Habs Fan in Edmonton

Actually that statement is not entirely correct. If, Calgary get's Florida 2025 1st round pick and Florida has a great season in 2024/25 then it would be better if Calgary drafted 11th overall (in which case we would get their pick) than in the bottom 10 (then Calgary would keep it and we get Florida's pick)

You did a good job explaining it and put in a lot of effort. Bottom line for me: (1) If Calgary doesn't get Florida's 1st in 2025 then let's hope Calgary sucks in 2024/25 (2) If Calgary get's Florida's 1st in 2025 then let's hope both Calgary and Florida suck in 2024/25 (as Neech said) I guess we want Calgary to suck no matter what.

Looks like Maxi Domi has gone to the dark side.

I think Matheson is a really important piece right now. Things might be different in a year or two depending on how the kids develop but for now he is a keeper.

Some great interviews. Always enjoy listening to Owen Beck as he is such a thoughtful articulate young man. David Reinbacher seems like such a humble, mature and decent young guy. Lane Hutson is very well spoken as well. Terrific young men and easy to cheer for.

I tend to agree, I think Suzuki and Caufield need more of a physical presence to compliment them but you never know how the chemistry works until you try it.

It is complicated and I spent some time going through it a few days ago. Your description is pretty good. I found the following link with a chart pretty good. https://montrealhockeynow.com/2022/08/19/breaking-down-all-conditions-in-monahan-trade/ The way I see it, the best scenario is the following; 1) Florida finishes bottom 10 next year so they keep their 1st round pick next year (Philly gets their 2025 pick, Calgary will get their 2026 pick instead) 2) Calgary sucks in 2025, gets the #2 pick after the lottery in which case Montreal drafts #2 overall in 2025. If Calgary finishes with the #1 pick then Montreal gets their 2026 pick That's the way I see it. It can make your brain hurt trying to figure it out.

Thanks for the clarification.

What are the advantages of not putting Price on LTIR? My apologies if it has been discussed before. Thanks

I thought he would likely go to a contender as well but when you are a 33 year old forward and are offered 25M over 4 years, it's hard to say no. I doubt if any contender could have come close to that offer, especially for 4 years.

Agreed, I really liked Edmundson, great team guy, always stuck up for his teammates but there is a log jam at LD. Also frees up a little more cap space. The kids will play more. Almost guarantees a spot for Arber as they will really need his physical presence.

NHL Watcher · Jun 29, 2023 @NHL_Watcher · Follow Button on SC With Jay Onrait talking Reinbacher: "I see him as a really good, solid, 2nd pair d-man... I see him a lot like Adam Larsson...He's (Larsson) been a solid NHL player during his NHL career, I think David Reinbacher can be exactly the same type of player" Daniel Winnik @Danwinnik34 · Follow I don’t think this is the right take. Played against him all year in the @NLch_official. Already shows poise, hands, and skating ability greater than Larsson is now. Superior skater who can take shifts over and is playing against men already. 11:43 AM · Jun 30, 2023 I saw this on another board. I like the part about being a superior skater from a guy that actually played against him the last 2 years. When you play against a guy I think you have a pretty good idea of their strengths and weaknesses.

It's not obvious he will be a franchise dman, it's rarely that obvious when they are 18 but they are making a bet that he has skills, the smarts and work ethic to develop into a top pairing defensman. Larry Robinson was drafted 20th, who thought at the time he would become dominant. Time will tell. It's not scary at all to me he was unranked last September, everyone develops at a different rate. He is a tall lanky kid, sometimes big guys take longer. Shane Wright was a generational talent at 16 and then 3 teams passed him over. Perhaps his development started early and ended early. Not always easy trying to project how much more a prospect will continue to develop.

Good point, roster space is an issue. Maybe Hughes can be creative but I expect tomorrow will be a quiet day for the Habs. But, sometimes things happen when you least expect it.

I would think that Wheeler and Duchesne will end up with contending teams as their window for winning a cup is closing although Duchesne likely has a few more years left. Attractive pick ups depending on the price paid.

Great post, agree with all your points. If Reinbacher becomes a 1st pairing defenseman for 12-15 years then this is a good pick. Aiden Hill looked like a stud with a great group of defensemen in front of him. I am also looking forward to see how Slaf does this year, he is a year older, stronger and hopefully wiser.

On another note, I spent about an hour last night going through all the conditions of the 1st round pick we got from Calgary for the Monahan trade. I actually think I understand it now but I am not going to try and explain it though. LOL

Many here are disappointed (perhaps me a little) because we read all the hype regarding certain prospects and we want the exciting prospect. I get that. However I don't think there are too many pro scouts on this board (certainly not me) and I don't think many of us investigated Reinbacher too carefully before the draft (I didn't) as it was more fun to read about Michkov, Smith. Leonard etc. Time will tell whether it was a good pick or not. Organizational need and BPA were probably pretty closely aligned with this pick. I was hoping to get a stud center, didn't get it so I guess we move on. Obviously trades are difficult to make and I don't expect the Habs to chase any UFA's so perhaps the excitement is over for now.

I believe once Price goes on LTIR again they will have approx 9M left. They still have to sign Pinard and Newhook. So I think they will have 5-6M left. Please correct me if my calculations are wrong.

What next to look forward to? Perhaps Hughes taking on some expiring contracts for future picks so some contenders can be active on July 1st? I expect he has some extra room after losing the Dubois sweepstakes.

Some good points. Did Hughes let the cat out of the bag that they drafted him because he is a RHD? Yes and no. He said that if he was a LHD they might not have been as interested which makes perfect sense because the Habs are stacked with young LHD. There is a log jam there. It would make no sense to draft another one with your first pick unless it's Bobby Orr. He said previously that if it was close between prospects than positional need would break the tie as it did in this case.

I can't say that I am happy or unhappy with the pick, maybe surprised more than anything. I will have a better idea in a couple years. I went into this draft hoping to get a stud centre to play with Suzuki. Either Hughes thought differently or the price to move up was too high. If Dach develops into the center we hope he does and Reinbacher becomes a shut down 1st pairing defenseman then it was a good pick. I definitely see the potential for an excellent defense with Mailloux quarterbacking the power play and hopefully Reinbacher being the shut down guy on the right side. Potentially Reinbacher and Hutson might be a good pairing.

Mckenzie had Simashev at 19 so quite a jump to 6. We will have a good idea in 2-3 years whether Reinbacher is a good pick or not. Today might be a little boring for Hab fans but you never know.

Admittedly I was surprised by this pick, perhaps not a sexy pick but I also know that stud RHD are hard to come by, no one is trading them away. I am no pro scout so will trust the scouting department on this one. Who thought Simashev would go at 6?? Likely no one.

I would be happy with Smith, Michkov or Leonard as I think they will all be difference makers. But if you could get Leonard and add another 1st rounder then worth exploring. Who really knows what Hughes is thinking and this speculation will end soon but it's been fun talking about.