illWill

Good, like the player, hated the reported ask to acquire said player. We have all the time in the world to wait for the right situation to happen, whether it is through a trade when another player becomes available or through internal development.

I feel like we've been so spoiled with prospects lately that people have a skewed opinion about Reinbacher because he hasn't graduated to the NHL full time as of yet. There have been countless trade proposals involving him or just outright writing him off as a potential player on the team. When he was drafted and even to this day, he is exactly what we need on the back end. He profiles as a solid defender that can skate well and move the puck, with a bit of offensive upside. We don't need him to rack up the points, fight, or do anything other than be himself. It can be a bit concerning that he has had so many injuries so far, but that doesn't necessarily translate to a bust by any means. i thought that he looked great during his cup of coffee last season and I fully expect him to make things difficult on management at training camp when they are selecting the team.

Because drafts are fluid and things change during that time?

Oh and can't help but notice Nazar's injury history so far in his career as well, maybe we can pick him up in a year or two with a draft pick.

I agree that his logic on this is flawed. Are we going to rehash the Dobson trade as well while we are at it? We sent 2(!) middle round draft picks in this case plus Heineman. Where are the cries that we could have had both Eklund and Aitcheson? Dach is a good player with a ton of upside. He is what we needed at the time, but he has had unfortunate injuries since then. It's not the end of the world, Nazar is mid anyway, get over it.

Yes, but when during the draft was the trade made?

I'd prefer to include Guhle in a package to get a bona fide top 6 forward. Love the player but we can't trade Hutson or Matheson on the left, and I think Arber has too many intangibles that we would sorely be lacking if he was moved. That helps to balance out the D, and leaves Struble and Engstrom as your 7th and 8th assuming Reinbacher makes it (he will).

Lost in this conversation is the fact that it was Romanov for a draft pick, we then traded that pick for Dach. I don't recall the timing or the details surrounding that, but perhaps there were some variables involved that resulted in us flipping the pick. That being said, the Habs were starving for a young center who could jump in and contribute right away. They got one with size, skill, and pedigree. I take that gamble 100% of the time all things considered at the time. Even if you don't like how it turned out so far, as stated above it can still certainly turn out in our favor.

I live in PEI and I get every game through my cable package (TSN, Sportsnet) except for the Amazon games. Nobody in my family watches TV whatsoever and the sole reason why I pay for cable is for the Habs games only. I can't be bothered how to figure out alternative ways to watch, it reminds me of this meme:

They were reportedly one minute away from landing Matthew Knies out of nowhere

It's a bit risky, but very well could end up being another steal. The extension kicks in after next season and by that time he could be considered a legit starter. I like betting on a 6'4 monster with passion oozing out of his ears who is 36-14-7 in his career and was our MVP of the playoffs.

100% This team just finished 6th in the NHL so I don't think there is necessarily a panic to just sign or trade for anyone. And by waiting for mid-season or the trade deadline, there will be more players available once some teams start to fall out of the race or maybe some players want out. Right now it seems that everyone is loading up and prices are sky high. And by all means, we very well could end up plugging some holes internally as well.

I think the idea is that the Habs are giving tons of bonus money up front, which the player can then invest immediately to benefit from the compounding interest.

Imagine 3 years ago discussing whether we would want to trade for Pettersson with retained salary as a second line center while not giving up much to get him. If Vancouver will retain enough to bring his salary down to around the rest of the team, then I am totally on board with acquiring him.

If we are signing RHD free agents, I would prefer Trouba personally. We need a bit more snot back there and he would be much cheaper than what Carlson is asking. I'm just not so sure that he would ever sign in Montreal or whether he'd be a fit personality wise. Other than that, I am up for either a massive trade or holding steady with our prospects. I think that we have the pieces in the system that can potentially fill holes, but I also wouldn't mind consolidating some assets to acquire a player. Players of value that I would move if need be: Kapanen (Not likely good enough for what is needed at 2C) Struble (Solves the log jam on LD, prefer Xhekaj for his intangibles) Guhle (Also related to LD log jam, often injured, but love player otherwise. Great contract, would bring in a great asset) Dach (Like everyone else I love the concept of Dach, but he consistently disappoints expectations) Beck (Projects to be an Evans type player, we already have an Evans type player) Pickford (NHL projection is too risky, perhaps another team will overpay for the past season) Engstrom (Would rather keep him as a 7th D since he can play both sides, but wouldn't be upset if dealt) Mooney (Literally just sick of the smurf narrative of the Habs over the years, Caufield and Hutson don't help that) ANY AND ALL DRAFT PICKS FOR ANY YEAR ARE ON THE TABLE! Players of value outside of the core that I would prefer not to move: Newhook (Cup winner, two game 7 winning goals, still young, fast AF) Evans (OG drafted Hab, super valuable on the PK and bottom 6) Texier (Can plug and play anywhere up and down the lineup, good contract) Bolduc (Still very young and raw, has attributes that are much needed, Quebec born) Xhekaj x 2 (I think fondly about the idea of having real life bash brothers on this team) Dobes (Need I say more?) Fowler (Blue chip goalie prospect, run both in a platoon situation and enjoy for years to come) Reinbacher (We need a shut down RHD, he was drafted 5th overall to do exactly that and also has offensive upside) Hage (Arguably the best player in the junior tournament, and just watch the Dad videos out there) Zharovsky (Childhood friends with Demidov, who also vouched for his selection. High ceiling and even higher potential for good vibes)

There is a rapist that plays goal for Vegas? That's awful, he should go through a trial to determine the facts and then the length of his jail term for such a heinous crime. I can't believe that the league would allow him to play, what is the world coming to?

Sadly have to root for Vegas in the finals. There is no way that I can go for the Canes after the offer sheet B.S that they pulled and then getting ole'd last night was cherry on top. Plus it would be hilarious to see Marner win a cup in his first year away from the Leafs.

Hell of a season and playoffs. Not only was it successful in the sense that they finished 6th overall in the league and 3rd in the playoffs, but my god was this a fun season to watch. Pretty much every game was cinema; come back wins, come back losses, highlight reel plays, young players taking the next step, etc. We can now boast a 50 goal scorer, a 100 point Selke nominee, a 30 goal power forward, another Calder nominee, two rookie studs in net, an elite defenseman, and a promising year for multiple prospects in the system. Might be a bit of doom and gloom at the moment, but when we look back at this year we will remember it fondly. Go Habs go

Probably recency bias, but I don't recall watching a game so lopsided. Can't exit the zone. Can't make a pass. Can't accept a pass. Can't win a battle. Can't get to the puck first. Can't enter the zone. Can't hold the puck. Can't set up a play. Can't make a play, any play. Can't get to the net. Can't read plays. Can't manage emotions. Can't be in position. Can't get a shot through. Can't execute on any chance. An absolute straight up old fashioned ass whooping. Dobes was good though.

I have no idea how to read those charts, but I've never seen our D spin back and pass back and forth behind our own net so much as this series. The Canes' forecheck is very aggressive and if we get in trouble if we can't slip it

After Carolina scored to open the game, I looked at my son and said "I'm not worried, we're going to destroy them". Watching the post game interviews, the Canes seemed a bit shell shocked at what just happened. Perhaps it's about time people stop underestimating the 2026 Canadiens.

The discussion wasn't about whether he was a top 6 forward or not, it was about how many bodies we have on the roster and how to make room for new additions. You then said Newhook isn't a playoff performer and doesn't provide any significant role in a playoff team's success. Clearly with 7 goals so far, 2 of which are series winners, you can admit that you were wrong?

I remembered having an exchange of some sort about Newhook so I decided to look it up

That Dach sequence was very frustrating. First his pass went into someone's skate, he then gets it back and flips it down for icing even though he had time and space. Then he obviously whiffs on the stick check and buddy walks down main street for the game winner. Don't want to pile on the guy since the whole team was too lackadaisical in overtime, but that very well could be the last time we see him in the lineup.

I'm a big Reinbacher believer, and he is literally exactly what we need on D. He very well could get called up and stabilize the pairings anytime now.