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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…

"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."

Years ago, on this very site, I crunched a bunch of numbers on Koivu and discovered that he produced like a PPG player, except that he would have long slumps of, like 10-15 games per season where he would basically produce nothing. 🤷‍♂️ Hence the endless argument over whether he was a #1A or a #2C. The other thing about him was that (with all due respect to Commandant) he was a playoff beast. I mean, he put Joe Thornton in his back pocket even while playing through a cracked rib. The tragedy of Koivu, as I’ve lamented many times, is that he was never the same after his knee was destroyed. I am sure he could have been a top-10 player if not for that. He was that dominant before the knee injury.

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.

A team filled with NHL prospects is not the way to succeed in the AHL, though, that's a different type of team construction.

College free agency has started up. I've done a series of pieces for PHR with an overview of some of the better options by position. Some goalies/defence have signed since posting while the forwards were just posted this weekend so they're all still available for now. Gorton mentioned recently that they were doing some planning for college free agency so it appears they'll be trying to sign some players, likely some of the ones in these columns. Goalies: https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2024/03/2024-college-free-agency-preview-goaltenders.html Defence: https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2024/03/2024-college-free-agency-preview-defensemen.html Centres: https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2024/03/2024-college-free-agency-preview-centers.html Wingers: https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2024/03/2024-college-free-agency-preview-wingers.html

Different time, when a grad student working part-time could afford a standing-room ticket. I would have driven a bus through the doors to see that game, though. Nothing was going to stop me. As cherished as that memory is - I can still see Roy looking right at us and raising the Cup, roaring in triumph - I was also there for Game 2 of that series. The McSorely stick/Desjardins game. No single moment has ever been more ecstatic for me as a hockey fan than to be in the building when Desjardins blasted it past Hrudey to tie it up with a minute left. It was INSANE.

3-ish and 5-ish ... that's maybe 80% probability that the drafted player will play at least 100 games. Or 65% that both of them will play 100 games. Probability of two impact players is considerably lower. Mailloux-plus for 80% probability of 100+ NHL games? I would generally always take the prospect that has played at least a year since the draft, as the ceiling and floor are much more clear than for an 18yo.

I want Roy to win as well. The “incident” did break my heart and I was angry at all sides, including Roy. I let that go when his number was raised. I will never forget 1986 - Roy was beyond incredible and 1993 wasn’t far off. I’m a fan for life

This is indeed an interesting offer. Ducks get their RD and top 6 forward Habs get a replacement for CC and a top player from this draft. Actually seems fair

I dont end the rebuild with a 35 year old in stamkos or Kane. That doesnt make a lot of sense. I think you need someone who will be at least close to the age of your core and grow with them. Ending the rebuild isnt signing a 35 year old to a one year deal to try and win now and see them retire in a year or two. The goal.of the rebuild is to build a team that will be competitive for a longer window than they have left.

Price is on LTIR so trading him would not actually provide additional cap space, just flexibility in cap management.

Anaheim is stocked on LD. Im also not sure Mtl is done at C. Consider that Newhook is probably better on the wing and while we all hope Dach will come back and take the next step hes missed like 2.5 seasons out of his last 4. It wouldnt be wise to put all the eggs in that basket. Zegras also can play wing. Im not crazy about giving a lot for him and Ive said why, but I dont think we are so stocked at C to look away from that.

I'm hoping for a Bruins sweep, with all 4 games being lopsided . I want maximum pain and suffering for the Leafs and their fans, creating absolute chaos for the Leafs organization over the offseason.

I was disappointed that Freidman went full "cruise control" just to get a mention of the Habs in the column ... ClickBait30 could have done as well.

Islanders are playing a great game down 2-1 mid third. I kind of want Roy to win

Syracuse is leading Utica 4-3 at the end of 2. Utica could be eliminated today

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.

That's good since Molson made it clear the other day he will not grant Gorton permission to talk to other teams.

It's true nobody saw Dach or Newhook coming. Is there a similar trade out there this year? Maybe, maybe not. I know Carolina has some tough decisions to make this summer with all their UFA's/FA's. If not then concentrate on the draft and try like heck to get an elite forward that way. I think if there is one thing everyone on this board would agree with is the need for another elite forward or two. We need more scoring. It's exciting we finally have a true number one line that is young and going to get even better. We all talked a lot about Slaf's improvement but I also thought Caulfield looked terrific the last couple weeks of the year. Maybe next year is his breakout year. And please, a healthy Dach.

Players hiding injuries is something no training/medical staff can prevent and it means they can't protect the players.

For me, I have a copy of the CBA and the MOU extension on my computer. I rarely go more than a couple of weeks without needing to consult it for something whether it's for something here or on PHR so some of the obscure stuff sticks after a while. And as most here know, I'm a bit of a cap guy so I have some odd facts on that front in my head.

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.

I don't expect 2 games by Lane will have any impact on Cole's draft positioning ... I also don't expect Lane to get anything more than a "dipping a toe in the shallow end" in terms of TOI these two games.

I’m looking forward to seeing if his game translates to the NHL. Not expecting to have that question answered over two games but it’s a start

Yeah, I think it's more this than anything. This is a team that was 'built' to contend for first overall in the lottery standings and even sold at the trade deadline when they were in a playoff spot. A letdown was bound to happen.

If we're going to blow the draft pick, might as well blow it in a big way!

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

They wouldn't need to burn a year on Xhekaj by signing him for this season. They'd just sign him to a future contract that begins in 24-25, then give him an ATO for Laval for the stretch run. I see no reason why he wouldn't be in Laval over the next few days unless he's been playing through an injury that needs to be addressed.

in some ways, how Primeau bounces back from tonight's performance may be more instructive as to his future than were simply the recent run of good games.

Regarding the Flames pick it has become simpler to figure out as the Flames pick won't be 20-32 this year and the Panthers 2024 1st rounder will transfer to Philly this year. Basically for next year it comes down to the following: 1) if the Calgary and Florida picks are both outside the top 10 then we get the better of the picks 2) if Calgary's pick is inside the top 10 but Florida's is not then we get the Florida pick Ideally they both tank next year.

I think its more likely that pick is used in a dach/newhook style trade. Probably for a winger to play with Dach/Newhook

Christian Dvorak on ice at #Habs practice this morning wearing full-contact sweater #Habs I thought he was done for the season but perhaps we see him soon.

Goaltending stats for both the team and individual goalies. Habs are solid here.

Annual game with my 6yo. I want a win... but I don't want the points in the standings