REV-G

Interesting how teams can be very careful in keeping or trading their assets and others seem to give up a lot for little in return. I just read a report suggesting which teams have improved the most this summer and in the article the writer listed a few teams and what players had been moved out and which had been brought in. I couldn't help but notice what we have received from Pittsburgh just in the past year. Pittsburgh traded Mike Matheson to Montreal for Jeff Petry and Ryan Poehling. This summer Pittsburgh moved out Jeff Petry and Ryan Poehling to make room for Erik Karlsson. So Pittsburgh gave up Mike Matheson, Jeff Petry and Ryan Poehling. Just from a Montreal perspective we received from Pittsburgh in the past year, Mike Matheson, a 4th round pick in 2023, Jeff Petry (back again & then traded for), a 2025 2nd round pick (Pittsburgh's), solid backup goalie Casey DeSmith, Nathan Legare. Looking at it from a Montreal viewpoint, we gave up Ryan Poehling and we received back Mike Matheson, Jeff Petry, Casey DeSmith, Nathan Legare, a 4th round pick and a 2nd round pick. So far we have all of those assets except for Jeff Petry. A very good one-sided trade from my perspective. I think we received the best player in Mike Matheson, plus a 2nd and 4th round pick, plus a solid # 2 goalie and a depth defenceman. No matter how you look at it from a Montreal perspective, we came out way ahead.

I think the Petry's are getting a bad rap. They loved their time in Montreal and always said that. Their issue was the insane covid restrictions Canada and specifically Quebec implemented that greatly limited their access to their family in the US and their going out in Quebec on a daily basis. From everything I have seen and read they are quality people who simply didn't want to continue living under the strict covid restrictions. As a player he is in decline but most of the writer's I've read said he is still a top 4 right-handed D-man. I think we should show Jeff and his wife a little respect. That's my thought.

I don't know if this has been brought up elsewhere but any thoughts on whether we should take a chance on Zadina in Detroit? It appears they are considering terminating his contract, with him saying he would not contest that move (by not reporting to their AHL club), and with no one biting when he was put on waivers, likely due to his contract. Should we take a chance if he is willing to sign for league minimum??

Actually that was exactly my reaction when they drafted Price. Not livid, but very disappointed. But that turned around pretty quickly in the following years. Let's hope that this will be the same scenario with "The Doctor".....DR!

You never know what's going on behind the scenes.

From another angle, could Newhook be part of a deal going to Winnipeg for Dubois??

I wonder how much input he has in these negotiations right now? Does he tell Winnipeg that he won't sign an 8 year contract to go to LA because he really wants to spend the next 8 years living and working in Quebec? Could this be a process to help Winnipeg get a better deal from Montreal, kind of push them to their limit as to what they'll give up to get him, thereby helping Winnipeg? Or, is he legitimately willing to go to LA for 8 years and ending up in Montreal isn't as important to him as we think? It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.

Question. Has anyone heard reports from anywhere that if Pierre Luc Dubois signs in LA is it just for one year to take him to UFA status or is it going to be a sign and trade for 8 years?? Is it we get him now or we've lost him for 8 years? Any info??

Totally agree with moving Dvorak and Anderson but not trading away our young guys. Florida's 1st plus one of the above two would be my choice.

We all enjoy seeing the successes of highly touted players like Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield but I think something special occurs when players we didn't expect much from exceed everyone's expectations and rise to the occasion in a way no one really saw coming. Today the obvious example is Samuel Montembeault. What a great story he has become. A young goaltender put on waivers, claimed by his hometown team, where most of us didn't expect much from him, and slowly through hard work and a refusal to give up, he played himself into being close to the starting goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens and this month he went to the world championships and played very solid to lead his team to the gold medal. Now he's being noticed by people, he's made friends for life on this years Team Canada and has wonderful memories forever. What a great story. This past year I think all of us were surprised and excited by a young defenceman that we all thought would start the season in Laval but Arber Xhekaj jumped from junior right onto the roster of the Montreal Canadiens. We all know there were injuries that helped open a spot for him but he and a few other first year defencemen made this year fun to watch because they caught us all by surprise. Rafael Harvey-Pinard came out of nowhere for many and suddenly he was scoring goals and playing so well. Underdogs who rose to the occasion and brought excitement to the team. A few years ago I think it was players like Philip Danault and Paul Byron who came to us as players just beginning, not having established themselves as bonafide NHL players, and we watched them develop and grow into valuable players for us. Now with all the focus on the upcoming draft and Montreal being in a position to draft what should be an impactful player, I wonder who will be the underdog surprises? Can we draft another Carey Price but much later than where Price was drafted? Top level players are fun to watch and develop but I think it's the underdogs who rise up and shine that really give us the fun and excitement that we didn't expect. Can you name a player who was an underdog but rose up to shine and surprise us all?

I am a long time Habs fan but as I have been reading and hearing all that has gone on with the Leafs in the past 24 hours, if I take a step back and just look over what has happened this is what I am wondering. First I think Brendan Shanahan has done a very good job in his position at MLSE. I think he is a quality hockey guy but I wonder if this situation could have been resolved differently with a bit or leadership in a different way. There are some leaders who I think sometimes respond a little harshly and a little too quickly. From a distance I wonder if that happened here. The Leafs are now in a position where they have no GM heading into a period of time that includes signing or trading key players, the entry draft the end of June and free agent signing July 1. My question is this. It appears Shanahan wanted Dubas back as his GM. Things were close to being settled until Dubas came back with a counter offer for more money and possibly more power, although we don't know that for certain. Wouldn't it have been better for Shanahan to have simply turned Dubas's offer down and said, here is our offer, take it or leave it. I'm guessing, but I think Dubas might have realized he overstepped and he may have accepted the offer and things could have continued for the Leafs in a more orderly fashion. Dubas made a mistake. He should have been corrected and put on the spot before being fired. That might have saved them a lot of trouble. Sometimes we have to help people when they make bad choices. We are all capable of making bad choices at key times and sometimes we need someone to save us from ourselves. That might be Dubas and Shanahan in the past 24 hours. That's my take.

I've just finished reading an article by Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette and he details, in conversations with Serge Savard and many other of our old time hockey hero's, how former GM Marc Bergevin treated our former players with absolute disgrace and distain. If you haven't seen it, you will feel both angry and now pleased at what has taken place but what is now being done to rectify past wrongs. It's a great article in many ways. Take the time and read it. As I was reading the article I thought back to the glory years many of these players were a part of and how much excitement and joy they brought us by their skill, hard work and dedication. The Stanley Cup celebrations were so much fun and hearing then mayor Jean Drappeau's declarations that "the Stanley Cup parade will be taking it's normal route", was something we all long to hear again some day. I could go on but you get it. And then for MB to treat these hockey hero's of ours with such disrespect and exclude them and communicate to them by his actions that they were not welcome in the dressing room or to mingle with the current players, or even be at the Bell Center, just absolutely burns me. I am now so happy, and my level of appreciation has gone up even higher, with Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes, for the way they are turning that around and making those former players feel welcome again and setting up times for them to get together at the Bell Center with current players I am still amazed each time I hear a story like this where someone has shown such disrespect and has such a lack of appreciation for people who have done great things in some part of life. But my heart is warmed when I see others who recognize the damage that has been done and then intentionally makes decisions and takes the necessary steps to correct that wrong. It's just the right thing to do. Well done Jeff and Kent. You have made many of us proud once again!

Since we're waiting for the final games of this very unique 2022-23 season to be played out I thought I'd ask those of you who have followed some of our drafted players closer what you think the realistic NHL expectations are of these 4 players. I'm wondering if they have top six forward potential, top 4 defencemen potential, or are they going to find it difficult to translate their NCAA or junior success to the NHL? I'm interested to hear what you think? 1. Lane Hutson 2. Joshua Roy 3. Riley Kidney 4. Logan Mailloux

Seeing as how well Joshua Roy has done in this tournament it raises a few questions. 1. Has his skating improved? I heard one commentator say it has improved a lot. 2. If he was draft eligible in 2023 would he go in top 15? I remember reading that someone said they thought last year he would have been a late first round pick. 3. Will his skill set translate well to the pro's? Maybe now he'll be tried on the PK?

So for discussion sake, because we have many moving parts and possibilities over the next 7-8 months, and because we are clearly wanting to gather 1st round picks and or high quality prospects, I read a few things that caused me to wonder if there is a possibility that we could end up with 4 or even 5 first round picks in the next draft. We currently have two first round picks and we've all read that if Sean Monahan keeps playing well and continues excelling at winning face-offs there is a very good possibility that he will moved and if he can be a solid second line centre on a team like the Avalanche, Montreal would likely get a first round pick. That would be three. I just read today that Kent Hughes has been getting calls on Joel Edmundson. If a contending team needs a solid top 4 defenceman, I would assume he would bring back another first round pick. With the number of young guys we have on D and with Savard and Matheson, and the fact that this year isn't all about winning but more about developing, I could see them making that move while his value is still high and his history with injuries. That would be four. Then there's Dvorak and Josh Anderson. Would they move either one? I think they would get a first for Anderson, I don't know enough about Dvorak's value to be certain if he would bring back a first or not. I would think he would. I'm not sure any of us know if they want to move Anderson, but if a team is desperate and they come with a great offer, I could see it happening. I don't know about you but I'm finding this a fun year watching an exciting young team develop and grow and cheering for the young guys to do well and at the same time watching Hugo plan and trade and keep building a team for the future. Fun stuff.