Habs Fan in Edmonton

Hard to say, might be close to being enough. However it would be the opposite kind of trade to what Hughes has been doing. He has been giving up cap room to get more picks, this would be the exact opposite. I guess it all depends on how things net out after all is said and done.

We might not have as much cap space as you think in a couple years as many of the young defensemen will be coming off entry level contracts and might be getting significant raises if they perform well.

He is a decent 2 way forward when healthy, I think a 2nd/3rd is more realistic at the deadline and that is assuming he is healthy and playing well. It's always hard to predict what the demand and needs are going to be like at the deadline, depends on injuries, how many teams in contention etc etc. I just hope that guys like Pearson, Monahan stay healthy not only for their own sake but obviously so the Habs can also maximize their return.

I think Pearson would need to have a heck of a turnaround to get a 1st but stranger things have happened.

Hughes has certainly accumulated a lot of picks for 2025. I like this trade especially if Pearson can turn it around. It does feel a bit like the Monahan trade.

Excellent post, totally agree. There is a huge difference between a 3rd line shut down center who can win key faceoffs (hopefully Beck) and a 4th line energy guy. I also hope that Beck can be Evans +++ and I think the potential is there to be that.

You would think he had learned something over the years. Probably more to this story than what we see. Who will hire him now? Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice........

I almost think after reading the comments here that expectations are a little too high for Mailloux. He has had 1 season of junior hockey, he needs playing time in the AHL, lots of it. It's probably not a work ethic problem it's more likely a lack of confidence, not sure where he should be so perhaps it looks like he is standing around. Defensemen take longer. I didn't see the game so just guessing here.

Yup. You can get frustrated, ticked off with management, ticked off with the players, etc etc but you always maintain some level of hope and faith that your team will turn it around and come back to the glory days we dream about. Again, FAN is short for fanatic so there is nothing logical about your commitment to your team (ie Habs), it's just there and it doesn't go away.

You are certainly allowed to share, it's a free country but inferring the Habs are aimless is a bit out there especially when training camp hasn't even started yet. They are clearly rebuilding with a goal of winning the cup. I for one am pretty excited about what Hughes has been doing and I think the future looks bright. Perhaps a little more pain this year but I can handle that as I am pretty confident we are headed in the right direction. Cheers

The Habs are in a rebuild. Sometimes I think you should take a deep breath and pause before you click on Submit Reply. You are either a Habs fan or you are not. There is no middle ground here. Perhaps you were just looking for a reaction. If that is the case then you were successful.

Skipping Habs games and adding more Sens?? WTF. Going through a little pain and frustration is part of the process of being a FAN.

I don't disagree, maybe their thinking is that a skilled guy like Slaf would benefit more by spending time with Marty than anybody he would have in the AHL. I think Marty is a great development guy for skilled players, he certainly helped Caufield. When you lead the league in man/games lost due to injuries two years in a row than something has to change. Not sure what.

Good post, I agree. There is no magic formula or one size fits all when it comes to player development. I tend to be in the camp that time in the AHL is a good thing but maybe that doesn't work for everyone. Hopefully they get it right with Slaf as you don't get the #1 pick often so you can't mess it up.

I am trying to keep an open mind on Slafkovsky. He is coming to camp a year older, a year wiser and has a much better idea what to expect. He might really surprise us.

There is no doubt about that. Pittsburgh has a 1-2 year window and then it should be a dry spell for a while unless Dubas is a magician which I don't think he is. Dubas had a decision to make, go hard or rebuild. There was no in between. He decided to go hard. I think Pittsburgh's core is too old for 4 grueling rounds of playoffs but we will see. They might have 1 year of magic left. I was a little surprised by Matheson's production last year. It was his best point total ever despite playing only 48 games on a weaker team. Maybe he has found his game. If he has then that trade is an absolute steal.

He may not put up the offensive numbers Pleks did (although that would be awesome if he did), I see him more as a tremendously effective, shut down 3rd line center getting maybe 35-40 points a year although his offensive ceiling could be higher.

No you haven't. So maybe tell us again. LOL I also really like Beck. There is so much to like about him, excellent skater, great compete level, great at faceoffs, smart, plays a 200 foot game. When you add it all up I just don't see how he doesn't become a regular on the Habs at some point. The only thing we don't know is how high his offensive ceiling is.

Sure, if you had a great amount of skill on your team already than maybe the big power forward/policeman is attractive but you are not going to win a cup without a lot of skilled guys.

I think we would all agree with that.

Yes, agreed. I think the hope (for me anyway) is that Florian develops into a 6'4" 220lb beast of a winger who is skilled enough to be effective on the 3rd or 4th lines. I think that may be the maximum upside.

I don't think the comparison to Dach was meant as a skills comparison as Florian hasn't demonstrated anything close to what Dach has shown. Or maybe Habs fans just like to dream. Fan is short for fanatic so we are allowed to get carried away sometimes.

I found that very interesting, they seemed to think that if they didn't take him at 101 that he wouldn't be there at 110. I am guessing they knew more about him than most because of his brother. Time will tell.

I am no scout either but I agree with your comments. If Florian doesn't make it, it won't be because of a lack of grit, determination or compete level. It will be because his skills didn't progress enough. The NHL is not an easy league to make. It will be fun (hopefully) to follow his progress.

We are ALL hoping that Dach has a great season. It will make his contract look even better. I don't get Chicago giving up on him so soon as he was certainly young enough to be part of their rebuild.