Jump to content

Feb 02, Habs VS Canucks - 7;00pm


habs#4,9,10,33

Recommended Posts

Danault is going to be a really tough case. 
 

Ive argued in other threads about just how important he is to our team. The role of that line to play opposing teams top lines and still provide offence   
 

But we can’t afford 6 million and if Danault is a shutdown guy with dried up offensive skills how much should he earn?

 

Can Evans provide the same service?

 

Can Poehling be effective yet in a 4th line role?

 

Are we comfortable running with such young centres?

 

How much would you pay Danault?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Habsfan said:

KK (33%) and Suzuki (36%) we lousy in the faceoff circle last night....just throwin' tha tlittle tid bit out there! ;)

 

On the positive side, Evans won 12 of 18 faceoffs for 67% and Danault won 54% of his faceoffs!

One game is a really small sample, especially when the lines get matched: the opposing centre's performance will also impact the percentage.

 

Here are the percentages for the season to date:

Danault 55.56%

Evans 50.60%

Kotkaniemi 44.00%

Suzuki 40.75%

 

Work needs to be done. But Evans is very respectable at over 50%.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

Danault is going to be a really tough case. 
 

Ive argued in other threads about just how important he is to our team. The role of that line to play opposing teams top lines and still provide offence   
 

But we can’t afford 6 million and if Danault is a shutdown guy with dried up offensive skills how much should he earn?

 

Can Evans provide the same service?

 

Can Poehling be effective yet in a 4th line role?

 

Are we comfortable running with such young centres?

 

How much would you pay Danault?

This is the question. Danault is a very good two-way centre, there is no doubt about that. But depending on how he plays this year, how much money he demands, and how well Evans develops, decisions need to be made.

 

If he wants $5.5M (with term!) and his and Evans' performances are as they have been so far, will Bergevin lock him into a long-term contract? Or move Evans into the top 9, and bring up Poehling or Vejdemo. That would free up close to $5M of cap space, and would allow Bergevin to either retain Tatar or Armia, or trade for/sign someone else.

 

In the end, it's not so much the question of whether Danault is worth $5M+, but whether that $5M of cap space is best spent on Danault or somewhere else.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

29 minutes ago, tomh009 said:

This is the question. Danault is a very good two-way centre, there is no doubt about that. But depending on how he plays this year, how much money he demands, and how well Evans develops, decisions need to be made.

 

If he wants $5.5M (with term!) and his and Evans' performances are as they have been so far, will Bergevin lock him into a long-term contract? Or move Evans into the top 9, and bring up Poehling or Vejdemo. That would free up close to $5M of cap space, and would allow Bergevin to either retain Tatar or Armia, or trade for/sign someone else.

 

In the end, it's not so much the question of whether Danault is worth $5M+, but whether that $5M of cap space is best spent on Danault or somewhere else.


Key question at the end there for sure. 
 

Im leaning to letting him walk if his demands remain so high. 
 

Id rather spend that money on a winger whether that is Tatar, Armia or someone else. 
 

Even at 5 million I think that is too much right now for 3rd line centre with questionable offensive skills. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think you keep.the centre as centres are harder to find.

 

I have no faith in poehling or evans replacing what danault does against the other teams best players and the ability to roll four lines is what makes this team so hard to deal with.

 

It may take a line juggle next year as i doubt you want a rookie in tatars spot but i could see toffoli in that role and caufield on KK's line.  I have a lot more faith in Caufield and Ylonen to take on roles in this team in the future than I do Poehling.

 

Poehling would be a guy I move at the deadline while he still has value as part of a package for whatever it is we are missing. What that is isnt obvious now but you never know what injuries will occur.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

56 minutes ago, Commandant said:

Poehling would be a guy I move at the deadline while he still has value as part of a package for whatever it is we are missing. What that is isnt obvious now but you never know what injuries will occur.

Given how close we are to the cap, there is not much we would be acquire at the deadline, apart from possibly filling in for an injury at the bottom of the lineup.

 

I'm not a huge fan of Poehling, but I do think he still has potential for 4C. And Vejdemo might, too. And, in the longer term, certainly Ikonen, if he has recovered from his rash of injuries (too early to tell whether he will actually get signed in the summer).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

Im leaning to letting him walk if his demands remain so high. 
 

Id rather spend that money on a winger whether that is Tatar, Armia or someone else. 
 

Even at 5 million I think that is too much right now for 3rd line centre with questionable offensive skills.

Commandant is right...centers are always harder to find. When you've got a good one, you keep him. Wingers are easier to replace.

 

I admit that I don't think Danault is worth 6 million$ per year...I would be willing to go up to 5 million$ per year for 5 years. Apparently he refused a 30 million for 6 year contract. Is this true? None of us know for sure, but I sure hope that it isn't cause if he did in fact refuse that contract, I don't think the Habs will be able to resign him.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

49 minutes ago, Neech said:

Danault consistently drives possession and takes on the tough assignments, thus making the job easier for the Suzuki and KK lines.  I'd absolutely give him 5.5-6M with term and roll with three top-6 C's.


If Danault did refuse 6 years at 5 million and he does indeed want 6 million a year, how on earth can we afford to pay a 3rd line centre that much?

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A six-year contract ... we could then potentially be spending $20M+/year by the end of that on our top three centres (if I have my math right, both Suzuki and Kotkaniemi would be UFA-eligible in 2026-2027).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rolling along nicely, hopefully Sens play like they have been tomorrow, the boys can pad their stats and fill the net.

And that it isnt a Red Wing-type repeat of taking them for granted and losing to worst team over and over.:pray:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, tomh009 said:

Given how close we are to the cap, there is not much we would be acquire at the deadline, apart from possibly filling in for an injury at the bottom of the lineup.

 

I'm not a huge fan of Poehling, but I do think he still has potential for 4C. And Vejdemo might, too. And, in the longer term, certainly Ikonen, if he has recovered from his rash of injuries (too early to tell whether he will actually get signed in the summer).

 

I don't even know what to acquire today. 

That said by the time the deadline comes, its possible we have an injury and need to replace that player.  If thats the case, there is your cap space for the rental. 

 

If we don't have a serious injury, and are still playing well, great.... keep Poehling and see what happens.  

That said if we are thinking of him as a 4th C, those are easy enough to pick up every summer for 1.5 million or less in cap space.  I wouldn't worry about trading him if we think his career is going to be similar to Kyle Chipchura.  Sell him while the value of former first round pick is still a little bit there (and no I'm not saying he's worth a first rounder). 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Commandant said:

That said if we are thinking of (Poehling) as a 4th C, those are easy enough to pick up every summer for 1.5 million or less in cap space.  I wouldn't worry about trading him if we think his career is going to be similar to Kyle Chipchura.  Sell him while the value of former first round pick is still a little bit there (and no I'm not saying he's worth a first rounder). 

We drafted Kotkaniemi (in first round) and Evans (in seventh!) which helps our C strength. And traded for Suzuki. But is Poehling a write-off? Behind him, I only see Hillis, Stapley, Ikonen and Olofsson. Hillis is promising, but is he all that we have in the pipeline?

 

Is 4C Poehling's ceiling now? I thought he might have the possibility to become a middle-six centre.
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, tomh009 said:

We drafted Kotkaniemi (in first round) and Evans (in seventh!) which helps our C strength. And traded for Suzuki. But is Poehling a write-off? Behind him, I only see Hillis, Stapley, Ikonen and Olofsson. Hillis is promising, but is he all that we have in the pipeline?

 

Is 4C Poehling's ceiling now? I thought he might have the possibility to become a middle-six centre.
 


I actually hope that CJ gives Poehling some games a la Mete. 
 

If we get a centre injury he would be the fill in right?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 minutes ago, tomh009 said:

We drafted Kotkaniemi (in first round) and Evans (in seventh!) which helps our C strength. And traded for Suzuki. But is Poehling a write-off? Behind him, I only see Hillis, Stapley, Ikonen and Olofsson. Hillis is promising, but is he all that we have in the pipeline?

 

Is 4C Poehling's ceiling now? I thought he might have the possibility to become a middle-six centre.
 

 

That Poehling may be the best of the centre options not currently on the roster is neither here nor there ... he flushed past season after being demoted and once AHL play begins will have to go down and prove that he deserves NHL games ... I think he is capable of doing it, but can't say I am confident that he will.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:


I actually hope that CJ gives Poehling some games a la Mete. 
 

If we get a centre injury he would be the fill in right?

 

The cap means we can't call Poehling off the taxi squad.  We can't fit him in as he makes more than Perry/Frolik.

 

He will be in the AHL as soon as they start up.  Likely given big minutes and with Bouchard trying to make him NHL ready. 

Despite a good first game at the end of 2019, last season he had 2 points in 27 NHL games and clearly wasn't ready. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, tomh009 said:

We drafted Kotkaniemi (in first round) and Evans (in seventh!) which helps our C strength. And traded for Suzuki. But is Poehling a write-off? Behind him, I only see Hillis, Stapley, Ikonen and Olofsson. Hillis is promising, but is he all that we have in the pipeline?

 

Is 4C Poehling's ceiling now? I thought he might have the possibility to become a middle-six centre.
 

 

He might become a third liner, I don't see him being a 2nd liner even.  His offence just isn't there.  Sure there was a good WJC tournament and one strong first NHL game, but that is a total of 8 games.  The bigger sample size of his college career, and his AHL time, and those 27 NHL games last year, all suggest he doesn't have the offence to replace what Danault can bring.

Keep in mind this argument is about re-signing Danault or Tatar or Armia.  To me you re-sign Danault because centres are hard to find.  I don't have faith in Poehling or anyone else in the pipeline right now, but Suzuki, KK, Danault, and Evans will be excellent centre depth on the NHL team for a long time and Danault at 27 years old is by far the oldest of the bunch so it can be good for a while. 

 

As for the pipeline, you are missing Jan Mysak, Jack Smith, Blake Biondi, Arsen Khisamutdinov, and Lukas Vejdemo.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the comments. It'll be interesting to see what the Athletic says in their prospect assessment for the Habs, maybe later this week or on the weekend.

 

P.S. I did mention Vejdemo in my previous post! Would you consider him more 4C capable than Poehling?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 minutes ago, tomh009 said:

Thanks for the comments. It'll be interesting to see what the Athletic says in their prospect assessment for the Habs, maybe later this week or on the weekend.

 

P.S. I did mention Vejdemo in my previous post! Would you consider him more 4C capable than Poehling?

Farrell might be a centre with bit of promise (could be more a winger, but i am not sure?), currently leading USHL scorer (30a 46pts in 24gms), going to Harvard.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

51 minutes ago, tomh009 said:

Thanks for the comments. It'll be interesting to see what the Athletic says in their prospect assessment for the Habs, maybe later this week or on the weekend.

 

P.S. I did mention Vejdemo in my previous post! Would you consider him more 4C capable than Poehling?

 

I think Vejdemo is better right now, especially with what he's done in Europe this season and Poehling not playing.  That said, it could quickly change after a couple months of AHL.  Poehling has the higher ceiling. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Commandant said:

Keep in mind this argument is about re-signing Danault or Tatar or Armia.  To me you re-sign Danault because centres are hard to find.  I don't have faith in Poehling or anyone else in the pipeline right now, but Suzuki, KK, Danault, and Evans will be excellent centre depth on the NHL team for a long time and Danault at 27 years old is by far the oldest of the bunch so it can be good for a while. 

 

 

That makes sense to me. There is no way they can sign all 3 and doubtful they can sign 2 of them with Suzuki and KK expected to get raises in the next couple years.  I see Caulfield hopefully filling one of the spots on the wing at a much cheaper price. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...