Habs Fan in Edmonton

I think the only debate would be who is runner up. I think it has to be Hutson.

I'll be the 1st to say that this doesn't guarantee anything but the Habs have an easier schedule left than the teams they are battling with for the last playoff spot. Non playoff teams can be loose and difficult to play against. NHL Remaining Schedule Strength | Tankathon

Massive win!!!

Hutson is rookie of the year, how can you pick anyone over him?? Nick is so good. The future is bright.

Agreed, we need quality not quantity right now. Hughes has 2 x 1st round picks (likely both in the 14-18 range) and 2 second round picks (the Pittsburgh one will likely be pretty early). I expect Hughes to do some bundling to either move up in the draft or get a young prospect who is not far away.

Hughes gave this team a chance by not being a seller at the deadline. I believe that 2-3 weeks before the deadline he was expecting to be a seller however the team went on a run and changed that. He put the ball in their court but they are not running with it right now. It was not wishful, magical thinking. I am glad they didn't overpay at the deadline to get someone to maybe help them squeak into the playoffs. Hughes is sticking to the plan. He might have something up his sleeve in the summer to accelerate things.

A good start to the day, Tampa up on the Islanders 2-0

It's amazing how 1 bad week changes a lot of people's perspective on the team. They are a young team on the rise but they still have some holes. I am glad Hughes didn't go crazy giving up picks to improve the team at the deadline. Young teams will have more ups and downs. If they can split the two Florida games coming up then they are in good shape as the 4 games after that are all winnable. I try and keep things in perspective, they have made progress this year which is all you can ask for. I think the future is bright. Demidov should help with secondary scoring.

You can certainly pick out flaws in the Habs game tonight but they lost to a stronger, deeper team who was the the top of their game. It doesn't get any easier on Sunday.

Yes, 15 shots won't win many hockey games. Columbus now tied with us.

Not a good time for a 3 game losing streak, didn't generate enough offense. It's a dogfight now. Go Ducks!!

I actually think Lane's stiffest competition for the Calder should be Dustin Wolf. He has been phenomenal this year.

For me it's a no brainer, Hutson should win. Much tougher to be a rookie defenseman on a team competing for a playoff spot than being a rookie forward on a team at the bottom of the standings..

And it shouldn't, it's not like he's coming here at age 25 after playing years as a pro in another league. He came straight from college, shouldn't be a factor at all.

Montreal has the easiest schedule but as we saw last night, playing a weaker team doesn't always work out. Forget about Detroit, they have a brutal schedule to finish.

A tough loss for the Flames and the Blues are on fire. Looking more and more like the Flames pick will be in the 15-16 range which is likely better than we expected before the season started. It would also be very good trading capital should Hughes choose to go in that direction.

Hutson has played under the microscope, 20+ minutes per game in the toughest position and has excelled. No doubt in my biased mind he deserves the calder. Whether he wins it or not is another question.

I recall reading something similar, not sure where. Tortorella had nothing but great things to say about MSL when he was hired so I assume they have a good relationship. Somehow I don't see Tortorella as an assistant but I could be wrong about that.

He did win a cup. Tortorella is likely a good coach in the right situation, perhaps a rebuilding team is not the right situation. He is a coach that ex players love or hate. I have also heard players that have played for him say that he is a great human being and one of the few coaches that actually cared about them as people. But you are right, bad timing, Flyers likely get the new coach bounce tonight.

That's a big win for Vancouver and obviously nice to see the Islanders lose.

Nothing went right tonight, easier to bounce back from a game like this than a heartbreaker. It looks like Monty needs a little break, goalies get mentally tired. Onward and go Kings!!

I would agree, don't think we will get a Suzuki or Caulfield type deal. The cap is going up and obviously the players and agents are well aware. That's the only reason Chychrun got Makar type money.

Detroit has a brutal schedule, Habs have a great chance.

The Blues are due for a loss. Habs win tonight 5-3.

Awesome!! A chip off the old block. Arber must be proud! LOL Seriously he seems to be developing really well and potentially a very good 4th liner in the NHL.