Habs Fan in Edmonton

It's true that Reinbacher/Guhle might not provide a ton of offense although they are both very mobile and good at moving the puck. I expect Mailloux/Hutson to provide the offense on the back end although I am still not sold on Hutson's game translating to the NHL level, hope I am wrong. I am big fan of Dickinson but certainly prefer an elite forward from this draft.

This guy has 6 defensemen in the top 10. Hopefully we get the forward we need. Scout’s Analysis: Ranking the top 40 prospects for the 2024 NHL Draft (msn.com)

Another ranking, it seems after Celebrini there is no clear cut #2, a lot of good defensemen. 2024 NHL Draft: Baracchini's Top 96 March Rankings (thehockeywriters.com)

Not only that but how bad would the organization look to sign a guy in good faith and then trade him a few months later without giving him a legitimate shot in your organization. Hughes would not do that.

That could happen. If it did I might still take Lindstrom but #2 would be interesting. There seems to be an obvious #1 but in the mock drafts the #2 pick is all over the place.

That is certainly one way of doing it.

That's what I would do, give them an equal number of starts. Monty deserves to play but we also need to find out what Primeau can do.

I don't think anyone has Iginla ranked 6 or 7 but he has been one of the fastest risers in the draft and is one of the youngest players. I am not saying take him with our 1st pick but I would love to move up so we could take him with a 2nd 1st round pick. That is probably dreaming a bit.

I wouldn't trade the Habs 1st rounder in 2025, I would flip the other pick which could be high 20's or low teens depending on how Florida and Calgary do. If Calgary finishes bottom 10 next year (entirely possible) then the Habs will likely get Florida's pick which could be a very late 1st rounder.

I am not a big believer either BUT at least now he will get a legitimate chance to show what he can do. He has shown flashes of being good.

Here are my dream scenario's for the upcoming entry draft. Dream Scenario #1 Habs win the lottery and take Macklin Celebrini. Then they package Winnipeg's 1st pick plus their additional 1st rounder from next year (add more if required) so they can draft in the 10-13 range and take Tij Iginla if he is still available. Dream Scenario #2 Habs draft 5 or 6 and luck out because of all the good defensemen available so Cayden Lindstrom falls to them. Then they package Winnipeg's 1st pick plus their additional 1st rounder from next year (add more if required) so they can draft in the 10-13 range and take Tij Iginla if he is still available. It's nice to dream. NHL Mock Draft 2024: Macklin Celebrini goes to Blackhawks, Cole Eiserman to Senators in first projection (msn.com)

Agreed, the Suzuki line is really looking like a legitimate 1st line and has been for a while. The Habs have played all the good teams tough (ie. Florida, Tampa, Carolina, Toronto) which is a good sign, I think we all agree that Dach is such a key. If I have one wish for next year it's that Dach can stay healthy so we can at least find out what we have. A 2nd wish for next year would be for Florida to tank but that is likely wishful thinking as they have a very strong team.

The more I see of Iginla the more I like him.

Exactly, at the time Price was headed to LTIR and Monty was coming off a pretty mediocre first year with the Habs. Hughes doesn't have a crystal ball, so a 2 year contract wasn't a bad thing. It's these 5 and 6 year contracts that can really come back to bite you (ie Gallagher) if you make a mistake.

When Allen was signed to an extension there was a lot of uncertainty in the Habs goaltending situation and the extension was looked upon favourably by most. I think Hughes did the best he could as far as a return goes. The space used up by the cap retention is not needed badly next year and was the only way to get any sort of return.

True, he is 36, they will let him walk and sign Hannifin with the savings (plus more), not a bad exchange.

Certainly Stephenson is expendable with Hertl on board, Mantha likely just a rental.

Machessault is a UFA as well as Hannifin, Mantha and Stephenson. Somebody not going to get resigned.

It's amazing how these players on LTIR get healthy again just in time for playoffs.

Seems like Vegas is not too worried about next year LOL Have to sign Hannifin, Hertl at 8.1M. They are going for it this year.

I agree, Vegas seems to have a bigger salary cap than other teams?? I know Stone is on LTIR

It does make sense it would be for next season only, the key is Allen staying healthy and of course playing well.

And let's hope Allen stays healthy, plays well for the Devils and is able to play 40 games so that pick in 2025 is a 2nd. Having 3 x 2nds in 2025 is good draft capital.

They had almost zero chance to move him without retention or taking back a bad contract. I think Hughes did the best he could and it was a good decision.

This is absolutely fine, clears up the goaltending spot, a decent return. Using up the last retention spot means they are likely done with any big trades, Savard is almost certainly not going anywhere. I wish Jake Allen the best, a class act.