Commandant

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.

I don't think he plays Saturday, but I think he'll play both Detroit games.

Fowler and BC shutout out Michigan 4-0 to advance to final.

Sens beat Tampa im shoot out

I don't think they are that preliminary. I expect an announcement after their last game is done.

Vinny Lecavalier famously wanted to be traded because of Torts, and the GM/owner refused to make the trade. Otherwise he would have been a Leaf in 2002. Brandon Dubinsky, JT Miller, Ryan Johansen, PL Dubois, Kevin Hayes, Marion Gaborik, Carl Hagelin, are guys who got traded. In New York Henrik Lundqvist, Chris Kreider, and others led a mutiny where they would ask to be traded if he wasn't let go. So its a mix of both types.

There is no doubt that some players will like him. However there is also a long list of players who have asked to be traded after he has rubbed them the wrong way. Polarizing is the right word.

In fairness his shooting percentage this year is well below what should be expected too. This year we should expect him to have 3-4 goals and 9-10 assists for 12-15 points... considering he's played half the season that would be 6 goals and 24-30 points over 82 games, which isn't bad for a fourth liner. He got lucky with his finishing in 2023 He's been unlucky this year, both his own finishing and his linemates. So the truth is likely in the middle of the two years.

Thats all true, and I'm not surprised by them dropping out of the playoff race. However, this seems more than just reversion to the mean.... losing 8 in a row... losing blowout games to Columbus and Montreal, two bottom feeders where you don't even compete in the game, just get destroyed. This is more than a team who was getting the bounces and the bounces stopped. This is going off the rails and it happening just after Torts ripped the team in a press conference and scratched the captain is just too coincidental to not go to the quitting on the coach as part of the explanation too.

Healthy Scratched Sean Couturier without warning... the team captain.

He scored a bunch of goals playing with Suzuki on the first line when Caufield was hurt and he was shooting at an insane shooting percentage. I said at the time that it was never sustainable. He's not a first line player and was merely on a hot streak aided by luck and teammates. Is he an NHLer? Yes he's a fourth liner/13th forward. He's been very good on the penalty kill and helps the fourth line. I just don't think he was ever going to keep his pace, much like Poehling was never going to be the guy who got a hattrick in his first game.

Dvorak had more goals tonight than KK had in his last 21 games before being made a healthy scratch for the last two. Oh and Slaf had a hattrick. Seems the flyers are actively trying to get Torts fired at this point.

Dvorak (2) and Gallagher (2) now. That's ECHL relegation.

Dvorak and Anderson and Gallagher all scoring in the same game? I think philly has to be relegated to the AHL now since that happened. Im pretth sure its a rule. They have totally quit on Torts. This is the 8th straight loss... only 1 win since healthy scratching Couturier. This is full rebellion against the coach.

Gallagher is overpaid, no doubt. But he's at least been an effective NHL player at a 3rd line level this season. Anderson hasn't even been that.

He's good enough to take the job of a 25 year old journeyman who has 54 points in 63 ECHL games, and who the Habs have trusted for all of 2 AHL games despite being their ECHL leading scorer all year?? A guy with 12 points in 35 games in his last season in the NCAA? HOORAY!!!! I'd be scared if they didn't think he was as good as Novak. I mean lets let him play and see what happens before thinking this is a victory. Novak is in no way a consideration of ever making the NHL, I'd hope a fourth round pick is better than that.

Yeah, medicine in 2024 is so much better than it was 20 years ago or whatever we are comparing it to. Chances are he's ready to go in 6 months, but probably shouldn't fight as much in 2024-25 By 2025-26 he should be back to normal.

Xhekaj might be something related to the fight with Eyssimont in the tampa game.

Meh... maybe its just cause i consider these staged fights off a faceoff to be a clown show. Im not embarrassed to see a Hab player lose or excited to see a win. Just think they are pointless and unnecessary.

College vs the AHL doesnt get them to Montreal faster though. Consider Since being drafted, Mailloux has spent two years in thr OHL and 1 in the AHL. Since being drafted, Struble spent 4 in college and half a year in the AHL before his callup. Harris stayed in college for 4. So while its less AHL time, its still the same or longer between the draft and the NHL. And Mailloux's losing a season to Covid (except a few games in sweden)n then half a season to suspension, then half a season to shoulder injury, also means he wasnt playing for a lot of that time.

We missed Guhle far more. And yes we missed Arber too, but more for his defensive play than for the fight. The "momentum" of the fight wasnt the reason the Habs lost. It was what 3-0 or 4-0 when the fight happened? It was actually the Habs who were better afterwards, so im not sure how it helped Toronto.

🤣

I watched and disagree that they competed well. Syracuse dominated the game and Dobes was great. He was the only reason it was close. Laval is having real issues generating offence right now. I dont know that they need another shoot first winger. They need someone who can control the puck and make some plays imo.

I think we have the bottom six pieces especially since its unlikely we can find trade partners for Dvorak, Anderson, Gally, and Armia so im not in favour of looking for third liners right now. Yhe focus has to be on a game breaking winger. A true first line caliber player who will fit with Dach/newhook and elevate that line. The floor here has to be what they did in 2004 in acquiring Alex Kovalev or what they did in picking up Radulov years later. Thats the level of talent we need to inject

4 times in a short period of time shows serious interest. If its 4 times since mid-feb thats important. 4 times since september? Meh thats just due diligence. You want to scout a player mulitple times over the course of a season to get an idea if you just saw a good game or if its consistent.