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I don’t believe the Habs are intentionally icing the worst team they can in order to maximize their lottery odds. If that’s tanking, we’re not doing it. Just look at the forward unit, which is actually quite strong, overall. Why keep that unit intact if the goal is to lose as hard as possible? Chicago, by contrast, has shipped out young players who played a major role (Dach and DeBrincat) for no discernable reason other than to suck as hard as they can in order to get Bedard. Now that’s true tanking. People confuse tanking with rebuilding. Rebuilding involves setting a timeline for a team to become competitive, and tries to maximize the likelihood of successfully realizing that target. Yes, this often means moving out veterans in favour of picks and prospects. But since you need some veterans around to mentor and role-model for the kids, and since (as I keep saying) you want to create an environment in which the kids can succeed and grow, that’s not interchangeable with fire-bombing your roster in a determined effort to grab the #1 pick. The Habs will likely suck, not through a deliberate intent to suck, but as a consequence of their best players aging out and middle-aged players having been traded for prospects. Winning lots of games is not the goal; it’s a development year. But to say that losing is the goal? That’s a bridge too far IMHO.

Obviously I'm not guaranteeing he will make it. I'm just saying the type of player he looks like. The #62 is appropriate as he looks a lot like a Centre version of Arturri Lehkonen.