GHT120

Likely not ... but the issue may be what standard of living his pay and perks provide in Russia versus a max ELC in the states ... not necessarily a dollar-for-dollar comparison.

True ... but the GM selects who runs the scouting operation and must bear responsibility for who they hire ... and GMs do usually have final say on draft plans, so ... It's why they get pretty decent paycheques.

The latest rumour, from TSN690 yesterday, is that Michkov does not like the idea of a 3-yr ELC and may stay in Russia until he is 24, when his ELC would only be one year.

Are we still including Norlinder in that group as a legit prospect?

Los Angeles Kings sign captain Anze Kopitar to a two-year, $14 million extension | TSN Danault is the 3rd highest paid centre on the Kings for the foreseeable future ... not certain PLD or Kopitar is likely to be moved to the wing ... Phil supposedly left Montreal, in part, because he didn't want to end up as the 3C ... it will be interesting to see how it works out this season in LaLaLand.

So much depends on whether or not Montembeault truly had a breakout season in 22/23 ... some believe yes, some believe no ... we won't know until well into the season which side is right.

It was January 21, 2021 against Vancouver ... he had just scored 2g-3a in back-to-back games against the 'Nucks, after going scoreless in 3 games to start the season ... he was out until February 10, 2021, almost three weeks ... he scored 5g and 4a in the final 36 games... given his history I wouldn't take the 5 pts in 5 games as a sign he finally "broken out" ... but he dropped almost a third from his previous pts/gm (as average as it was).

CF lists 12 forwards in the main listing (including Newhook) and 3 who were on IR to end the season ... 15 total. As for Ylönen, he might win a spot this season but I just don't see him having a significant role going forward, whereas Zadina might ***if*** he gets his shyte together.

If HuGo don't want to retain salary, Hoffman might be tradeable for the infamous "future considerations" to a team with tons of cap-space who would be willing to, now or later, retain salary and trade him for actual assets.

Unfortunately, other than "we didn't see him live" we will never know what the "negatives" they saw in Michkov were, ***if*** any.

Was just saying that those are the picks that are often how GMs/scouts drafting skills/results are judged.

Apparently Habs prospects frequently get Nicholas et al's feedback/analysis on videos from their recent games, often via video conference so it is face-to-face.

But first round picks, especially top 5 / top 10, are where teams are expected to have invested sufficient due diligence to make more winning selections than wasted picks ... largely where draft accountability rests.

Looking at Cap Friendly the Habs have 15 "NHL" forwards" (counting RFA Newhook) ... I would exclude Pezetta and Pitlick right away, leaving a full roster of 13 forwards. The rumour is that HuGo do not want to have to put Price on LTIR to be cap-compliant and eligible to play their first game of the season ... I can see them trying to move Hoffman and Dvorak (although Evans may be the centre who is more tradeable) to clear the current 610K overage and make room to sign Newhook ... if they are able to do that then I could see them possibly looking at Zadina on-the-cheap, but only once space is created ... I suspect a lot of NHL teams may, for a variety of reasons, be in similar wait & see positions on any interest in Filip.

In particular, I found the clip with Adam Nicholas (Director of Hockey Development) very interesting ... starts around 16:00

Good veteran for Laval ... good signing.

I believe I read that the Habs had told Mesar last year that it would be one season in the OHL, perhaps to avoid him returning to Europe where he could have made a bit more than an OHL stipend ... if so, they are just keeping their word ... given the number of youngsters in Laval, if he refuses to go back to junior I suppose he could even be loaned to Trois Rivieres or even to a European league, which might change his tune about the OHL ... if the concern is his playing in Kitchner, I suppose they could contact the Kitchner GM and let him know that Mesar will only return to the OHL if he is traded to one of whatever teams the Habs prefer ... a trade to the Saginaw Spirit would guarantee a Memorial Cup appearance (they host), although 10 of his teammates last season were younger than Filip so they may be well positioned for success this season.

Reports are that Tuch has had a very good development camp ... hopefully it translates into a good senior season with Boston University (with Lane Hutson et al.) and force the habs to make a decision next spring.

No goal, but nice set-up And Logan shows his offensive skills Roy cool & calm on his shootout attempt

Agreed.

I recall many fans being "over the moon" that they had found a partner for Weber ... memories can vary.

On the worst offensive team in the NHL, and therefore likely allowed to focus solely on scoring ... that won't be the same on TO ... but its OK if we disagree.

Tony? Kidding ... I hope. That people go on his podcast is not (IMO) a measure of his hockey knowledge ... it just means he is successful at drawing viewers and thus good PR for the Habs and others ... and "most ready", if correct, hardly translates to any good chance of making the team.

True ... but the .34 reflects the majority of his career ... and even excluding the outlier drops him significantly ... that one season created (IMO) unrealistic expectations for Domi; much like Galchenyuk's 30 goal season in what was a lost season in 15/16.