The Chicoutimi Cucumber

Good that he'll probably be hitting the market - I've thought all along that he would be our likeliest UFA target. Unfortunately, his playoff performance has raised his stock and it is a crazy seller's market, so massive overpay will be needed to sign him.

Yeah, his game does not seem to be improving much. Xhekaj is at an important juncture in his career with us. He needs to make the jump to being a reliable everyday defenceman.

Yes, leave guys alone in their natural positions as much as possible. Especially kids. I don't know about Hague's chops on RD. It's fine to say "he can play either side," but when people say that, they're usually describing player usage rather than parsing how much better the player actually is at his natural side.

Commndant is a stellar contributor and I agree with him on most things, but I've never been entirely persuaded that clutch is a myth. Bennett is Exhibit A. I don't think there is all that much difference between saying "a guy is clutch" and "a guy plays the kind of game that thrives when the refs put away their whistles." Clutch is a wider concept, but it includes that. (Now, I've long bemoaned the fact that playoff hockey has little connection to regular season hockey because of the way it's officiated. But that's another argument).

No question, Florida is impressive. The buy-in is total, they’re on you like pit bulls, management made spectacular deadline moves, and they are strong in every facet of the game. Worthy winners, absolutely. They’re now in the convo with Chicago and Tampa for best teams in the cap era. As my previous posts have suggested, Edmonton was bucking all established logic in how you win Cups by icing a team that relies on crazy comebacks and the overwhelming force of two superstars rather than a structurally rock-solid game with reliable goaltending. That they buzzsawed through the West and almost succeeded in the Finals twice is impressive in itself, given these G and depth concerns.

Nice to dream, but it won’t happen

Well sure, but Hutson is our #1 defenceman. We need other guys too. There’s no rule that says you can only have one positionally versatile defenceman on your team.

I could not give a sh*t if he is Canadian. He's still a turd. In fact, apart from his Bruins-ness (a great sin in itself) the thing that drove me crazy about Marchand was the double standard whereby his acting like a complete dick was forgiven and even celebrated by the CBC jabbernowls - especially in 2011. If he had been Euro, Russian, or (gasp!) black, the same clowns praising him as a Good Canadian Boy would have had him tarred and feathered. I will concede that he's toned down his Gong Show in recent years, but he spent a long time as a classless puke, and I don't forgive and forget all that bullcrap so easily.

True, obviously - but if Hague has a solid track record at RD, then the move would be reasonable. My other thought is this. They might be interested in Hague because he can play *both* sides. So: he can be a Savard replacement on the right, but can also be a proven NHL option at LD in the event that (a) WiFi fails to make the leap to being a reliable defender or (b) they decide to move out one of Struble, Xhekaj, or - gulp - Matheson. It’s his versatility they might want, not just his RD play. All of this assumes that what I heard was accurate (I forget who reported it, but it was a credible analyst on Van radio). If Hague is one of these guys whose plays both sides BUT sees his performance drop significantly on the right side nevertheless, then the argument for RD goes away.

I’m not denying any of that, I just find it bewildering that Habs fans in particular are so quick to turn around and fawn over that pus-bag. My fan resentments have a much longer memory than that.

I heard a discussion of Nic Hague the other day suggesting that he can play either side. If that’s correct, then maybe it makes a lot more sense that HuGo are investigating that option.

The unusual thing about Skinner is that he’s not just erratic from month to month or season to season - lots of goalies are that way - but from game to game. You literally never know what you’re getting when you pencil him in. Mediocrities like Osgood, Hill, Niemi, etc., were not like that. When they won Cups, they gave their teams reliably OK reminding. They were just B to B- goalies. Skinner is a psychodrama onto himself. The Oilers were bucking all normal patterns by trying to win with a gigantic question mark in net. They almost pulled it off. But twice burned should be thrice shy. They need a G. One question that is popping up is: having seen Florida handle every other team quite tidily, is it valid for Toronto to conclude that they are, in fact, very, very close - ? 🤔 Luongo is the man, but Marchand? F**k that living piece of rat filth.

Indeed. The Habs, having drafted him, did right by him: supporting him as he did the work, which has hopefully made him a better person. I don’t think his past will even be mentioned if and when he makes the big team, except perhaps briefly as something he learned from.* If they trade him now, it will be a hockey trade, not a PR move. * It is perversely helpful that we’ve learned since then (if we couldn’t guess already) that there is a systematic problem with misogyny in hockey. Mailloux was probably the ‘guy who got caught’ rather than a radical outlier who did something few or none of his peers would do. Nauseating, but there it is.

I remember Niemi as not great but reasonably consistent (?). What's weird about Skinner is his wild inconsistency.

I think you gotta go with Skinner, but yeah. In a weird way you have to admire the brazen attempt to win a Cup with wildly inconsistent goaltending. I've seen teams win with average-at-best goaltending (the Wings with Osgood) but I can't think of another case where a team won without knowing what it was going to get from is G on any given night. Florida is rock-solid by contrast, which is why they are in the driver's seat.

It all depends on what we think of these prospects, doesn’t it? If we see Mailloux as very likely to top out at a #5-6 - or, as has been discussed on this board, Nate Beaulieu - then sure, make that trade. Given that we might be talking about one single year of Malkin (who knows, he might retire once his contract is up, or his play might go off a cliff due to age) I agree with those who feel this is too much for a stop-gap C. Again, it comes back to Mailloux. On the other hand, something on this scale might in fact be market value for Malkin. There are teams that are (a) more desperate than us and/or (b) looking to win a Cup and thinking Malkin might be that piece. It comes back to the insane seller’s market for C that we’re in. But based on my limited knowledge of prospects, I’d be reluctant to pay that much for a player who may not even help us for more than one year.

Good idea. He can still produce. And given the current seller's market for C, I can get behind a short-term answer for now, while we wait for a more permanent solution to materialize.

Yeah, if we hadn’t been in since 2018 we likely would be making moves like that as well. Anaheim has had it with waiting.

Perry. What a remarkable player. All he does is go to the Finals. When we had him, I said he was one of the smartest players I’d ever seen (positioning, use of the ice, sneaky-dirty moves etc.) and he still is. Cup winning teams always have those vets who speak at critical moments. Carbo and Roy did that in ‘93 for example.

No, I share your concern - Guhle is a rock-solid, very valuable all-around player. One of those guys who quietly eats hard minutes. It’s just…if we want to get back a truly good #2C in a seller’s market, we may have to give back something we really don’t want to lose. 🤷‍♂️ ‘Blatherskite’ is a perfect word for the raging Orange Id down south, yes! LD are easier to find than impact C, so if Guhle gets you the latter and you can substitute another LD, then Bob’s your uncle. But Hague seems more like yet another #5-6 LD. If we’re acquiring him, then some other reconfiguration of the D seems to be in mind…unless they’re finally giving up on Xhekaj? Hague actually seems more likely a Savard replacement. It’s a very intriguing rumour because, as you say, it doesn’t seem to make a ton of sense unless attached to further moves.

Gang de colons. Not saying he should have won - he shouldn’t have - but omitting Hughes from your Norris ballot is proof you don’t deserve a say in the award.

Yeah, it’s the old “give to get" problem. Assuming Guhle’s stable placement to be at LD, how would the Habs fare on the back end without him? He’s a Tanev-like ‘glue guy’ for the unit at present, but maybe we could find another top-4 LD to hold down the fort more easily than we can find a really good top-6 C. IF Guhle nets you that C, then maybe you pull the trigger?

Indeed. It all depends on whether we plan to use him as RD or LD. If the latter, then he would be a painful piece to trade, but worthwhile if we get a stud C back.

One thing I will note is media reports that three Montreal media members voted Hutson for the Norris while leaving Quinn Hughes off their ballot. Great as Hutson is, that’s f**ked up and speaks very poorly to the expertise of the Montreal media. The kid likely will be in the genuine, non-hometown-rigged Norris convo very soon though

Hard no, unless the return is an overpay. Although I suppose it depends on how we feel about him at RD vs LD. If we’re happy with him as RD he is basically indispensable.