GHT120

I think that Montembeault is the only Habs' goalie they might want ... Allen's AAV is just too high and Primeau is too unproven ... Oilers have just under $400K of cap space.

Only in response to Captain IMPOSSIBLE statements.

Assuming glagdyke is Gallagher, if Hughes were able to move him it would win him GM of the Year on the spot ... Pearson would be easier, but not easy, to move.

When asked whether being in the playoff race at the trade deadline could change the "youth plan" (1:46), Hughes says they won't sacrifice the future to win this year ... but they would consider ways to improve the team if it didn't impact the future ... on Slafkovsky (1:58) Hughes says they see progress in his converting from a CC-type scorer that he had always been able to be, to a power forward style.

Win or lose ... for expectations/analysis purposes, the $64,000 Question is did the Habs "play up" to the Leafs or did the Leafs "play down" to the Habs?

😆

Per TVA ... Habs are the team against whom Matthews has scored the most goals

Leaf "identifiers" are back ... not for habs ... maybe just on PPs?

A VERY Allen goal ... and then Kampf "accidentally" lost his balance and slid into Jake.

Just caught up ... TVA, and presumably Sportsnet, were showing "player identifiers" whenever a Leaf had the puck for a couple of minutes ... but not when the Habs took it back the other way ... all gone now but hardly a surprise.

Or makes him more marketable.

Scanned through the "seven million" Leafs related Tweets in the last hour and could find nothing for their lineup.

Done with some pizzazz ... but the actual raising seems a bit drawn out ... we are left to assume it made it to the rafters.

TVA and Sportsnet Jake Allen gets the start. This is a bit of a surprise ... neither he nor Montembeault had a great pre-season ... Allen likely gets the start because he is the veteran ... loonnngggg-shot hope, some team wants to see him in regular season action before finalizing a trade.

Of course, a PP built around feeding CC on the left half-boards is as predictable as was the Weber-PP (whether he was on the point or on the left-side) ... it is worth noting that great PP scorers like Ovechkin and Stamkos often score from "Caufield's Kitchen" from cross-ice passes as that also maximizes how far the goalie has to move.

This is intended to provide an area for general Habs discussion outside the 23/24 NHL thread. I can't see the Gidorah* Goalie situation lasting more than 5-10 games ... I expect they would love to move Allen's contract if they can find a trade that Allen likes (it seems he has an informal, Hughes' promise NTC) ... an early season injury of another teams' starter could be a tipping point. * - King Ghidorah (キングギドラ, Kingu Gidora) is a fictional monster, or kaiju, which first appeared in Ishirō Honda's 1964 film Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster.

Smarts is the perfect word to describe Harris ... on and off the ice ... but because of his strong play last season his trade value might never be higher ... this season could prove he is a legit Top 4 defenceman on all but the deepest of NHL defence corps and boost his trade value higher, or it could show that he is a 5/6(even 7) on a playoff quality team and rop his value ... this is why HuGo et al get the big bucks ... they have to decide what they project Harris will become ... if other teams value Harris more highly then it might be time to trade him once an acceptable trade emerges.

Harris, Xhekaj and even Matheson are (from what I have seen) adequate PPQBs at best ... the Habs need better to improve their PP as the rebuild progresses. Didn't say RHP was an NHL power-forward, just that he seems to me the best option for PP front-of-the-net that is on the roster at the moment ... maybe Monahan, but it seems a waste to have his passing/vision stuck in the middle ... other option is to have enough movement on the PP for that role to be filled "by committee" so to speak, as players rotate in and out ... making it harder on the PK to target them.

Doubt CBJ have any interest in Armia ... especially for another season beyond this one. But Harris for Boqvist (or IDEALLY, but unlikely, Peeke) would work once Price is on LTIR.

The "front of the net player" on a PP is only useful if the team is effective at getting the puck to the net ... Habs were third last in shots on goal last season ... NHL offers no specifics about PP shots but I expect they were no better ... with a legit QB and better puck movement overall the "front of the net" will also get less crowded, as the defence reacts to the puck, and make it an easier space in which to work. On the current roster I would like to see RHP as the primary net-front presence ... but a PP can't just park someone there ... others have to rotate in and out.

I agree with you that one of the big issues has been the lack of a quarterback ... the other is the lack of creativity/motion as the PP was focused on "get Shea the puck". I think they are waiting for Hutson rather than seeking out a top-flight PPQB at this point in their rebuild. MSL et al are responsible for the overall scheme ... I read speculation the other day that MSL seemed to be more involved in the PP this season ... makes one wonder what Burrows is bringing to the table.

Once Price is put on LTIR, I would suggest Hughes offer Armia to Washington for Anthony Mantha ... Capitals currently have ZERO cap space and would save $1.3M via the trade, but would be stuck with Armia for next season ... for that reason, the Caps might decline ... but from the Habs' perspective it simplifies next season's cap and MSL *** MIGHT *** be able to unlock whatever potential is left in Mantha.

Since Price is apparently starting on the regular IR, putting him on LTIR will save cap space but the roster will still be full at 23 men ... so anybody they add will require a player to be waived/demoted/traded.

I like that plan.

Interesting ... but few "hockey trades" get made at the deadline ... teams are loath to give up players who have been part of getting to the playoffs or into the playoff race.