Permanent Rumour Thread

[GHT120]

1 hour ago, DON said:

...
Chad Ruhwedel

Defense -- shoots R
Born May 7 1990 -- San Diego, CA
[32 yrs. ago]
Height 5.11 -- Weight 191 [180 cm/87 kg]

 

Mark Friedman

Defense -- shoots R
Born Dec 25 1995 -- Toronto, ONT
[26 yrs. ago]
Height 5.11 -- Weight 185 [180 cm/84 kg]

 

 

In 6 seasons with the Pens, Chad Ruhwedel played 232 games and averaged about fifteen and a half minutes per game ... so maybe a potential 6/7 stopgap.

 

Mark Friedman played 42 games over 4 seasons with Philly & Pitts, and averaged just shy of thirteen minutes per game ... so I'll say not likely.

 

EDIT: Ruhwedel's contract is only $800K but also covers the 23/24 season ... so I doubt the Habs would want to make such a commitment to a marginal NHLer. 

[alfredoh2009]

54 minutes ago, DON said:

Pierre Joseph, is he any good?

 

https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/ice-breakers-canucks-are-actively-working-to-trade-micheal-ferlands-contract/

 

Or these guys, RH d-men.

Chad Ruhwedel

Defense -- shoots R
Born May 7 1990 -- San Diego, CA
[32 yrs. ago]
Height 5.11 -- Weight 191 [180 cm/87 kg]

Mark Friedman

Defense -- shoots R
Born Dec 25 1995 -- Toronto, ONT
[26 yrs. ago]
Height 5.11 -- Weight 185 [180 cm/84 kg]

 

 

 

hard to plug any of these fringe RDs in the 4th D slot for the Habs

[dlbalr]

2 hours ago, GHT120 said:

In 6 seasons with the Pens, Chad Ruhwedel played 232 games and averaged about fifteen and a half minutes per game ... so maybe a potential 6/7 stopgap.

 

Mark Friedman played 42 games over 4 seasons with Philly & Pitts, and averaged just shy of thirteen minutes per game ... so I'll say not likely.

 

EDIT: Ruhwedel's contract is only $800K but also covers the 23/24 season ... so I doubt the Habs would want to make such a commitment to a marginal NHLer. 

 

Whether it's Joseph, Friedman, or Ruhwedel, whoever they waive is getting claimed and they know that.  Joseph is intriguing from a prospect perspective in that he's still fairly young although he's not a righty.  The other two are serviceable role players and on waivers, you're not going to do much better than that most of the time.

[alfredoh2009]

"The need for a reliable veteran—likely to be acquired through waivers by the Canadiens between now and the start of the regular season—has only been reinforced by spotty performances from Leskinen, Scheuneman and Bowey and by the lack of consistency from all the young defencemen outside of Guhle."

 

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/guhle-a-sure-bet-to-start-with-canadiens-xhekaj-closing-in-on-spot/

 

 

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

10 hours ago, alfredoh2009 said:

"The need for a reliable veteran—likely to be acquired through waivers by the Canadiens between now and the start of the regular season—has only been reinforced by spotty performances from Leskinen, Scheuneman and Bowey and by the lack of consistency from all the young defencemen outside of Guhle."

 

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/guhle-a-sure-bet-to-start-with-canadiens-xhekaj-closing-in-on-spot/

 

 

 

Yes, well - this is what I’ve been saying all summer. One injury, and the team is forced to play young D in roles they may not be ready for, which is bad for development. 

[GHT120]

10 hours ago, alfredoh2009 said:

"The need for a reliable veteran—likely to be acquired through waivers by the Canadiens between now and the start of the regular season ...

 

 

5 minutes ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

Yes, well - this is what I’ve been saying all summer. One injury, and the team is forced to play young D in roles they may not be ready for, which is bad for development. 

 

Agreed ... the ideal would be a NHL 5/6 D who could transition to a 6/7 role as the prospects progress ... but under the circumstances I think they just need someone who can fill a spot about as well as the "still baking" prospects in order to give the youngsters the time they need in the AHL.

[alfredoh2009]

a 5/6/7 RD won't cut it. Habs need minute eating RD that can shut down the opposition. The equivalent of a right-handed Chiarot, not a Savard who tends to skate himself out of position

I do not know much about these Ds, but a Bortuzzo in STL ??? Maybe? (Salary Cap non-withstanding)

[dlbalr]

4 minutes ago, alfredoh2009 said:

a 5/6/7 RD won't cut it. Habs need minute eating RD that can shut down the opposition. The equivalent of a right-handed Chiarot, not a Savard who tends to skate himself out of position

I do not know much about these Ds, but a Bortuzzo in STL ??? Maybe? (Salary Cap non-withstanding)

 

Bortuzzo is the definition of a 7th d-man.  He's not a minutes-eater, he's a 15-minute guy that can hit people and block shots but you don't want him in the lineup regularly. 

 

I don't think there's a top-four RD that's readily available right now on the trade front.  I wondered about Dylan DeMelo in Winnipeg being moved for a similar-priced forward but it doesn't seem they're going that route at this point with some of their younger forwards appearing to earn roster spots.   Any upgrade the Habs can get right now is going to be incremental at most.

[alfredoh2009]

15 minutes ago, dlbalr said:

 

Bortuzzo is the definition of a 7th d-man.  He's not a minutes-eater.  I don't think there's a top-four RD that's readily available right now on the trade front.  I wondered about Dylan DeMelo in Winnipeg being moved for a similar-priced forward but it doesn't seem they're going that route at this point with some of their younger forwards appearing to earn roster spots.   Any upgrade the Habs can get right now is going to be incremental at most.

 

Going through this list:

https://thewincolumn.ca/2022/10/04/ranking-defence-corps-around-the-nhl-and-where-the-calgary-flames-stack-up/

 

Alex Carrier in NASH? Mike Stone in CGY (PTO)?  Timmins (ARZ)?

 

"The tank is on"

[dlbalr]

Nashville isn't trading away someone cheap that plays 21 minutes a game, Stone is a 7/8 guy who wants to stay in Calgary (he'll either sign a two-way NHL deal or a pricey AHL deal), and Timmins is a young defender that Arizona will have zero interest in moving.

[alfredoh2009]

Here is another query on this, RDs with over 17min ATOI ranked from least PPG to most. Top 32:

https://www.capfriendly.com/browse/active/2022/points-per-game/all/defense/all/asc/right?stats-season=2022&limits=toi-16-40

PLAYER	TEAM	AGE	POS	HANDED	GP	G	A	P	P/GP	+/-	Sh	Sh%	TOI	W	L	SO	GAA	Sv%	CLAUSE	EXPIRY	CAP HIT	SALARY
1. Conor Timmins	ARI	22	RD	Right	6	0	0	0	0.00	-6	5	0.00	17:44	-	-	-	-	-		RFA	$850,000	$750,000
2. Alec Regula	CHI	20	RD	Right	15	1	0	1	0.07	-1	18	0.06	17:52	-	-	-	-	-		RFA	$866,667	$925,000
3. Tucker Poolman	VAN	28	RD	Right	40	1	2	3	0.08	2	47	0.02	17:00	-	-	-	-	-		UFA	$2,500,000	$1,750,000
4. Dylan DeMelo	WPG	28	RD	Right	76	1	12	13	0.17	10	78	0.01	18:29	-	-	-	-	-	M-NTC	UFA	$3,000,000	$3,000,000
5. Connor Murphy	CHI	28	RD	Right	57	4	6	10	0.18	-14	71	0.06	21:45	-	-	-	-	-		UFA	$3,850,000	$4,000,000
6. Mark Pysyk	DET	29	RD, RW	Right	68	3	9	12	0.18	-4	64	0.05	17:49	-	-	-	-	-		UFA	$900,000	$900,000
7. Nikita Zaitsev	OTT	29	RD	Right	62	2	9	11	0.18	-7	65	0.03	18:59	-	-	-	-	-	M-NTC	UFA	$4,500,000	$4,500,000
8. Dysin Mayo	ARI	24	RD	Right	67	4	8	12	0.18	-22	76	0.05	20:54	-	-	-	-	-		UFA Group 6	$750,000	$750,000
9. Andrew Peeke	CBJ	23	RD	Right	82	2	13	15	0.18	-14	72	0.03	21:28	-	-	-	-	-		RFA	$787,500	$750,000
10. Brandon Carlo	BOS	24	RD	Right	79	6	9	15	0.19	2	125	0.05	19:42	-	-	-	-	-		UFA	$4,100,000	$2,500,000
11. Ilya Lyubushkin	BUF	27	RD	Right	77	2	13	15	0.19	-2	54	0.04	17:27	-	-	-	-	-		UFA	$1,350,000	$1,350,000
12. Radko Gudas	FLA	31	RD	Right	77	3	13	16	0.21	27	100	0.03	18:00	-	-	-	-	-		UFA	$2,500,000	$2,500,000
13. Erik Gudbranson	CBJ	29	RD	Right	78	6	11	17	0.22	15	129	0.05	18:08	-	-	-	-	-		UFA	$1,950,000	$1,950,000
14. Tyler Myers	VAN	31	RD	Right	82	1	17	18	0.22	15	128	0.01	21:58	-	-	-	-	-	NTC	UFA	$6,000,000	$7,000,000
15. Travis Hamonic	OTT	30	RD	Right	43	4	6	10	0.23	6	82	0.05	18:50	-	-	-	-	-	M-NTC	UFA	$3,000,000	$2,750,000
16. Trevor van Riemsdyk	WSH	29	LD/RD	Right	72	1	16	17	0.24	-3	75	0.01	17:28	-	-	-	-	-		UFA	$950,000	$900,000
17. Erik Cernak	TBL	24	RD	Right	55	1	12	13	0.24	7	86	0.01	19:09	-	-	-	-	-		RFA	$2,950,000	$2,950,000
18. Josh Manson	COL	29	RD	Right	67	6	10	16	0.24	-11	92	0.07	18:58	-	-	-	-	-	M-NTC	UFA	$4,100,000	$4,450,000
19. Rasmus Ristolainen	PHI	26	RD	Right	66	2	14	16	0.24	-9	97	0.02	21:26	-	-	-	-	-		UFA	$5,400,000	$5,400,000
20. Luke Schenn	VAN	31	RD	Right	66	5	12	17	0.26	15	78	0.06	17:12	-	-	-	-	-		UFA	$850,000	$800,000
21. Justin Braun	PHI	34	RD	Right	69	6	12	18	0.26	2	73	0.08	19:32	-	-	-	-	-		UFA	$1,800,000	$1,800,000
22. Artem Zub	OTT	25	RD	Right	81	6	16	22	0.27	1	92	0.07	21:02	-	-	-	-	-		UFA	$2,500,000	$1,750,000
23. David Savard	MTL	30	RD	Right	62	3	14	17	0.27	-22	66	0.05	20:47	-	-	-	-	-		UFA	$3,500,000	$2,800,000
24. Nick Jensen	WSH	30	RD	Right	76	5	16	21	0.28	32	88	0.06	19:20	-	-	-	-	-		UFA	$2,500,000	$3,000,000
25. P.K. Subban	-	32	RD	Right	77	5	17	22	0.29	-8	114	0.04	18:17	-	-	-	-	-		UFA	$9,000,000	$8,000,000
26. Justin Barron	MTL	19	RD	Right	7	1	1	2	0.29	-3	13	0.08	17:11	-	-	-	-	-		RFA	$925,000	$925,000
27. Scott Mayfield	NYI	28	RD	Right	61	3	15	18	0.30	-5	80	0.04	19:46	-	-	-	-	-		UFA	$1,450,000	$1,750,000
28. Adam Larsson	SEA	28	RD	Right	82	8	17	25	0.30	-23	119	0.07	22:16	-	-	-	-	-	NTC	UFA	$4,000,000	$2,500,000
29. John Marino	NJD	24	RD	Right	81	1	24	25	0.31	1	90	0.01	20:38	-	-	-	-	-		UFA	$4,400,000	$1,750,000
30. Anton Strålman	BOS	34	RD	Right	74	8	15	23	0.31	-16	95	0.08	21:20	-	-	-	-	-	M-NTC	UFA	$5,500,000	$5,500,000
31. Lassi Thomson	OTT	20	RD	Right	16	0	5	5	0.31	-8	18	0.00	17:14	-	-	-	-	-		RFA	$863,333	$925,000
32. Matt Roy	LAK	26	RD	Right	67	2	19	21	0.31	23	153	0.01	20:59	-	-	-	-	-		UFA	$3,150,000	$2,000,000
33. Henri Jokiharju

[Commandant]

2 hours ago, alfredoh2009 said:

a 5/6/7 RD won't cut it. Habs need minute eating RD that can shut down the opposition. The equivalent of a right-handed Chiarot, not a Savard who tends to skate himself out of position

I do not know much about these Ds, but a Bortuzzo in STL ??? Maybe? (Salary Cap non-withstanding)

 

You aren't likely to find a top 4 minutes eater who is actually good on waivers. 

 

Most are also paid well and the Habs don't have the cap space, and teams will want assets for them in a trade too. 

 

This isn't a team thats competing for the playoffs.  I wouldn't be surprised if Wideman or a waiver claim is playing more minutes than you think, and not doing so particularly well. 

[GHT120]

3 hours ago, alfredoh2009 said:

a 5/6/7 RD won't cut it. Habs need minute eating RD that can shut down the opposition ...

 

As has been said, those players don't make it to waivers ... AND ... are "expensive", if ev

available, on the trade market ... especially RHD

 

2 hours ago, alfredoh2009 said:

Here is another query on this, RDs with over 17min ATOI ranked from least PPG to most. Top 32: ...

 

Most of those are 5/6/7 defencemen, not "minute-eaters" or "shut down" ... for THIS season a 5/6/7 is what the Habs need ... someone to night-in/night-out play the needed minutes, albeit not likely very well, but well enough to give the youngh=gsters time in Laval ... I-M-O Guhle seems to be the only youngster currently ready for regular NHL action.

[alfredoh2009]

2 hours ago, Commandant said:

 

You aren't likely to find a top 4 minutes eater who is actually good on waivers. 

 

Most are also paid well and the Habs don't have the cap space, and teams will want assets for them in a trade too. 

 

This isn't a team thats competing for the playoffs.  I wouldn't be surprised if Wideman or a waiver claim is playing more minutes than you think, and not doing so particularly well. 

 

I know, and I agree with you that it is a tall task to ask

Habs are rebuilding, and the apparent richness of centers probably came at the cost of the Ds that were traded

 

 

[dlbalr]

From your list, the list of defencemen that would a) be available in a trade and b) can play 20 minutes a night basically starts and ends with Zaitsev.  (Stralman's on a PTO so they wouldn't be trading for him.)

[alfredoh2009]

8 hours ago, dlbalr said:

From your list, the list of defencemen that would a) be available in a trade and b) can play 20 minutes a night basically starts and ends with Zaitsev.  (Stralman's on a PTO so they wouldn't be trading for him.)

 

yes, that is why I proposed that trade.

 

One can say Habs have the decisions made for them due to the lack of RDs in the league

 

 

[DON]

https://montrealhockeynow.com/2022/10/21/montreal-canadiens-la-kings-make-interesting-trade-partners/

RH d?

[GHT120]

12 minutes ago, DON said:

https://montrealhockeynow.com/2022/10/21/montreal-canadiens-la-kings-make-interesting-trade-partners/

RH d?

With Kovacevic playing decently, Barron in Laval and Harris having shown he can play RD in a pinch I am not certain RD is a priority at the moment ... unless it is to upgrade over Wideman.

[dlbalr]

24 minutes ago, DON said:

https://montrealhockeynow.com/2022/10/21/montreal-canadiens-la-kings-make-interesting-trade-partners/

RH d?

 

I wonder if this is the same anonymous well-placed source that has gotten just about everything else wrong since that site has launched.  Just because there's a good prospect in the minors does not mean that the Kings are going to trade him.  Los Angeles can't exactly trade for an upgrade as they can't even afford someone making the minimum.  Combining those two factors and still alleging that there are trade talks is straight clickbait, just like the piece about how Sustr is available on waivers for the Habs.  Of course he is, it's Ondrej Sustr, the long-time journeyman fringe defenceman that has the size and skating ability of an NBA player.  How that's worthy of a full article on a Montreal site is beyond me aside from clickbait and meeting quotas. 

[dlbalr]

Is it too early to play who's scouting who?  Some of these names are regulars but three from Anaheim caught my eye:

 

 

[Commandant]

On 10/22/2022 at 11:01 AM, dlbalr said:

 

I wonder if this is the same anonymous well-placed source that has gotten just about everything else wrong since that site has launched.  Just because there's a good prospect in the minors does not mean that the Kings are going to trade him.  Los Angeles can't exactly trade for an upgrade as they can't even afford someone making the minimum.  Combining those two factors and still alleging that there are trade talks is straight clickbait, just like the piece about how Sustr is available on waivers for the Habs.  Of course he is, it's Ondrej Sustr, the long-time journeyman fringe defenceman that has the size and skating ability of an NBA player.  How that's worthy of a full article on a Montreal site is beyond me aside from clickbait and meeting quotas. 

 

The hockey now sites were founded by guys like Adrian Dater and Jimmy Murphy, kings of the bullshit clickbait on twitter.  Its no surprise the sites they are running do this.

[GHT120]

Clearly these are going to be busy times ... 😉

 

 

 

Kidding ... but nice to see that Gorton has a sense of humour.

 

[DON]

Canes still trying to find a new home for this fella i guess. 

 

https://montrealhockeynow.com/2022/10/28/canadiens-in-prime-situation-to-take-advantage-of-trade-market/

“I know there’s a lot of interest across the league for a defenceman like Edmundson,” Lavoie said on TVA Sports. “I don’t think he’ll be traded now, but I can tell you that there are some pretty attractive offers. They can continue to become even more attractive in the coming months.”

 

[Commandant]

I'd take Bear at the right price. We could use some help on the right and he's young enough that there might be something there.  Not in a trade for Edmundson. 

 

On Edmundson, I think you have to get at least as much as Chiarot got, if not more. 

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

1 hour ago, Commandant said:

On Edmundson, I think you have to get at least as much as Chiarot got, if not more. 

 

Perhaps, the 1 year left on his contract makes him more than a short term rental but teams might be leery of his recent injury issues.