tomh009

Yeah./ Buffalo basically has nothing to lose. The Habs, on the other hand, have made solid steps in their rebuild and risking a return to square one is not attractive.

Toews signed by the Jets to a one-year deal, $2M salary plus up to $5M in bonuses ($1.75M of that is based on playoff series wins).

Corey Pronman predicts the Habs pick Lakovic and Bear. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6429388/2025/06/17/nhl-mock-draft-2025-seven-rounds-pronman/

There is a chance that Dach can recover his earlier form and be the 2C we need. It's not the most likely scenario, but it is possible.

At least we are picking 16+17 instead of 31 ...

Not a lot more production than Dvorak. Has he had better or worse linemates than Dvorak? Dvorak can also play PK effectively. Not that I'm a huge fan but options are starting to look awfully limited. Anyway, over at the Athletic, Arpon Basu writes about "Canadiens hope to escape NHL’s middle, but so does every team": https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6440654/2025/06/21/canadiens-offseason-trades-nhl-standings/ A worthwhile quote from Daniel Briere, the Flyers GM: "Calling around the league and finding centres is almost impossible. And you’re not going to find a first-line or second-line centre. A lot of teams will be willing to entertain moving a fourth-line guy, but they will want a second-line winger in return. They’re hard to find." And, possibly related, another quote from Hughes: "For sure, we want to add more talent to our team, but we need to determine whether we should add experience or if we should become more experienced." We'll see whether he is able to pull a rabbit out of his hat ...

He has an NTC though so most teams probably would not have been able to make an offer.

Decreasing ice time also reflects (1) the drive for a playoff spot and (2) the arrival of Lane Hutson. Matheson, Hutson, Guhle and Carrier all logged over 20 minutes per game, leaving only about 15 minutes/game for the bottom pair.

The thing is, as much as his play has pissed me off over the years, I have to respect Marchand. I posted a link to a Marchand interview a few (?) weeks ago, which I found very enlightening. Marchand didn't always play this style of hockey, but, while a teenager, he realized that his skills would not be enough to make it to the NHL, the same as the majority of junior players. He decided to change his game, to do anything, whatever it takes to win. That got him to the NHL, and now 1100 regular-season games, and Cups with both Boston and Florida. He plays like a rat, but he does that by conscious decision. And it has worked for him ... because the league allows it.

Absolutely, I agree, versatility is good. But Hutson is amazingly good on the right, and both Guhle and Matheson have played reasonably well on the right, so I think the flexibility is likely not critical at this point. 2C, on the other hand ...

A good point, but we do already have this guy Hutson, who has done very well at both LD and RD in his short career. He may end up being better at LD but his play on RD was strong enough to win him the Calder.

Well ... Mesar looked good on draft day. You never know how the kids will turn out.

I am super happy that Hughes did not resort to getting a 34yo Kreider type in order to get the Habs into the playoffs. Maybe we need someone like that when we are ready to fight for the Cup but this deal seems awfully early in the rebuild process.

OK, so not Montreal media in general, just the three TVA guys. 👍

Not even close!

Easier said than done, though. Their cap situation is one of the worst in the league.

That's definitely a stronger lineup. My one concern with this scenario is that there is no opportunity for our prospects to play in the NHL (apart from injuries). Even in 2026-27, the only spots that would potentially open up are Laine and Matheson--and it appears that at least Matheson wants to stay.

Fixed that for you. 😊

Also ... if they only offer an AHL contract, another team can still offer him an NHL contract and he'll walk away free. So, if the contract count allows, the NHL contract option is a much better choice.

A good option, I think. But the Habs may need to move quickly as he's a free agent with neither an AHL nor an NHL contract.

Winning culture is a good thing, no matter the level in the organization. The Habs made it to the playoffs; The Rocket won two rounds; and The Lions claimed the league championship. From that point of view, a strong result for the organization.

A 4-1 victory, with another standout performance by Cavallin, who was named the playoffs MVP.

Exactly. If Hughes thinks that Primeau has trade value, he will qualify him. Otherwise Primeau will walk and sign somewhere else.

Gallagher has real value to the team. Just not as much as Bergevin committed to pay him.

Sometimes one can do better: there are plenty of examples of good players drafted late. The odds are not great but two mid-round draft picks gives you two lottery (no pun intended) tickets. And sometimes you can find a Hutson or Bergeron even later than that. So, the picks still have value, though usually those prospects will take some years to be ready.