Neech

Nice to see Slaf out there with the net empty, standing in the slot and getting a shot on net. Baby steps still, but this was a strong game from him. Arber with a slick shot out of nowhere. Regulation losses are still what we need, unfortunately.

What's going on with our skate blades? They're falling off left and right. Anderson has been strong again, only a matter of time before he pots one.

It seems like there are a couple of star forwards at the top of this draft.

Wow, this Galchenyuk video is wild.

Yep, and our D prospects will be coming into their mid 20's, when they should be hitting their prime given that defenders take longer. Reinbacher age 23/24 should be our target year. Suzuki and Caufield in their late 20's/early 30's will still be productive, and it takes a mix of youth and vets to compete. We can't rush this thing and hope for the best without enough top talent up front, like decades past.

This is why we need to continue drafting in the top 5 for at least one more year, if not more. The worst thing we can do is finish around 10th for the next couple years and doom ourselves to another decade of almost not quite contention. Slaf had to stay in Europe last year and this one also. I still think he'll develop into a decent player, considering that he's shown improvement from last year to this and seems to have a good work ethic, but there's a risk when you draft a fourth liner he'll stay a fourth liner.

If only Slaf could score a goal like Dvorak's.

I thought Slaf made a few decent plays in the third. Granted, the standard for him is so low that a few decent plays constitute a step in the right direction. He's still so raw, but he seems noticeably less clueless than he was last year. It'll be a long runway for him; we're really targeting five years down the line. A regulation loss is not bad in the scheme of things. At least we're not getting walloped like the Sharks.

He's still young and improving. He's no 1st liner, but I think he'll be good value over the course of that contract.

I'm with you, we need more actual stars to be a contender at some point. Slaf and Reinbacher isn't enough from our bottoming out period.

He followed this up with a strong shift in the offensive zone. Cole is Mr. OT.

Slaf with some pretty horrendous turnovers late in the third.

Tonight we do!

Slaffy's getting frustrated. I'd love for him to score one tonight in front of the home crowd just to get the monkey off his back. Lots of empty seats in the crowd. Does anyone use gametime or other last minute ticket-selling apps? I'm wondering if there are any last minute deals on tickets to be found out there.

Hell of a goal by Matheson to salvage something in the third. The penalty on Arber that led to the Devils' fourth goal was a weak reputation call. If anyone's going to score a hatty on the Habs, I'm happy it was Toffoli.

Sounds like Savard is out long term.

Habs made it more fun by blowing the lead so Caufield could snipe one in OT.

I think Anderson might still be turned into a 1st rounder + prospect at this deadline or the next. With a (finally) rising cap, he's the type of guy who can put a contender over the hump and his age doesn't really fit with our young core. He also will likely become a bit of millstone once he loses a step, so it'd be best to move off him while his value is still high.

We have so many D prospects, maybe we should pioneer the four defensive pairs lineup formation?

Those are decent duos, at least we should be able to put Slaf with good players as long as we keep him off the fourth line. No one really stands out as deserving of the first line spot though.

Interesting perspectives denigrating this deal, which I thought was decent value. If Pearson is healthy he'll be worth another mid round pick at the deadline. But maybe we let Vancouver off the hook.

Gotta keep accumulating picks - it'll be a long rebuild. By 2025 we'll hopefully be in position to flip some of them for a good player. Is Pearson ready to start the season? Like others, I'm not thrilled about him taking a spot from a young guy, but then again we don't really have many forward prospects emphatically deserving a spot in the lineup. A year or two in Laval will do them well.

True enough, he knows where his bread is buttered.

McCagg was hyping up Lindstrom with Marinaro, maybe he's a Kovacevic type asset. It gives us the option of marinating Barron in the minors, which hopefully is the plan for everyone but our 1st overall supersoldier.

I don't mind the dead cap this year but for next year we should have gotten more value back. I guess Hughes' hands were tied by Petry's no trade clause.