petry's are getting a bad rap. They loved their time in Montreal and always said that. Their issue was the insane covid restrictions Canada and specifically Quebec implemented that greatly limited their access to their family in the US and their going out in Quebec on a daily basis. From everything I have seen and read they are quality people who simply didn't want to continue living under the strict covid restrictions. As a player he is in decline but most of the writer's I've read said he is still a top 4 right-handed D-man. I think we should show Jeff and his wife a little respect. That's my thought.
  15. I don't know if this has been brought up elsewhere but any thoughts on whether we should take a chance on Zadina in Detroit? It appears they are considering terminating his contract, with him saying he would not contest that move (by not reporting to their AHL club), and with no one biting when he was put on waivers, likely due to his contract. Should we take a chance if he is willing to sign for league minimum??
  16. Actually that was exactly my reaction when they drafted Price. Not livid, but very disappointed. But that turned around pretty quickly in the following years. Let's hope that this will be the same scenario with "The Doctor".....DR!
  17. You never know what's going on behind the scenes.
  18. From another angle, could Newhook be part of a deal going to Winnipeg for Dubois??
  19. I wonder how much input he has in these negotiations right now? Does he tell Winnipeg that he won't sign an 8 year contract to go to LA because he really wants to spend the next 8 years living and working in Quebec? Could this be a process to help Winnipeg get a better deal from Montreal, kind of push them to their limit as to what they'll give up to get him, thereby helping Winnipeg? Or, is he legitimately willing to go to LA for 8 years and ending up in Montreal isn't as important to him as we think? It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.
  20. Question. Has anyone heard reports from anywhere that if Pierre Luc Dubois signs in LA is it just for one year to take him to UFA status or is it going to be a sign and trade for 8 years?? Is it we get him now or we've lost him for 8 years? Any info??
  21. Totally agree with moving Dvorak and Anderson but not trading away our young guys. Florida's 1st plus one of the above two would be my choice.
  22. We all enjoy seeing the successes of highly touted players like Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield but I think something special occurs when players we didn't expect much from exceed everyone's expectations and rise to the occasion in a way no one really saw coming. Today the obvious example is Samuel Montembeault. What a great story he has become. A young goaltender put on waivers, claimed by his hometown team, where most of us didn't expect much from him, and slowly through hard work and a refusal to give up, he played himself into being close to the starting goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens and this month he went to the world championships and played very solid to lead his team to the gold medal. Now he's being noticed by people, he's made friends for life on this years Team Canada and has wonderful memories forever. What a great story. This past year I think all of us were surprised and excited by a young defenceman that we all thought would start the season in Laval but Arber Xhekaj jumped from junior right onto the roster of the Montreal Canadiens. We all know there were injuries that helped open a spot for him but he and a few other first year defencemen made this year fun to watch because they caught us all by surprise. Rafael Harvey-Pinard came out of nowhere for many and suddenly he was scoring goals and playing so well. Underdogs who rose to the occasion and brought excitement to the team. A few years ago I think it was players like Philip Danault and Paul Byron who came to us as players just beginning, not having established themselves as bonafide NHL players, and we watched them develop and grow into valuable players for us. Now with all the focus on the upcoming draft and Montreal being in a position to draft what should be an impactful player, I wonder who will be the underdog surprises? Can we draft another Carey Price but much later than where Price was drafted? Top level players are fun to watch and develop but I think it's the underdogs who rise up and shine that really give us the fun and excitement that we didn't expect. Can you name a player who was an underdog but rose up to shine and surprise us all?
  23. I am a long time Habs fan but as I have been reading and hearing all that has gone on with the Leafs in the past 24 hours, if I take a step back and just look over what has happened this is what I am wondering. First I think Brendan Shanahan has done a very good job in his position at MLSE. I think he is a quality hockey guy but I wonder if this situation could have been resolved differently with a bit or leadership in a different way. There are some leaders who I think sometimes respond a little harshly and a little too quickly. From a distance I wonder if that happened here. The Leafs are now in a position where they have no GM heading into a period of time that includes signing or trading key players, the entry draft the end of June and free agent signing July 1. My question is this. It appears Shanahan wanted Dubas back as his GM. Things were close to being settled until Dubas came back with a counter offer for more money and possibly more power, although we don't know that for certain. Wouldn't it have been better for Shanahan to have simply turned Dubas's offer down and said, here is our offer, take it or leave it. I'm guessing, but I think Dubas might have realized he overstepped and he may have accepted the offer and things could have continued for the Leafs in a more orderly fashion. Dubas made a mistake. He should have been corrected and put on the spot before being fired. That might have saved them a lot of trouble. Sometimes we have to help people when they make bad choices. We are all capable of making bad choices at key times and sometimes we need someone to save us from ourselves. That might be Dubas and Shanahan in the past 24 hours. That's my take.
  24. I've just finished reading an article by Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette and he details, in conversations with Serge Savard and many other of our old time hockey hero's, how former GM Marc Bergevin treated our former players with absolute disgrace and distain. If you haven't seen it, you will feel both angry and now pleased at what has taken place but what is now being done to rectify past wrongs. It's a great article in many ways. Take the time and read it. As I was reading the article I thought back to the glory years many of these players were a part of and how much excitement and joy they brought us by their skill, hard work and dedication. The Stanley Cup celebrations were so much fun and hearing then mayor Jean Drappeau's declarations that "the Stanley Cup parade will be taking it's normal route", was something we all long to hear again some day. I could go on but you get it. And then for MB to treat these hockey hero's of ours with such disrespect and exclude them and communicate to them by his actions that they were not welcome in the dressing room or to mingle with the current players, or even be at the Bell Center, just absolutely burns me. I am now so happy, and my level of appreciation has gone up even higher, with Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes, for the way they are turning that around and making those former players feel welcome again and setting up times for them to get together at the Bell Center with current players I am still amazed each time I hear a story like this where someone has shown such disrespect and has such a lack of appreciation for people who have done great things in some part of life. But my heart is warmed when I see others who recognize the damage that has been done and then intentionally makes decisions and takes the necessary steps to correct that wrong. It's just the right thing to do. Well done Jeff and Kent. You have made many of us proud once again!
  25. Since we're waiting for the final games of this very unique 2022-23 season to be played out I thought I'd ask those of you who have followed some of our drafted players closer what you think the realistic NHL expectations are of these 4 players. I'm wondering if they have top six forward potential, top 4 defencemen potential, or are they going to find it difficult to translate their NCAA or junior success to the NHL? I'm interested to hear what you think? 1. Lane Hutson 2. Joshua Roy 3. Riley Kidney 4. Logan Mailloux
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