Habs Fan in Edmonton

Agreed. I am always happy to see Pittsburgh lose as a high 2nd round pick is a good bargaining chip. Hughes has a lot of extra chips at his disposal.

I think going into Philly they wanted a more physical presence so I think that's why they called up Condotta over Roy.

Yes, Arber just needs to keep it simple, he has the tools, don't overthink. Hutson impresses more every game. Love his heart and work ethic, his skill, his brain. He is a keeper!!!

Giving up Hage and an unprotected 1st plus Matheson for a prospect that was drafted 12th overall. Holy over payment Batman!!

Good point, maybe it's just talk to get the guys going, the D played much better last night. I am very confident Hughes won't make a panic move.

Agree about the pinching. I am assuming Marty has given them the green light to pinch hoping they use good judgement but it definitely led to some odd man rushes. I thought an excellent all round game by Hutson, made some excellent defensive plays. Obviously he has earned Marty's trust given the heavy workload he has been given. And yes, Evans was excellent tonight.

He didn't earn it. Sometimes young guys have to learn that a spot on the team is not something you take for granted. Part of the maturing process.

Watched the end of the Leaf-Bruin game. Mathews ties it up in the last minute, the Leafs completely controlled the play in overtime and then Mathews with a brutal giveaway leads to the Bruin OT winner. Making blind passes in OT is usually not recommended.

Joshua Roy is playing like he wants to be with the big team.

Yes, that whole line is dreadful.

The Habs are well rested and are due for a bounce back game. The Blues are probably a little comfortable after smacking Toronto. It's a reversion to the mean game. It all points to a Habs victory. Book it.

For me the bottom line for Barron is that he has to play. He can't go to Laval so the Habs need to know if there is an NHL defensemen there. He certainly has offensive talent. It's up to Barron to take the ball (ie puck) and run (skate) with it.

And once in a while you do get a lucky strike. Hard to believe Florida got Gustav Forsling on waivers. Had by far the best plus/minus (+56) in the NHL last year. A prime example of not giving up on a D too early.

Except Arber has some talent. Rempe has none.

I think the last thing we need to do is spend significant assets on a LD just because Arber has had a poor start to the year. Do you send Struble back down as well? It's very costly to get a top 4LD or RD. Secondary scoring is a bigger problem right now.

So let's say you trade for a RD. What do you do with Barron when Guhle comes back? Or do you move Guhle back to LD? Or maybe one of the young D is part of a trade. They are not giving away half decent RD. I don't like the fact that Hughes might be trading from a position of desperation. Maybe he is just kicking tires.

Agreed, we look much weaker at RD with Guhle out. A healthy Guhle and I don't think we are having this conversation. It's hard to anticipate injuries. It's still early.

I have always really liked Evans, quietly efficient, good team guy, willing to take a huge hit to make a play. An excellent 4th line center. It all depends on what you have to pay him.

Yup, Guhle is a significant loss.

Agree 100%, too early to make any changes.

Not surprised this talk has started. Rumblings of coaching change in Montreal with Martin St. Louis possibly stepping down

Hughes is not operating from a position of strength so hopefully he doesn't panic. Kovacevic was never going to be anything more than a 3rd pairing defensemen, it's amazing how much better everything thinks he is now that he is gone. No time to panic.

Yes, very reasonable. He would have got at least that as a UFA. Good signing by Vegas.

Shea Theodore has resigned with Vegas. Golden Knights sign Shea Theodore to seven-year, $51.975M contract extension

I don't think anyone was suggesting that inserting Arber would solve all their problems, even myself who is probably his biggest fan on these boards wouldn't suggest that. No way one player can solve all their problems. I think Arber felt a lot of pressure to be the guy to stick up for the players and it's probably taken away from his regular game a bit.