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My preference for forward is not to fill immediate holes. My preference for forward is because historically there are much more Elite (ie norris trophy level) defencemen taken outside the top first round, than there are elite forwards (Art Ross level) taken outside the top 10. If you have a chance to go high and the defence/forwards are near equivalent, I always want the forward as getting elite forwards is harder IMO. Last 30 years Norris winners taken outside top 10: Karlsson, Subban, Keith, Chara, Lidstrom, Blake, Chelios, MacInnis, Art Ross winners taken outside top 10: Benn, St. Louis. Defencemen develop later, and you are more likely to be able to get a gem later in the draft.

He was molasses slow against the Sharks. If his skating is degenerating this badly, signing him to any contract of more than three years is a recipe for disaster. But if he wanted to come play (he's a good friend of Gallagher's, they train together every summer and have since they were juniors, I've heard that Lucic pushed Bruins scouts to watch Gallagher and that's what got him on the Habs radar) and we had someone to work with him over the summer to improve his skating speed, I'd definitely bring him aboard. Having Lucic to clear space for Gallagher and Galchenyuk while Pacioretty, Plekanec and another winger man the second line? That's ideal. I doubt we're on his radar so I'd probably go with Ladd instead for that role.

This is terrible. I'm having visions of our core proving insufficient and then the Leafs and Sabres being juggernauts in 3-4 years time. I really wish Matthews wasn't going to Toronto, he looks good. Now I can only hope his career is derailed by injuries or drug use or he dies in a plane crash or spontaneously combusts.