Commandant

One guy we should be all over is Tyler Boland.

Fucale may not play Saturday but should be back to play for Monday.

I don't think Danault gets 40 points if he's not playing with Max/Radulov. Remember DD was a 50-60 point guy at times when playing with Max at LW and some combo of Gallagher/Vanek/Cole on RW those years. His production is obviously going to do down, further down the lineup.

Hopefully that is the last we see of Lefebvre, but I doubt it.

This is a legit concern for me. I'm wary of any kid who does nothing for 3 years and then scores in his 19/20 year old year, especially one who does it through size and strength. Its man amongst boys syndrome and that applies to the WHL and OHL too. If a guy is productive for 2-3 years i have less skepticism. That said, he doesn't cost an asset to sign, so meh, low risk move. That was true in the past, I'm not sure its true now, as the Q has less goals per game than both Ontario and the WHL.

http://www.tsn.ca/canadiens-sign-free-agent-f-waked-1.737569 The 20-year-old Waked scored 39 goals and added 41 assists over 67 games with the QMJHL's Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in 2016-17, his fourth season with the club.

He's not Russian.

Nesterov is a FA who won't be re-signed. Juulsen is likely starting in the minors. Redmond is likely in the minors based on this season. Lernout is likely in the minors. Markov is currently a UFA, but I expect him back. I expect Beaulieu to be traded, no doubt in my mind. I could see Emelin traded. That makes your likely NHL roster. (Combos can change, just sketching it out) Markov - Weber Emelin - Petry Sergachev - Benn Jedrik - Davidson And one of those could be gone, either via trade (Emelin), or expansion draft.

Euros are still elc at 26. If he was north american he wouldnt be elc.

to be fair. Spezza's no trade clause included every Canadian team, and I doubt Boston was trading Seguin to the Habs. On the other hand. Ryan O'Reilly is a top line centre, and there is no reason the Avalanche wouldn't deal him here. Jeff Carter would be our #1 centre and he was traded twice. Ryan Johanssen was moved. Bergevin didn't bid on Eric Staal. Ryan Kesler was traded (though he may have been like Spezza with a NTC to Canadian teams) Kyle Turris was traded

Left D. Sounds more like a replacement for Nesterov at this point, but I guess Beaulieu replacement is another option.

A couple weeks ago, Alan Walsh said he was coming to the NHL. 25-year old D, would be signing a 1 year ELC 5 goals, 34 points in 59 KHL games this year. Undersized a bit (5'10). Good skater. Great passer. Good wrister, Decent but not the best slapshot. Being reported on RDS who are repeating a report from russian newspaper R-Sport. http://www.rds.ca/hockey/canadiens/lnh-les-canadiens-se-seraient-entendus-avec-le-defenseur-tcheque-de-la-khl-jakub-jerabek-1.4481711 Not officially a UFA til May 1st, so we might have to wait a couple days. Number 7

Joe Thornton is a good option, if you also have a time machine.

Agreed. They didn't ignore the rest of the roster. They spend a shit ton on goaltending, its just shitty goaltending. The centres don't stop them from spending nearly 9 million on goalies, but those goalies suck. Its kinda like how we spend 6 million on Plekanec, but he's not a top 6 centre anymore.

He just scores more points at C than at Wing, but he isn't a C.

The NHL Centre issue is basically the NFL QB issue. With rare exceptions, number 1 centres are taken in the first two rounds (with most in the first round). You aren't getting #1 Centres later in the draft. Marc Bergevin was right in saying that you can't get number 1 centres with late picks very often (his arbitrary cut off of the 20s was probably wrong though, but I digress....). Honestly, the Habs have three picks in the first two rounds. I'm all in favor of either trading up to get your hands on a Nick Suzuki, or Lias Andersson, or whatever in the mid teens, or using all three picks on Centres. If you don't draft centres early, you don't find them late.

40 points for the amount of time he spent with Radulov and Pacioretty isn't really all that good.

Lefebvre has coached the AHL team for what 4 years now? 5? the only prospects developped in that time who are full-time NHLers..... Gallagher, Galchenyuk, Lehkonen, Beaulieu. Gallagher spent less than half a season with Lefebvre. Galchenyuk and Lehknonen never played under Lefebvre. Beaulieu had a good couple years with him. Pateryn had a couple years with him. Thats a pretty damning list. Three of the five guys who developped into NHLers spent almost no time with him. The fourth guy is not near what people hoped of him (though some of that is on development post-call up, I grant that). Still 1 guy in five years? Pateryn i think you have to consider a success given a fifth rounder who developped into an NHLer, I don't know how much more we could ask for. McCarron might make a third guy under him, and he's not exactly lighting the world on fire either. Edit: Add Andrighetto, thanks Huzer. So if we really stretch, we get 4 prospects developped in 5 years, and none of them are worth writing home about (Pateryn, Andrighetto, McCarron, Beaulieu)­. Now, consider that with Lever, Boucher, Cunneyworth, Timmins' picks were developing into NHLers at a high rate, and I know who I'd be looking to change.

We need to spend any available money at Centre IMO. Pacioretty Radulov Lehkonen Gallagher Byron Shaw Hudon Wing isn't perfect, but its much better than C. Yes, Kovalchuk would be a second line upgrade, but C should be the priority.

So Montreal can match and you get stuck there? If you really want out, best to refuse to sign anything and demand a trade

Sure, go ask Damphousse to do your legal work for you next time you need a lawyer. Sounds like a good idea. Go ahead Don. Would you let Damphousse be in charge of registering the deed to your house purchase? to writing your Will? Those are relatively easy jobs. Now let him write the 300 page CBA, working in a multi-billion dollar industry People have education and training for certain things. He might be a really smart guy, but that doesn't mean he has the training to do the legal work needed in the NHLPA. The alumni positions of the NHLPA are largely ceremonial positions. They don't have the training and education to do the legal work. This is the same reason nearly every player hires an agent.

I got that part. Why my arm though? Why am I Jeff? Let Don be Jeff....

Who do you think is negotiating and drafting the CBA? The ex-players, or guys like Donald Fehr and his team of lawyers. guys like damphousse who didn't even finish high school?

Here is the problem. If he's a wing... then you need to acquire two top 6 Cs before next season. Good luck with that. We haven't been able to acquire one since MB was hired.

Yup, and he was used at Centre then. When moved to wing his numbers fell off and never recovered.