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Habs Playoff Debrief


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4 minutes ago, Sir_Boagalott said:

 

  I think Lekhs might be a risk of being dumped, he's decent but he has shown that he isnt capable of scoring 20g/yr so there is a strong likelihood that another player could do just as good if not better so why keep him. 

 

In my opinion Lekhonen is a keeper. He is almost the perfect 3rd line winger, gives 100%, excellent skater, plays both ends of the ice.  He may only score 13-15 goals/year but for a 3rd line winger that is absolutely fine. There would be a lot of takers if the Habs wanted to get rid of him. 

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47 minutes ago, Habs Fan in Edmonton said:

 

In my opinion Lekhonen is a keeper. He is almost the perfect 3rd line winger, gives 100%, excellent skater, plays both ends of the ice.  He may only score 13-15 goals/year but for a 3rd line winger that is absolutely fine. There would be a lot of takers if the Habs wanted to get rid of him. 

Agree. I think if Danault is permanently shifted to the third line, he’s a perfect linemate for him.  The problem is playing him with more skilled players, because he doesn’t have much finish.  Although every time I write him off as a potential scorer, he goes out and gets a goal.  I think there wouldn’t be an issue if the expectation is that he is a defensively responsible 12-15 goal scorer (unless he is a later bloomer any more goals should be considered a bonus). The problem is that from the moment he was drafted the hope was that he’s be a 20-25 goal scorer and him scoring 18 in his first year raised hopes and expectations.  A team needs players to chip in around 15 goals and be defensively responsible.  As long as he is used and gets paid accordingly, I’m good with that. 

Having said that, I’d have no problem moving him as a package for a top line winger or defenceman, but I’m not interested in just gettting rid of him, because he hasn’t matched or exceeded his rookie goals totals.

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1 hour ago, hab29RETIRED said:

Agree. I think if Danault is permanently shifted to the third line, he’s a perfect linemate for him.  The problem is playing him with more skilled players, because he doesn’t have much finish.  Although every time I write him off as a potential scorer, he goes out and gets a goal.  I think there wouldn’t be an issue if the expectation is that he is a defensively responsible 12-15 goal scorer (unless he is a later bloomer any more goals should be considered a bonus). The problem is that from the moment he was drafted the hope was that he’s be a 20-25 goal scorer and him scoring 18 in his first year raised hopes and expectations.  A team needs players to chip in around 15 goals and be defensively responsible.  As long as he is used and gets paid accordingly, I’m good with that. 

Having said that, I’d have no problem moving him as a package for a top line winger or defenceman, but I’m not interested in just gettting rid of him, because he hasn’t matched or exceeded his rookie goals totals.

 

I absolutely agree.  Its funny because we both basically think the same thing but we are saying it in the opposite way.  i.e. he's been around long enough to prove he is not a 1st or 2nd line guy so they shouldnt play him as such.  Thats true with Lehks and Danualt and its another pro reason for why I wanted to see Peohling.  Some have said KK plays better with better linemates, and there seems to be a serious hate on for Domi playing crappier with crappy linemates.  I sorta think the same could be said for Peohling being a player that plays better with better guys.  There is also the Domi issue.  Surprsingly, the Habs sorta have a log jam of C's.  Its safe to say that Suzuki and KK are here to stay, and probably Evans as 4th C, but who is the 3rd C? 

 

I definitely prefer Domi over Danault because he has way more potential.  Another pro reason for why I tend to like Domi and Peohling is that they can also play wing so if there are injuries or a playoff series where the Habs arent scoring they can potentially try more line variations.   Yet another pro reason I had for Peohling is related to Domi's contract is up and cap space and what to do.  If Peohling had played and done well it would clearer on what to do with Domi and/or Danault.  Due to Covid the Cap is not going to increase and they are saying that might be the case for 2-4 years.  Its funny some of the members that were saying Peohlings only a 3rd line guy but didnt believe it would be a good idea to find out.  The Habs could have figured out if they can save upwards of 8 mil/yr in Cap space. 

 

What the last few members have said about Lehks being a defensive and a coaches dream sounds exactly like me describing Byron.  I was surprised to see Byrons name in the trade thread because he the last guy I would trade.  Petry would be another.  The Habs are not currently strong enough in D to consider getting rid of their 2nd best dman.

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4 hours ago, Habs Fan in Edmonton said:

 

In my opinion Lekhonen is a keeper. He is almost the perfect 3rd line winger, gives 100%, excellent skater, plays both ends of the ice.  He may only score 13-15 goals/year but for a 3rd line winger that is absolutely fine. There would be a lot of takers if the Habs wanted to get rid of him. 

Agreed.

I have been trying to put him in some trade proposals and what we may get in return is much less than what we he brings to the team.

 

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3 hours ago, hab29RETIRED said:

Agree. I think if Danault is permanently shifted to the third line, he’s a perfect linemate for him.  The problem is playing him with more skilled players, because he doesn’t have much finish.  Although every time I write him off as a potential scorer, he goes out and gets a goal.  I think there wouldn’t be an issue if the expectation is that he is a defensively responsible 12-15 goal scorer (unless he is a later bloomer any more goals should be considered a bonus). The problem is that from the moment he was drafted the hope was that he’s be a 20-25 goal scorer and him scoring 18 in his first year raised hopes and expectations.  A team needs players to chip in around 15 goals and be defensively responsible.  As long as he is used and gets paid accordingly, I’m good with that. 

Having said that, I’d have no problem moving him as a package for a top line winger or defenceman, but I’m not interested in just gettting rid of him, because he hasn’t matched or exceeded his rookie goals totals.

 

Agreed, If the Habs could land a top winger, e.g. Hall on free agency, we could move Tatar down to play with Danault and Lehkonen and that would be an excellent third line.

 

Drouin-Suzuki-Gallagher
Hall-Kotkaniemi-Armia
Tatar-Danault-Lehkonen
Byron-Evans-Poehlling

 

One can only dream :)

 

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4 hours ago, alfredoh2009 said:

 

Agreed, If the Habs could land a top winger, e.g. Hall on free agency, we could move Tatar down to play with Danault and Lehkonen and that would be an excellent third line.

 

Drouin-Suzuki-Gallagher
Hall-Kotkaniemi-Armia
Tatar-Danault-Lehkonen
Byron-Evans-Poehlling

 

One can only dream :)

 

Why would you have Drouin on the top line? His done shit all since his been here.

If we can land hall which I think we won't heard talk he wants to play for his home town, the LW order should be 

Hall

Tatar 

Drouin 

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2 hours ago, Habsfan89 said:

Why would you have Drouin on the top line? His done shit all since his been here.

If we can land hall which I think we won't heard talk he wants to play for his home town, the LW order should be 

Hall

Tatar 

Drouin 


because Kotkaniemi seems to turn on when playing with the best wingers on the team. Also, Drouin and Suzuki both said that they were developing chemistry and it showed on the couple of game they played. Finally, if I am not mistaken. Hall is not the biggest and Kotkaniemi would make room for him

 

About Tatar: he just plays better with Danault

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Danault/Lehkonen could be the cornerstone of one of the league's finest defensive lines. Armia would fit right in. I like that idea lots.

 

As others have noted, the emergence of Suzy and (hopefully) KK as legit top-6 C shifts the team's focus. Our W are not good enough.

 

RW:

Gallagher. Legit top-line W, fantastic player any team would give its eyeteeth to have.

Armia- So-so second-liner, really better positioned as a grinding third-line behemoth with decent offensive upside

After that: garbage

 

LW:

Tatar: quality top-6 LW during regular season, playoff dud, has one year left - not part of the plan beyond that.

Drouin: serviceable soft skill #6 FW who can never be relied upon. A strong team would not consider him a core piece.

Lehknonen: excellent 3rd-line C

Bryon: injury-prone, old, two years removed from being anything like a top-6 piece, one-dimensional.

 

As for D, it actually looks decent IF Romanov can step in, or else if Kulak can play like he did in these playoffs. The real problem back is the ticking time-bomb. The two best guys back there - two of the most important guys on the team - are ancient mariners.

 

There may be some pretty-good W and D available on the UFA market. https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/nhls-top-20-ufas-2020-latest-rumours-reports/ If I were Bergevin, I would not rule out any of them, if they're interested. We suck at W, and at RD we have a serious need to get younger. LD: I am "meh" on Mete, see Chiarot as a second-pairing guy maybe - he could be painlessly bumped to the third-pair - and Kulak is iffy. We could add a quality puck-mover there without impeding the path for Romanov's progress.

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1 hour ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

Danault/Lehkonen could be the cornerstone of one of the league's finest defensive lines. Armia would fit right in. I like that idea lots.

AGREE ... but likely not beyond next season as someone would likely offer him more than HABs would/should pay for a 3C ... AND ... also, if that defensive line is shutting down the other team's top line 5-on-5 then they are likely the 5-on-5 TOI leaders ... effectively the Habs #1 by TOI ... few teams have a true "checking line" anymore ...

As others have noted, the emergence of Suzy and (hopefully) KK as legit top-6 C shifts the team's focus. Our W are not good enough.
AGREE
 

RW:

Gallagher. Legit top-line W, fantastic player any team would give its eyeteeth to have.
But his health has to be a concern, especially as he may/will be looking to sign an extension "Nov 1st".

Armia- So-so second-liner, really better positioned as a grinding third-line behemoth with decent offensive upside
100% agree

After that: garbage

Sadly ... hopefully pending CC
 

LW:

Tatar: quality top-6 LW during regular season, playoff dud, has one year left - not part of the plan beyond that.

Drouin: serviceable soft skill #6 FW who can never be relied upon. A strong team would not consider him a core piece.

Lehknonen: excellent 3rd-line C

Bryon: injury-prone, old, two years removed from being anything like a top-6 piece, one-dimensional.

So no true top line LW ... even if Domi slotted in there ... time for an upgrade trade where MB gives up moire pieces and gets a legit 1-LW

 

As for D, it actually looks decent IF Romanov can step in, or else if Kulak can play like he did in these playoffs. The real problem back is the ticking time-bomb. The two best guys back there - two of the most important guys on the team - are ancient mariners.
AGREE - Weber, and less so Petry, put MB on the clock, and not much time, if he is counting on them to anchor a Cup challenger

 

There may be some pretty-good W and D available on the UFA market. https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/nhls-top-20-ufas-2020-latest-rumours-reports/ If I were Bergevin, I would not rule out any of them, if they're interested. We suck at W, and at RD we have a serious need to get younger. LD: I am "meh" on Mete, see Chiarot as a second-pairing guy maybe - he could be painlessly bumped to the third-pair - and Kulak is iffy. We could add a quality puck-mover there without impeding the path for Romanov's progress.
Agree on Mete (but whatever his NHL future may be it is most likely on the left-side, where the Habs have the most prospects) ... they just didn't trust the kids for the tournament ... Habs need to find out this season what Fleury and Juulsen can bring ... are either a future 2RHD (let alone a 1RHD) ...

 

 

 

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4 minutes ago, GHT120 said:

 

 

don't forget Brook at RD, he is supposed to be a better RD than Fleury and a healthy Juulsen. I have not read enough about him, and I am not an expert in evaluating myslef based on video... but that is what analysts are saying:

Brook,

Juulsen,

Fleury

on RD

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30 minutes ago, alfredoh2009 said:

don't forget Brook at RD, he is supposed to be a better RD than Fleury and a healthy Juulsen. I have not read enough about him, and I am not an expert in evaluating myslef based on video... but that is what analysts are saying:

Brook,

Juulsen,

Fleury

on RD

From all I've heard/read Brook had a VERY disappointing rookie season in Laval and is behind Fleury and Juulsen until he proves otherwise ... hope he does.

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5 hours ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

There may be some pretty-good W and D available on the UFA market.

Top pairing LH UFA d-men this off season

Krug..is it.

https://www.capfriendly.com/browse/free-agents/2021/points/all/defense/ufa

 

Chiarot had more goals than all but 2 of them.

He and Krug had 9g each (but Chiarot played 0:16/gm and Krug played 3:53/gm  PP TOI).

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10 minutes ago, DON said:

Top pairing LH UFA d-men this off season

Krug..is it.

https://www.capfriendly.com/browse/free-agents/2021/points/all/defense/ufa

 

Chiarot had more goals than all but 2 of them.

He and Krug had 9g each (but Chiarot played 0:16/gm and Krug played 3:53/gm  PP TOI).

 

Actually, I'd meant to link this: https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/nhls-top-20-ufas-2020-latest-rumours-reports/

 

But you're not wrong.

 

Krug would be an excellent addition, but I doubt he's leaving Boston.

 

One thing about the Habs' unexpected playoff showing this year is that it may alter, ever so slightly, the narrative around the team, from "completely useless losers" to "team on the rise." And that may increase the interest level among UFAs, a little bit at least.

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4 hours ago, GHT120 said:

 

 

I think if there was ever a time to  sell its now with Gallagher.  He’s been one of my favorite players and is the type of heart and soul guy you need, but he’s probably going to be looking for a 7 to 8 year deal and with Price and Weber is be pretty scared to sign Gallagher given his style of play and size.

 

i think to cash strapped teams and those that gm had disappointing payoffs Gallagher paired with Mete  or other d prospect. Or potentially even Domi could being a huge return.

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I think the habs aren't picking up a Dman...Id bet they are going with 

the current top 4 plus a fight from within

 

Chairot Weber

Kulak Petry

 

Romanov Fleury

Mete Juulsen

Ouelett Brook

 

The moves will come upfront...

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6 minutes ago, hab29RETIRED said:

I think if there was ever a time to  sell its now with Gallagher.  He’s been one of my favorite players and is the type of heart and soul guy you need, but he’s probably going to be looking for a 7 to 8 year deal and with Price and Weber is be pretty scared to sign Gallagher given his style of play and size.

 

i think to cash strapped teams and those that gm had disappointing payoffs Gallagher paired with Mete  or other d prospect. Or potentially even Domi could being a huge return.

Paired with Domi would be huge IMO ... but lots of teams would love BG by himself ... perhaps try to start a bidding war between Edmonton and Calgary ... Oilers need wingers for their top 6 and Flames apparently looking to shake things up

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4 hours ago, GHT120 said:

From all I've heard/read Brook had a VERY disappointing rookie season in Laval and is behind Fleury and Juulsen until he proves otherwise ... hope he does.

 

He's behind them right now IMO. 

 

He's got the highest ceiling of the three, so another year for a 20 year old defenceman in the AHL is fine. 

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2 hours ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

Actually, I'd meant to link this: https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/nhls-top-20-ufas-2020-latest-rumours-reports/

 

But you're not wrong.

 

Krug would be an excellent addition, but I doubt he's leaving Boston.

 

One thing about the Habs' unexpected playoff showing this year is that it may alter, ever so slightly, the narrative around the team, from "completely useless losers" to "team on the rise." And that may increase the interest level among UFAs, a little bit at least.

 

Given the Habs playoff results and the fact that Romanov is now signed.... my target would be a forward, not a defenceman. 

 

And given that last year, the target was Aho.  I think Bergevin is going to be looking for a game breaker at forward. 

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2 hours ago, Commandant said:

Given the Habs playoff results and the fact that Romanov is now signed.... my target would be a forward, not a defenceman. 

 

And given that last year, the target was Aho.  I think Bergevin is going to be looking for a game breaker at forward. 

 

Are there any realistic RFA targets for top-six wingers, at cap-constrained teams? That could be either an offer sheet, or an aggressive trade proposal (with the implication of the possibility of an offer sheet) ahead of that.

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4 hours ago, Commandant said:

 

Given the Habs playoff results and the fact that Romanov is now signed.... my target would be a forward, not a defenceman. 

 

And given that last year, the target was Aho.  I think Bergevin is going to be looking for a game breaker at forward. 

And that would be the right play I think. We should try for a game breaker without losing roster players

 

MB might have to load up right now and make hard decisions after next season!

right now  we have Cap space and players are underpaid. If a Suzuki KK and hopefully Romanov can emerge as stars we have a window where we can load up and make a run over the next few seasons before having to lock up the kids for bigger $$

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11 hours ago, DON said:

Nope, not this year. All the best ones are from teams with some caproom.

https://www.capfriendly.com/browse/free-agents/2021/caphit/all/forwards/rfa

 

Kubalik (CHI), Barzal (NYI), Strome (CHI) or Dubois (CBJ)? All three teams are pretty close to the cap with players remaining to be signed.

 

Admittedly I don't know any of them in detail though.

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13 minutes ago, tomh009 said:

 

Kubalik (CHI), Barzal (NYI), Strome (CHI) or Dubois (CBJ)? All three teams are pretty close to the cap with players remaining to be signed.

 

Admittedly I don't know any of them in detail though.

NYI 18th highest cap

CBJ 21st highest cap

Never heard of Kubalik, but why in hell would Hawks trade a rookie with 30g? They are ready to rebuild and highly doubt they will be parting with him.

 

So, back to not much on the market this off-season.

 

Hall and maybe Krug seem like it, aside from the 6 or 7 teams really needing to off load salary.

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