xXx..CK..xXx

Everything is conjecture at this point but I read that Laine was wearing a knee brace at the time of the knee on knee which may have helped the outcome.

Out for season? Let’s hope not.

Due to his contract expiring, age, etc. I get it. I also love our defensive depth. For me the discussion relies on what we get in return as well as the unique aspect he brings as a veteran leader. Once I make the playoffs, I am trying to win. Savard has a Stanley Cup win which is not something to be overlooked. Some people don’t like talking about intangibles, but he brings them. He blocks a lot of shots. Outside of Matheson, we don’t have much veteran leadership on the back end. I’ll say it now and check back later. If we are even in the hunt for the playoffs, I will be surprised if we trade Savard. I think come the deadline, the obvious will happen and everything will rely on our standing, team health, etc. I wouldn’t love trading him for a third round pick or something though. Just doesn’t float my boat. Savard isn’t even someone I absolutely love, but I respect the qualities he does bring.

During these specific discussions, I often reminisce to when I was a child and more naive on the topic. As I was looking forward to an evening game at 11am on a Tuesday in the middle of class in 2nd grade, was I sitting there wishing for a loss that evening because it would be better for our future? Or was I looking forward to the game and hoping the Habs would win? Were Mark Recchi and Vincent Damphousse supposed to give 50% and show the kids watching that effort doesn’t matter once we lose a few games? Was Rejean Houle supposed to trade Vladimir Malakhov for a draft pick because David Wilkie could potentially take his place? (Not the best comparison, I know.) In this example, I am combining the tankers with draft pick questers, and obviously as grown adults we have more knowledge than that 2nd grader. With that being said, were adult fans always such armchair GMs where they would actually wish for their team to lose under certain circumstances? Or is this a more modern phenomenon? -Now that we’re more “intelligent” and “analytical”. What I do know is that either way fans are simply armchair GMs, who don’t always have emotion separated from the best interest of the team, as well as the mere knowledge to make as good of a decision as those who are in the actual place to do so. As I said, if the Habs are near the bottom at the trade deadline then of course we try to extract compensation and value. Although I admittedly didn’t follow how the topic started, and I am sure it was innocently thrown out as a suggestion within a proper context, the mere fact that it is being discussed is somewhat the issue. Considering the Habs do have some good young and upcoming prospects in the system, and that we have Dach and Laine up front, there should be reason for optimism. We’ve been in the basement long enough and I feel as though the mindset of keeping ourselves out of the playoff picture simply because certain fans don’t believe we could win a round (or THREE!!) anyway is backwards thinking and not a recipe for success. If we are in the playoffs or playoff hunt, we keep or we add. If not, we can let go. The suggestion (okay I do remember the context that started the discussion) was that we let go even if we are in the hunt, simply because a fan knows we couldn’t win more than two rounds. That system would keep us perpetually out of contention, in my belief.

Meh, this can be argued both sides depending on one’s already engrained perspective. Trading Savard at the deadline may not hurt your chances at making the playoffs (though replacing him with Reinbacher is a huge question mark), but Savard is a playoff defender with his shot blocking ability so I think he’s a useful player to have during a run. I’m always on the boat of trying to make the playoffs. Of course I want good prospects and solid draft picks but this is never a wish of mine heading into a season or even at the trade deadline, unless we are dead near the bottom, which has happened a few times recently. All I know is that when it comes to fans, there have been many “three year rebuilds” which have included the urge to trade veterans and tanking in the standings as viable plans over the years. With that being said, when the Habs have traded for and have had a solid core of veterans they have had 2 or 3 shots at winning the cup in that same timespan, whether or not they were the ultimate contender or not. My perspective is that even if all the cards line up perfectly for those youth prospect hunters in our fanbase and we wind up with the ultimate contending team, finishing first place in the standings, etc. There’s still a great chance that team doesn’t end up winning the cup. Long story short, I’d rather a top 5-10 team for an extended period of time (a few years), than a dominant team for 1 or 2 years followed by another 10-15 years of tanking and draft picks. Of course the two are not necessarily mutually exclusive but my point is that for the 20 years I have been on the board, there have been people wanting draft picks for veterans and tanking every single season, including the same years our teams have had success. There has to come a point where we view having veterans and successful experiences for our core as just as important as feeding the prospect cabinet and eternally thinking only about the future in an anxious manner.

Pretty sure we’re glossing over that Mackinnon’s second year = 0.59375 points per game and Slafkovsky had 0.6098 points per game in his second year. Speed is a thing so maybe that’s what’s influencing the thought but Slafkovksy has certainly been the best pick of that draft. He’s only going to get better. It took Mackinnon another three years after that second year to become what he is.

Re: Pastrnak goal Not saying it’s my opinion once again. But The Leafs fanbase was the one commenting on his effort level on that goal. Again, not saying one goal means anything. I am saying that this criticism came from the Leafs fanbase. No one is saying Marner should turn into Matthew Tkachuk. I’m not sure where you gathered that interpretation. When it comes to physicality, people were complaining that Marner is Marner, not that he is not Matthew Tkachuk.

I don’t think it’s so much his point production. It’s just that Marner isn’t very physical and gets pushed off the puck very easily. You also won’t see him back checking too hard very often. He’s not “built” for playoff hockey. That, and the Leafs losing 99.8% of the time in round 1 set up the perfect flame. I’m not saying that it’s fully my perspective, but I believe that’s why Leafs fans target him, rather than solely his point production. Yes, I’m aware that Marner’s there to be an offensive player rather than lay out the body but that’s why he receives the hate.

Well, 1) considering the story is likely not true and 2) considering Carolina would have also matched a higher offer, It seems as though the only reason the armchair GMs on here are upset that Bergevin didn’t offer a higher number was that he didn’t troll the other GM enough so it’s exactly the same thing. Was Bergevin a) actually trying to get Aho on the team under a reasonable contract? or b) attempting to punish the other organization? It’s a strawman argument that Bergevin “low balled” the offer, but the truth is we weren’t getting Aho anyway, unless we ridiculously overpaid to the extent that people would have been complaining on the other extreme. The point you guys are trying to make is MOOT.

I thought DeSmith did quite well this year but it turns out he didn’t. Simply when he faced the Habs. I still think they could win a round with him but their cup aspirations may indeed go out the window.

It may have taken me 18 attempts but I am glad I was able to finally pull it off. It didn’t look promising after the second to last game because the Habs needed only 1 point but Detroit’s miraculous comeback with 3 seconds left, followed by the the Habs’ overtime/shootout loss in the final game sealed the deal. Thank you @alfredoh2009 for the congrats and @Peter Puck for hosting, as always. GHG

Struble is a solid player. Having a strong game but not the first time I’ve liked what I’ve seen from him.

Thread title says Tuesday November 6th 🤔 It’s neither November, nor the 6th. I wonder if Slafkovsky plays. He is a game time decision.

Present for the rare Evans goal 🙋‍♂️ Last goal my brain remembers of his was when Scheifele drilled him after the empty netter in the playoffs. He did score in February, I just don’t remember it.

Play like a Pee-Wee for Celebrini