hockeyrealist

when you have steady Eddy, Savard and even Romanov you have enough stable défense first defenders already. People have been complaining about no luck moving dmen for years and now shit on the one we’ve got for next to nothing to play half of the games. He is needed and fits the culture and the cap. A known commodity for cheap.

I really like this at these numbers. as the main page article points out, better to have him in and out of lineup than a prospect on a nightly basis. He showed some willingness to stand up for teammates and obv has the puck moving ability that is needed for PP. Will be easy to move him via trade or bury him in minors if youngsters progress quickly enough that he impeded progress. Now, if he plays top 4 I may not like this deal as much.

good point, have noticed that as well. wonder how special teams production this year compares to others, or if it is 5-5 scoring increase, or both?

Agreed on all of these points. The push for sports betting is so short sighted, it is a dangerous “hobby” and is going to ruin lives, have seen it in various other countries/states first hand. It is also non-discriminatory in that it is definitely marketing to youth and you never see any equivalents of a “surgeon general’s warning” or disclaimer that gambling is addictive, no links to help/support groups letting f you know how to access help. It is the most reckless marketing campaign (because that is what these new segments are) since the era of tobacco adverts. On a personal note: As part owner of a fully licensed cannabis production company I loathe the way gambling, alcohol are allowed to be promoted (literally targeting minors, less so for tobacco these days) meanwhile anything related to cannabis is hidden away if you are following the rules. Not that I care to promote our cannabis products that much, but I just think the rules are skewed unfairly. I’d prefer that none of the regulated markets (Rx marketing as well) should be allowed to advertise outside of the licensed vender locations (like allowing promos in a liquor store for example). Got side tracked there, but yeah I like to gamble (very responsibly) but don’t like my kid seeing it being treated like it has no negatives and being marketed as though it is now part of being a sports fan. Obv I set my kid straight, but it is being pushed down their throats. It is commented on in almost every segment with talking heads line Tim Mcallef constantly referring to his bets and how much he takes down, would it be acceptable to have same type comments if he was saying he’d had 20 whiskies the night before and felt great, or two packs of smokes per day, or bought such and such type of cannabis edibles and loved it? That would be ridiculous, but for some reason gambling is now even more socially acceptable so some corporate fat cats can Pull one over on the general populace. Obv there is also the risk that these talking heads shape how people bet and affect the odds, etc. Like Musk affecting share prices.

Any forward who becomes captain and is not consistently producing will be under a lot of scrutiny and media attention, I would not wish that upon Suzuki at this point in his career. IMO this also takes Gallagher off of the table as he already places himself in the media attention and also already places a lot of pressure on himself. I believe he leads by example, not by nurturing relationships and believe both he and the team is best served with him being an alternate captain. So with all of that in mind I think the captain needs to have experience, consistency and play a role with limited expectations offensively. Eddy is the perfect choice in these regards. His absence this year highlighted his steadying effect, importance to the team, he is well-liked, highly respected around the league and follows the Weber mold and therefore offers a great transitional captain until Suzuki is older and then Nick takes over. He will be able to handle it in stride at some point sooner than later, but no need until the team is a cup competitor. I actually think they should go another year without a C (spin it as ongoing tribute to Weber who is technically still on the team) and revisit naming Suzuki captain after this coming season. He may be even more ready to handle the added duties and stresses without affecting on ice performance and the team could be exiting the loser mentality by then if all goes as planned. Hard to have a new C on a team that is going to be a losing team, and expect that new C to do well and succeed in that new role. Best to let a youngish guy handle that when the team is more competitive. If injuries were not ruining his career I could see Byron being a dark horse candidate if we are thinking outside the box.

This is a strong point.

I like the idea of holding til deadline as insurance for Price. And also b/c goalies are hard to come by and good chance a competitor will have goalie injury and/or performance issues and overpay closer to deadline.

Agreed, and also well said sir.

Wow, great milestone for Nick. Hopefully we see him pass the 1000 mark in bleu, blanc et rouge. First game back in Columbus for Anderson and a promotion to big line w/ 14/22. Could be a big games for him, and Savard as well. Columbus is bad defensively, but so is Mtl, so could be a good night for individual points and also still get the L and help lottery odds. go Habs go ?

Just for sharts and giggles. Next season: Eddy-Petry Romy-Baron Guhle-Savard/Harris/Wideman. Optimistic prediction: Petry returns to Norris caliber play and we have a legit top pair. Maybe he then gets traded at deadline for a huge haul… Romy hits his sweet spot, becomes the full time Tsar star we know is there. Guhle plays so well he has to be on the team and never looks back, he and Savard become a physical force to be feared.

Dang that is not bad, he really does get limited use (obv PP time tho too) but he hasn’t been a disappointment imo. I don’t mind that he has some sandpaper too and is one of few guys who stick up for themselves/teammates. He’s done it a couple times where I felt it was unwarranted but a few times where it gave team a boost or showed camaraderie/willingness to stand up for the team.

Wondering what the logic is of Byron being a healthy scratch? I get that some young guys need to play but given how few games he has played there should be a need to get him into games to either: A) get him going, used to playing a regular schedule, he needs the ice time; B) build up any possible value to move him out at some point. He is supposed to be a valuable leader so shouldn’t he be one of the vets playing and setting a good example for young guys? If you’re gonna do a rotation Why continue to play Hoffman as far as vets go? Or even Armia? Forgot Poehling was even playing last night, so invisible this season. If he can’t stake out some turf during this season (which I don’t think he has) then it is about time to move on. Why play Tyler Pitlick over Byron, Byron has years left on his deal and again is supposed to be a leader, wears an A. Dauphin, Pezetta deserve more of a look than Tyler Pitlick and Poehling at this point. Random observations: Defensive play was scary. Savard / Scheuneman were fugly. Didn’t love the Eddy/Romy pairing, two lefties and neither excels at playing on right side. Even giving up that many goals Allen won the game for us. Good thing was seeing 22/14 continue to produce. 71 looked good against some decent opposition. 28 played well. ….so that was three strong centremen performances which is pretty awesome to say !!!

Re. Lehks. lots of good points made already. one thing that I’d read and made sense is that this is the first time he has had a coach who did not emphasize defensive play and encouraged creativity and perhaps that is allowing Lehks to shine….? That does have some truth to it, but given our plethora of overpaid depth players there really isn’t room for him even tho he would be great fit. Think the “sell high” camp may be on the money, approach him well about it and maybe he comes back in 2-3 years when we are challenging. He’s an awesome 3rd liner on a good team with cup plans. Definitely need to be a winning move tho where we exploit a teams playoff push and get a sure fire win on the deal.

Got to play poker with a former pro scout recently (has worked for Pitts, Chi, LA), now works in mgmt for one of those orgs. He said this years and next years draft are most likely going to result in lower than average numbers of NHL players. He said a glut of NHL quality bottom six players already exists in professional ranks and team will be inclined to work with them instead of young draft picks, because there is too much unknown in these draft classes. The players have had their development disrupted too much, they’ve not faced high level competition enough, and the abundance of known players currently toiling to semi-pro/pro leagues are mostly all willing to play for next to entry level money and know systems better, handle adjustment/travel better, and are generally a known commodity. His organization’s strategy is to move draft picks forward to future drafts and trade for current prospects in the 21-24 age range with at least a year of pro hockey. He says their motto is that the draft isn’t meant to stock to your team with bottom six players, that’s what the AHL/Europe is for, he said you draft impact players or bust and get your role players from the millions of hard working players toiling in AHL, Europe, semi pro NA who will all jump at chance to prove themselves and have less sense of entitlement. Should note he was with a couple of the listed organizations when they won cups and generally knows what he is talking about. He and my cousin asked that we don’t mention his current team, he is friends with/client of one of my cousins and joined a regular online game we have. I tried to be respectful, all I wanted to do was talk hockey biz, but half the poker players are American and only wanted to talk football. I did win some money from him as well!

interesting points: makes me believe this is not a good deal. philly is obv trying to “buy low” on Petry given his down year, but his recent play suggests that he really hasn’t fallen off of a cliff and is more likely to return to quality player status over the remainder of his contract. So, given the Habs have zero concern about cap max next year, perhaps it is wiser to keep him until summer or next deadline when he has likely rebuilt trade value (any of last three years he’d be in high demand and fetch a great return if he’d been made availability). There is no rush to move him internally as well, given he is not holding back any/many promising RHD prospects by continuing to play top 4, he could even prove to be good insulation for a prospect that comes back in a trade this year or over summer. Retaining money and taking back a bad contract (even expiring) does not seem worth it given there is no rush to unload him, probably only see his value boost over rest of season and make it far more appealing to deal him in summer as has been expected. On a Philly deal now, he’d be jumping to another tire fire team, that is on his no trade lost so I really hope nothing comes of this. Keep letting him rebuild value this season, showcase him on PP and deal him this summer

Thanks for the info, glad to see he is on the ice. Could use his skill and possibly as a trade chip I’d think if he was playing.

Glad to heat that as I think he is very over rated. Considering where he plays I have seen quite a few games over the years and especially this season since he has been linked to moves. He is soft in his own zone and reminds me of Dvorak as in people say he is good but on a bad team, but I think he looks good because he is on a bad team. Not someone you rebuild with/around. We need winners if they are vets. What kind of culture would he bring with him from the dessert.? very glad to hear this isn’t likely to happen.

Haha yeah gotta think there is a way to handle it so he thrives and team is better off for it. His scoring touch seems to be coming back though… but seems Laval would be best choice.

had just read that post in other thread and liked it. pretty much agree with these options but think Anderson should be a “want to trade” given his price tag moving forward (he’s young enough to stick around but kinda pricey for a crappy team for next 2-3 years). I’m a fan of his and want him around but think business case supports moving him as soon as a taker presents themselves (not saying take crap return tho, and what would be a good return is not my forte).

Damn that is such an obvious move, not like his old legs need rest.

Plenty of good points made already but given the impact of this move I will add my thoughts: -as mentioned this is def a strong sign that a full rebuild is underway. -also as mentioned earlier, I was a little surprised Toffolli was first to go (although another good point made above was that he was probably most in demand and easiest to move) -at first glance thought the deal was more volume return than value, but have come around and think they fetched as good of a return as they likely would have in the summer (the prospect has me intrigued, think the middle 6 prediction is acceptable and realistic, given he will age well within the next run of good times). -Toffolli’s first goal with the flames was a beauty and having watched plenty of their games this year (Habs being unwatchable) I will be rooting for him and think that team has potential to run deep if goaltending holds up. The flames have been good this year and are generally a fun team to watch. -the effect this move has on Suzuki and Caufield causes me some concern. They were both very close to TT and he also contributed to 14’s successes greatly. How will the youngsters respond to the open acknowledgment that this team is gonna suck for a while, it seems the young players were as surprised as many fans that TT was moved so quickly and early. The culture soured under DD this season and even with new coach this could get ugly and demoralizing for the young players as more and more pieces are sold off, if you’ve ever worked for a company going through downsizing/shut down you know how quickly morale/productivity wanes. That isn’t a switch that can be flipped back on in a couple of years, I think 14 has the mental fortitude to overcome this but a losing mindset is like a virus, spreads and grows. -Chiarot should and had better get a first round pick or a good prospect who will play valuable minutes in 2-3 years. -Hoffman has to go -Where is Drouin? Forgot he even existed. -Now I wonder if any of the vets are worth keeping, last years playoff run showed some late season value for guys like: Chiarot, Anderson, Byron, Lehks, Gally, Armia maybe even Petry. Last years run must have made an impression on some GM’s, here’s to hoping. Also interesting: Jake Allen’s truck was stolen in Mtl, cops told him it would never be found. so when he was ordering another and was advised it would be a bit of a wait to get the exact version he’d had, he told them to hold off cause he thinks he is moving soon. This is via the dealership. The roster is going to look a whole lot different very soon.

Re. DD. He should be fired but will probably last the season at this point. If they brought in a proven winner with history of success it would be on the players to listen, step up. Having a coach with no real track record does not instill the same sense of onus on the players to take responsibility. They have obv tuned DD out and at this point things are only festering an acceptance of loss, lacklustre effort, and culture of choosing not to follow the system. This is on the coaches at this point and is causing long term negative effects. They need to clean house on the bench now that the executive leadership has been. Couldn’t happen soon enough, assuming they have a coach available who has an irrefutable track record. Like Boudreau is in Van, the players are now on the hook as there is no doubting that he knows what’s what and can win. There are a couple coaches out there who have successful histories and are currently available. DD inherited a team that was run by veterans last year and won despite him (he missed a bunch of games I believe). He’s been dealt a tough hand this year but also has had all season to do his thing, when Vets like Petry cannot comprehend, adopt his style it says more about the style and/or delivery system than the players. I think DD had next to no impact on last season’s playoff success. In fact he probably hindered it more than helped with his roster calls. Weber, Price, Perry lead that team with Gally, Byro, Danault, Eddy preaching the gospel of good play.

Agreed, well said. Ottawa is actually taking a nice step this year, still playing hard for their coach and have enough talent to boot. Habs have been so bad I have watched a lot more Sens than usual (and many other team, CentreIce pkg) andSens games are usually entertaining. But to the main point, even when they aren’t winning there is no quit and they listen to their coaches, show respect (like coming over promptly when called).

Good point, they both looked fairly engaged and dangerous relatively I guess. was disappointed in Anderson’s soft dzone play in front of his own net (Draisatl scored but Andy was soft on play with Foegle just before), Andy shoulda put Foegle down, instead stared/swung his stick focusing on puck, ended up looking like a chump. “Can’t score from your back” (is what they used to say) although Ovi can haha. Andy shoulda dumped Foegle, Draisatl never gets the puck. Otherwsie liked his game overalL. And that line with Evans and Rem. Revanson!

I find these interesting. something that jumps out to me and is supported by team’s lack of success is that there are very few repeated names, none of the top 5 shots and also in top 5 goals. There are very few names showing up on more than one list, given the three categories one would expect more overlap. The eye test supports this in my perspective. Gally takes a ton of low percentage shots (aside from his crease play). Lehkonen does as well but I am a little surprised he hits the net enough to be second. Caufield is generally a shoot first mentality and that is as it should be. Happy to see Anderson made it (as he should be a shot generator) and think his goal total will rise if he stays on a consistent line. I am surprised Toffolli is not on top 5 as he shoots a lot based on eye test, and Hoffman as well. interesting results indeed, thx for sharing. Good to be reminded how productive JoDro can be, I was starting to forget about him/get a little sour that he is so hit/miss and has become a liability with the myriad of health issues, wish him the best personally but from a team perspective it is hard to see better times ahead. Another year at 5.5 and then what? Hard to believe there will be takers if he makes it back this year before deadline. The absence of Armia on these list speaks volumes to me as well, a little less so about Suzuki but… maybe a little.