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Seems like will be a smart player. David Reinbacher’s time in Laval will benefit his transition to Montreal in many ways - The Athletic "Rocket coach Jean-François Houle provided a lucid, straightforward assessment of what he saw from Reinbacher over 11 games. “I like his gap control a lot. I think his stick is really good,” Houle said. “He needs to get stronger. I think he can provide even more offence and I think he was maybe cautiously playing back a little bit, which is normal.” "As he adds muscle — something Kaiden Guhle also said he hopes to do this offseason despite having two years of NHL experience under his belt — Reinbacher’s aggressive nature in battle situations will become that much more effective."

Great to see Reinbacher get a dozen games in Laval under his belt, on smaller ice and intro to NA pro game. Laval Rocket eliminated from playoff contention with loss (habseyesontheprize.com) Luke Tuch stood out for me quite a bit among the forward group. He plays somewhat of a thankless game that probably won’t show up on the scoresheet a lot, but he back checks like his life depends on it, and is very capable in the dirty areas. If he keeps bringing that level of effort at both ends of the ice, he’ll eventually find himself getting a chance in the NHL. David Reinbacher is just so quietly effective. Outside of his assist, what really stood out for me was his puck distribution in his own zone. He seems to have an innate sense for where his teammates will be, and his first pass on the breakout is almost always right. He’s on the right track, and it will be interesting to see how he develops next season.

We need your A game tonight buddy. Habs can’t afford a win…

He did? He brought in Chiarot, Edmundson, and Savard on NHL deals and signed Xhekaj to his ELC. If anything, I think he was a little too enamoured with the big, physical defencemen you're describing; he certainly didn't move away from them.

I don’t see how you “protect” a player from what are basically clean hits. Especially in the playoffs, when an instigator penalty is very damaging. I agree with Alfredoh that Hutson, like Hughes, will have to protect himself. And Habs29 makes the point that Hughes has never been targeted like this. Next time around, he’ll probably be more ready for it. Remember in 2014 when the Bruins’s game plan involved hitting the crap out of Subban? I think it was Game 5…the announcer declared early in the game, after watching PK dodge a few attempts, that PK was simply too quick for them to hit. That was the moment when I really began to believe that the Habs would win that series (which we did). It’s not ALL on the D-man, though. One of the talking points in Van is that you ease the pressure on Hughes by having a more effective forecheck, which prevents Nashville from winding up and driving into the zone with the crushing speed that leads their captain to get splattered. The Canucks implemented this to better effect last game. So, a combo of smart, prepared player learning to adapt, and smart team play, can help a Hutson to survive. I still think an under-played theme in all this is that Hronek, who wants a huge payday this summer, has not stepped up to take some of the burden off Hughes. If other teams target Hutson and, say, Mailloux is able to raise his game short-term, that would also help mitigate the danger.

He had just as many chances when he played for the Habs. Difference is that he is actually scoring off of those chances now. I think the entire board liked Lehkonen very much and were really happy when he won that cup.

"My son weighs about 25 pounds and I struggled to hold him in my arms for more than a minute without discomfort," he said Tuesday morning during a lengthy interview with La Presse. Despite a "daily routine" that allows him to cope with pain, sitting or standing for a long time is now painful. Air travel, therefore, is "difficult". "I got to a point where I couldn't go on," he says. "I spoke with the medical staff of what my life after hockey could look like if I didn't stop. There was a lot of doubt about how it would affect me in the long run. When we started talking about it, it became real. Life is long after the end of a career."

The world is as it should be tonight.

The early signing sets it up that the Habs could issue him a qualifying offer to retain his rights, just in case something clicks over there and he becomes a bigger threat. Doesn't mean they will but it makes it easier to do so.

Its just jokes. No one actually thinks its a romantic thing.

Indeedy. "TORONTO — Eight years and nine playoff series into their shared tenure as saviors of the Maple Leafs, three of the best individual performers in franchise history were reduced to sniping at one another on the bench after bumbling through an ineffective shift together. William Nylander appeared to direct pointed criticism at Mitch Marner. Auston Matthews looked to have some words for his teammate(s), too. Marner turned and tossed each of his gloves to the ground in frustration...." Johnston: This is the end of the Maple Leafs as we know them - The Athletic

The misery in Leafs Nation is warming my soul.

I won't say too much until the Bruins win one more game. Then I will just smile a bit on the inside and have a nice restful sleep.

LMAO at the HNIC crew looking dejected as if all their dogs just died. Poor leaf’s are losing you homers 👌

If Kotkaniemi teached us something, it's not to take too much from the results at this U18 tournament. Guessing the scouts go there to evaluate some specific skills and character aspect of players' game more than how they actually perform.

$8.5m for 7 years for a guy who doesn’t show up in more games than he does? No thanks. If he wasn’t French there wouldn’t Ben be a discussion about trading for him.

If I was convinced Mailloux would be an all star then perhaps I would not make this trade. I am not as convinced as you are. If you make this trade a) you are almost guaranteed to end up with a stud forward at #3 (Demidov or Lindstrom) b) you have more choices at #5, a stud defensemen or maybe Iginla, Helenius c) plus you have Zegras who might be really motivated to prove himself with a new team It hurts to give up CC but overall this might be a better team. Trades like this are fun to talk about. In any event I do see possibilities of an Anaheim/Montreal trade as they do have pieces that compliment each other.

I'm not rooting for Roy. While he was a superb player for the Habs, ultimately he put himself ahead of the team and left. It wasn't all him, but the decision was his. Had he stayed, we might have won another Cup. I understand the situation, so I'm not holding a grudge, but neither am I going to root for him.

It may have taken me 18 attempts but I am glad I was able to finally pull it off. It didn’t look promising after the second to last game because the Habs needed only 1 point but Detroit’s miraculous comeback with 3 seconds left, followed by the the Habs’ overtime/shootout loss in the final game sealed the deal. Thank you @alfredoh2009 for the congrats and @Peter Puck for hosting, as always. GHG

Go Bruins, Sweep it up.

I heartily endorse the general sentiment. The Bruins are an authentic rival, and a truly great (and duly hated) opponent over the years; the Leafs are a creation of the TO hype machine. No amount of suffering is too much for them. And I know that if they win, we will NEVER hear the end of it - celebrated over and over on HNIC and the national media as the Greatest Day in Hockey History, universally beloved, blablablablah. Over and over, year after year, until we die. No thanks. The two worst things that could possibly happen to me as a hockey fan are these: 1. The Habs fold and leave town. 2. The Leafs win the Cup. I'm pulling for the Bruins 100% in this series. I'll cheer against them thereafter.

No it's not. It's an easy decision. I find it easy to cheer for the Bruins in this series.

Keep in mind any comparison is a stylistic comparison, not a talent one.... so just cause someone is compared to Aho doesn't mean that the point totals is what we are comparing. He's a centre IMO. Yes, I see him in the NHL in 25-26, but I wouldn't say regardless of who takes him. Every team has different philosophies on what they do for development, but I'd think barring injury and lost development time in 2024-25, he'd be in the NHL by then. Some teams might even put him in the NHL 2024-25. What are people missing? I think he has almost no weaknesses. He does everything you need a player to do at an above average level, while still being elite in a few areas

Arizona should celebrate with winning their last two games 🎉

WHY in the world would the Habs want to "ice their best lineup"? Wins only have the potential to worsen their draft position. Hutson is getting at least one game because that burns a year of his ELC ... THAT and getting some $$$ in his pocket immediately is why he signed now ... there was always the "possibility" of his waiting and ultimately deciding to play another NCAA season. Struble is with the Habs because they only have 7 healthy defencemen and one of them could be injured/get sick before the game roster is submitted. @dlbalr made it clear that Baby Xhekaj is playing because Stephens can't, not to "give him a game". So, not the management screw-up you seem to so often hope for.

Boy, look at Morgan Reilly's numbers. I always liked his game - my kind of defenceman. For a guy in TO, where they pump the tires of every bum who cycles through the lineup, he seems almost underrated. And that's the only nice thing I'm gonna say for the next 12 hours. F**k off, Leafs. I hope Boston or whoever takes a leaf-blower to you and sweeps you in 4.

I honestly hope beck works out for your sake. Or every time a person gets excited about a not "guaranteed" prospect people will mention you and beck lol (My friends still mention tinordi to me....)

Right now the Winnipeg pick is 27th. To move up we need the following to happen: 1) Edmonton to beat Vancouver (I think a good possibility) 2) Colorado to beat Dallas (I think that's about 50/50, two pretty equal teams). If Colorado plays Vegas then it doesn't matter who wins 3) The winner of Boston-Toronto to beat Florida (very unlikely in my opinion). Worst case scenario is 27, best case is 24, most likely 25 or 26.

He has already bathed in that cup and I blame Vancouver for letting that injustice happen. We can’t have that majestic trophy be further soiled by leaf stink.

At first glance without giving it much thought: Xhekaj: 2 x $1.4 (the Harris deal) Barron: 1 x $900K one-way Guhle: If extended, 8 x $6.5 Slafkovsky: Don't think he'll extend, think Habs will offer 8 x $7.5-$7.75. That's on the low end for #1 picks so his agent may suggest waiting. Ylonen: Takes a year at the minimum or is non-tendered. Could also go overseas and Habs then retain his rights with a QO.

Sure I mean we are talking about bottom pairing Dmen here. I just think both fans and some media don’t appreciate how good these guys actually are - for bottom pairing guys

I also like Hughes' drafting logic: not drafting the best player today, but the one that will be the best in five years' time. So far, this looks to be working out with Slafkovsky.

7:42 to play in the third. Laval leading by one. They are managing the clock well

Kovacevic is terribly underrated the same way Kulak was.

How wonderful would it be if Anderson returns to a 25 goal pace and plays with speed and power!?! If he doesn’t get his game back then I want Marty to stop coddling him and treat him like any other unproductive player.

As much as it pains me to see another year of rebuilding hockey, it's been way overdue in Montreal. It's been about 20 years of just ok teams, that may or may not make the playoffs, but had no real shot at a cup. The shots they did have, nobody really saw coming. For the sake of 10-15 years of high quality hockey as the prospect, I'm happy they're staying committed to the full rebuild.

Nice to see Gallagher score, maybe he will get a hatty tonight. Just awesome! Why draft 5th when you have a chance at 7th? Don't mind me, just rambling, I don't expect the players to quit. Actually 14 goals is not a terrible year for Gallagher, still obviously vastly overpaid but he is out there working.

Yes. But PK will be needed in in 2025-26 as well. Possibly after that, too. 🙂 My point really is that players like Evans and Armia do have value beyond their point production. And that we'll need some capable PK players as well. We'll see what Hughes decides to do in this regard.

The emergence of 1. Slaf (by a bullet) 2. Suzuki as a legitimate #1C 3. Newhook as a speedy, dangerous 2nd line type 4. Primeau are really the good news stories of this season. They're kind of 2024's equivalent to last season's realization that we had legit young players on D. And 5. the second-half surge by Caufield offers some reassurance that maybe his shoulder surgery really did deflate his production, such that he is closer to a 40-goal guy than a 30-goal guy. (Not that there's anything wrong with being a 30-goal guy, but safe to say most of us harboured hopes that he might be an elite goal scorer. That hope remains credible, and next season will tell the tale). You know me, though - I'm a fretful sort. One thing that worries me a bit about all this is that much of the good news has occurred during "garbage time," with the Habs safely out of the playoffs and all pressure off. The Galchenyuk precedent reminds us to be cautious about reading too much into second-half surges by young players on terrible teams. I think, though, that our hopes in these five factors are well-founded.

Breaking the rules here but no GDT so here it is. Seriously, we need to lose this one

Andersson and Heineman score in the 3rd as Laval takes it 5-1. https://theahl.com/stats/game-summary/1026269 Laval is now two points behind Belleville. The Sens have a game in hand still but Laval has the tiebreaker.

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.

End of season is finally coming. Sorry boys but it best if we lose. Wouldn’t mind if Suzuki or Caufield or Slafkovsky fills the net though.

Actually, I believe Torts has been most successful with young teams. Rebuilding Rags, rebuilding Columbus, Tampa when they were developing into champs. He completely flopped with a veteran team in Vancouver. And he had great success in Philly UNTIL, as others noted, he crapped on and humiliated the veteran captain. Veterans probably tire quickly of his ego and his abuse. Young players, hungry and eager, are probably more willing to follow him, especially when his demanding style has them suddenly winning games after years of failure. He's a jackass in my book, anyhow, so I'm not shedding tears over his problems.

And that's okay from a seventh-round pick. If he's a reserve forward who comes in when injuries arise and can kill penalties and play on the fourth line, there's nothing really wrong with that outcome. That said, his price point can't go much higher than it is now if he wants to stick around. Fortunately, management saw this as a possibility and slightly front-loaded his contract so he'll only be owed a $1M qualifying offer next summer.

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.

At the moment Anderson has a higher ceiling but his floor is also much lower than Gallagher's.

For those that were questioning Florian's pick in the draft, he is good enough to take Jakov Novak's spot in the lineup (3RV Lions best scorer)... not too shabby