GHT120

I'm actually surprised that Gudas only got 3 years @ $4M ... thought someone would go crazy ... still a healthy raise from $2.5M

Cashing in on a very good 22/23 season and Ottawa's ongoing desperation for a goaltender.

My reaction was the same as Helmethead, but you make an excellent point ... only issue will be if they need more than two retention slots at the deadline.

Good point ... just not certain why ROR would want to sign with the Habs.

No surprise ... depending on who they manage to move out, Gurianov might get an offer for well below the $2.9M that would have been necessary for a QO.

This post made me curious so I looked up Stone ... I was surprised to find that since he became a full-time NHLer, Stone has averaged only 62 games and 21 goals.

LOVE the ⚓ s ... although I would suggest Armia is perhaps more deserving than Hoffman ... his AAV is $1.1M less but he has another year left and is IMO less tradeable ... if Hoffman is healthy and has 8/9/10/+ goals by the trade deadline he will have trade value, especially with 50% retained.

Could be a good strategy, Habs would have to make room on the 23/24 roster, but I expect Wheeler and Duchene will attract interest from contending teams id they are willing to sign a modest contract.

The issue is not just cap space(*), it is also roster space ... once Newhook and RHP are signed the Habs will have 13 forwards that at this point will be expected to start the season in Montreal (in alphabetical order: Anderson, Armia, Caufield, Dach, Dvorak, Evans, Gallagher, Harvey-Pinard, Hoffman, Monahan, Newhook, Slafkovsky and Suzuki) ... Pezzetta and Pitlick are also under contract ... as well as Ylönen (RFA), Gurianov (RFA) and Belzile (UFA) who played with the Habs last season ... on defence they have 9 such "regulars (Barron, Edmundson, Guhle, Harris, Kovacevic, Matheson, Savard, Wideman, Xhekaj) under contract. They just don't have the NHL roster space next season to take on contracts ... I expect Evans would be tradeable, maybe Dvorak... otherwise they will have to move out a contract(s) before being able to take on any. (*) - To be safe, let's say Newhook gets a Dach-like deal (4yrs @ 3.3 and RHP $1M ... Habs will have about $4.4M in cap space

The references to "culture" in the post-draft de-brief by Lapointe & Bobrov makes me think that ***MAY*** have also played a role in the Habs passing on Michkov ... I see culture as different than MB's famous "character" ... character is about an individual ... culture is about an organization ... while a player with character issues obviously doesn't contribute to a good culture, even a player with no character issues could not be the right fit for a good culture.

Do the Habs have the roster space to take on contracts ... 11 "NHL" forward contracts (Suzuki, Gallagher, Anderson, Hoffman, Dvorak, Armia, Dach, Evans, Caufield, Mohanan, Slafjkovesky) ... and expect they also plan to keep Farrell, and RFA RHP ... that leaves Pitlick, Pezzetta, UFA Belzile and RFAs Ylönen and Gurianov on the outside looking in ... 13 forwards ... in the same context they have 9 defencemen (Matheson, Edmundson, Savard, Harris, Barron, Guhle, Kovacevic, Wideman and Xekaj). HuGo will have to move some current roster players to make room before they can make any "Monahan moves" (whether or not for that good a return) ... I see Anderson, Evans, Edmundson, Kovacevic and Wideman as the easiest to move if they so choose ... so I am not expecting a lot of activity ... or it will be contract-in/contract-out.

The current reports I've seen have been that Mailloux's defence definitely needs to "catch up" to his offence ... going forward I have lower offensive expectations for Barron than Mailloux based on all reports.

Really want to add more chances ...

Guess they want to add "chances" to find a future goalie

Possibly consistent with the emphasis on "what will the player be in 2-3-4 years" approach that HuGo seem to have to drafting.

Mailloux's projections when drafted were difficult because he had played only 4 OHL games at that point ... comparing their "after-drafted" seasons not much more useful ... Mailloux only got in 12 games (sitting out half the season until re-instated and then injured shortly thereafter) with 3 goals and 6 assists in 12 games; Baron missed much of the season and went 33-8-23 ... Mailloux certainly has a breakout season last year but no direct comparison possible as Barron was in the AHL in his second year after drafted.

👍 Welcome aboard LITTLE brother

For those of us who don't recognize the name

The same reason fans want their team to trade up is why teams were not willing to trade down ... it is a deep draft.

I agree ... the way some have reacted I wondered if Fantilli was expected to slip to 31st.

From the Journal de Montreal ... some first-hand observations about the Habs' top pick (tweaked to smooth out linguistic differences). Quebecer Éric Faille has played with David Reinbacher for two years in Switzerland, with the Kloten organization. Until now, he had refused virtually all media requests to provide his opinion on the potential draftee. He changed his mind when Reinbacher was selected fifth overall by the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday. He witnessed a wave of negative reactions from disappointed fans, who were not ready to give the pick a chance, too upset at having seen Kent Hughes pass on Matvei Michkov. "I hope everyone in Montreal will calm down a little and appreciate David for the player he is," Faille said in an interview with the TVASports.ca. “I hope the fans will see the big picture, the player he can become. It's sad to see a young person being drafted in Montreal and receiving this kind of reaction..." Reinbacher is not Michkov. Two players couldn't be more different. But in his own way, he is a prospect with very high potential, recalled Faille. The Austrian was hardly on the radar of National League teams last year. His rise has been meteoric and there is no indication that he is about to stop. "He's such an underrated player," said Faille, former member of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan and Toronto Marlies, among others. “He has come a long way; we're talking about a guy that people saw coming out around the third round last year. He is now fifth overall. I've been around him in the last two years and I've seen an incredible progression. At 17-18 years old, he was playing against men and he was our best defender. In my book, Canadians did not make a mistake with their choice." As Reinbacher rose to each challenge posed to him, Kloten's staff then increased his responsibilities. His development continued throughout the year. Reinbacher was always asking for more. "All year, he took a step, he took a step, he took a step," Faille said. We fed him, we fed him, we fed him and he always wanted more." The main criticisms directed at Reinbacher revolve his offensive skills. "He was the one who quarterbacked our powerplay at 18 years old," replied Faille when confronted with that criticism.” Against men, in one of the best leagues in Europe. His offensive potential, it's there. He even has a certain flair." … Faille had a little discussion with his teammate about <the Montreal media/fanbase after there was criticism of his performance at the Draft Combine>. "I told him, 'Big guy, it is like that in Montreal. You're going to have to ignore it. Perform on the ice and they're going to be on your side.'" Reinbacher is shy/reserved. But he is a man on the ice and he should not be distracted in the great metropolis of Quebec. "He's very, very humble," Faille said. “He's a down-to-earth guy, he's not going to think he's someone else. He puts on his gear and he works hard. He's humble, but he's a confidant on ice."

Think Peter was (a) responding to a specific suggestion that the absence of 31 and/or 37 was what prevented a trade ... and ... (b) just saying other teams didn't want iMchkov enough to give up what it would take to interest Hughes, not that they weren't interested in Michkov.