Sir_Boagalott

Guhle's agent even said upwards of $9 mil/yr for 8 yrs. There is no bloody way Guhle is worth that amount or deserving of more $ than Nick, Cole, or Slaf. That's completely insane. If I was the GM, I would have the identical reaction the Wild had back when Gaborik wanted $10 mil/yr for 10+ yrs. i.e. that's not how we do things around here, see ya later. That is the appropriate reaction to the audacity of Guhle basically wanting Makar $. If Sanderson is worth $8 mil for 40 pts will Hutson be worth $12 mil for Matheson's points? Sanderson's contract is outright stupid. It's like Guhle was seeking a Darnell Nurse or Seth Jones albatross nightmare of a dman contract. I wont be surprised if Guhle isn't at the Habs training camp. I somewhat expect Hughes to trade him for asking for such an obscene amount of $.

Hughes is so damn slick I have a funny feeling that Demidov will play in the NHL this year. As per the CBA rules the Habs can't attempt to buy him out of his KHL contract. The Habs aren't willing to risk doing anything that would break the CBA rules. However, it is up to Demidov to ask SKA to release him. Has Demidov been signed by the Habs yet? I don't believe that he has - and the Habs have an abundance of Cap space. Therefore, Hughes could potentially sign him and give him a generous signing bonus which Demidov could gift to SKA to release him.

The reason he can't be loaned out is because he only has 1 year left on his contract. The difference is Michkov had 3 years left on his contract.

I love this Demidov hype video. It's incredibly well done:

Yep, his stick handing is elite for sure. I saw a great video the other day breaking down his stick handling skills. The guy was very knowledgeable and made an interesting comment. Most players tend to stick handle off their hip i.e. out to their side. However, Demidov tends to stick handle with his stick out in front of him. The guy made a comparison that Datsyuk had that same tendency.

What a silly idea that would have been. The Habs can definitely use Rempe knowing how to fight: That didn't take long did it?

Slaf likely doesn't need another year to show consistency because he was showing that for a 1/4 of last season. What Slaf was doing at the end of last season is repeatable vs being a fluke because he was doing the same thing night in night out. i.e. Slaf has shown that he is the PP QB the Habs have needed for years. Furthermore, Demidov arrives next year even though he starts the season and plays in the KHL. However, the KHL season ends in Feb so he could be playing with the Habs in March. If the Habs have a fairly decent start next season they will get a huge boost for the last 1/4 of the season. I figure they could come close to making the playoffs without Demidov and with him their chance certainly increases.

Unfortunately, we have no idea how good Dach is and we still haven't seen him play a full season yet. Realistically, it took Suzuki numerous years to hit 30 goals and can he hit 40? Insanely, Dach could be as good or better than Nick. Dach could be an 80+ pts guy but with Demidov that might change to 100+ pts. At the worst Demidov will be a 80 pts guy and he should easily hit 100 and possibly 120+ pts. There is a chance that he is as good or better than Celebrini.

You're absolutely right - its about future players and the people that vote are current players. i.e when all the players have no teeth they don't care that Lisa needs braces. I could see Bettman changing the rules but it would only be to take away any advantage the Habs, Leafs and Rangers should have. When there is no limit on scouting the richest teams can easily outspend lesser teams and be the best at drafting. There is no reason that hasnt been happening. Luckily, Hughes is finally leading the Habs in that direction.

This guy should win an award, what a great recap of the season using Simpsons clips: HockeyFights dot com | sit back relax and recap the #NHL season with @thesimpsons clips #hockeyContent #ThisIssaJoke by tt/nedeljkovic39 #hockeylife | Instagram

I heard they also offered him several other deals. 1 was a 1 year deal and then he'd be 35 yrs old and their plan was to start giving him incentive laden contracts after that. I was hoping Hedman would leave next year but it sounds like he will resign soon.

Big George Larocque - fighting specialist - he's worked with Pezz and WiFi, no clue why he's not working with all of them MAB or Souray - shooting specialist - how to get shots from out by the blueline through to the net I've been saying they should hire them as consultants for years. They should pay BGL enough so he'd agree to a contract where he can only work with Habs players. i.e. have a monopoly on him so he can't work with Rempe, etc. I like the idea of hiring Larry Robinson. After all, he could use another Cup.

I wasn't overly impressed with Burrows anyway so its probably not a big loss. I expect whoever is hired will look like a genius because the last few months of last season it looked like Slaf had figured out how to be the PP QB the Habs have needed for years.

Marchessault says he was close to signing with the Habs but the pressure of Montreal and length of term Hughes was offering was less than what he wanted. He also talked with Stamkos after hearing rumors that he was signing with Nashville and that got him to sign with them.

Neither do I but it just depends. Arber certainly loves the Habs and wants to stay but he loves his mom and dad more and wants to retire them ASAP. If a team wants him bad enough they could offer him enough $ that he can do that could tempt him into signing with them.

I had heard numerous sources claim his next contract would be for $4.5-6 mil so that contract he just got is crazy. I was sorta hoping the Habs could get him for $6 or under for 3 yrs. If that had happened there might have been a chance of getting Hedman the year after. I was never fully into the idea of giving up our prospects to get a young roster player. ex: Beck, Roy, etc + picks to get Necas or Zegras, etc. I was hoping they could sign a Stanley Cup winning vet instead. ex: Kane, Stamkos, Perry, etc. After today, they might be forced to go back to the trade idea or have to just wait it out yet another year.

I agree that he is getting over the hill a bit - he didnt do much in the playoffs compared to his previous years. However, he is still a large vet that signs 1 year deals on the cheap with skills that he can teach the young Habs players. ex: he could teach Slaf how to be a major pain in the ass. Same with Dach and even WiFi too he could teach them how to hang out in front of the other teams net and do tap ins or deflections. That would be worth the $1.4 mil.

Awesome news!! Now they need to get Arber signed ASAP!! I highly doubt he would sign a rfa offer sheet but I would imagine that numerous teams that have been trying to get him for a 1st rnd pick will try offering him one. If Arber did sign a rfa offer sheet Hughes will match but it would screw up their entire salary plan if they have to over pay him. It is vital they resign Arber vs matching an rfa offer.

D'oh!! All the players I was hoping the Habs might have a slight chance at signing have all signed. It seems like numerous teams haven't learned any lessons from other teams giving out albatross contracts. Of all the players the Habs might have had a chance on Patrick Kane and Perry are the only ones that aren't overpaid or for way too long.

Wicked: Slaf just signed: 8 years @ $7.6 mil = $60.80M

I think Barron will need waivers next year. In Hughes' desire to free up a rhd spot he might have preferred moving Barron. Before the draft he was trying to got an established F. After the draft and trading for picks he was likely getting lowball offers for Barron like: "give you a 3rd for him"; Hughes "no way in hell"; and eventually a GM said "give you a 4th for Kovacevic"; Hughes "done".

What about the funny rumor that was going around? i.e. apparently, 1 team was accused of purposely spreading rumors about a player so he would drop to their spot so they could draft him. Numerous people suggested it was the Habs so they could get Demidov. When I heard that I didn't believe it because it seems highly unlikely Hughes would do something like that. However, is that something Bobrov might have come up with and done? ex: Demidov's weight and height were wrong - he is taller and heavier than what was originally reported. Due to the war in Ukraine it is hard for North American scouts to see young Russian players. Did Bobrov somehow work with his dad and the Demidov's to put out false info on Ivan's stats? Bobrov was asked if Demidov was a steal and he replied that was understatement. There is a possibility that Demidov might be as good a Celebrini and maybe even better. After all, every scout got to see Celebrini play and very few if any have seen Demidov play.

I really wanted Lindstrom and thats mainly because I figured Demidov would be taken before 5th. At 1st I was still bummed that CBJ picked Lindstrom but then I remembered Timmins works for them so I realized the Habs got the better player for sure.

I'm somewhat bummed to see him go but it was unlikely he'd be around long term anyway. Apparently, they decided to keep Savard until the trade deadline. I imagine they moved Honda Civic to make room for Reinbacher or Mailloux and possibly both. Personally, I'd split them next year and play each 41 games plus or minus injuries. Now that 1 rhd is gone they have room to do that.

Ya, thats an odd yet great explanation of his style: I cant help but wonder if their plan is to eventually pair him with Sobolev? They are both 6'1" 215+ lbs and seem to have the same physical style of play and they also sound like they could have somewhat similar qualities as Savard. They could be a great 3rd pairing. I hope they both block a lot of shots too.