2022 NHL Offseason Thread

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

3 minutes ago, BCHabnut said:

Anderson has one move. Fire up the afterburner and power past or through everything in his path. Scare the shit out of the goalie and shoot in close. Not knocking it. It's fun to watch. I just haven't seem much else as far as shooting goes.

 

You are so right. A limited player, but as you say, so much damned fun to watch that I find it hard to be too critical of him. And he does bring some value. If you’re the other team, you worry that he might be on his game any particular night, because he is basically unstoppable when that afterburner kicks in.

 

If he ever does add another element or two to his arsenal, that could make the difference between 35 and 50 points, between being an entertaining “bonus” versus being a real impact player. It was interesting to hear him talk about how MSL wanted him to develop other aspects of his game…that seemed to be a new idea to him. He’s probably too old to really do it, but it’s an intriguing thought.

[Commandant]

18 hours ago, alfredoh2009 said:

After the multiple hand injuries, Gallagher’s shot is not a threat anymore.

Indo not remember him ever having a big slap shot

 

so, the shot percentage may or may not Improve

 

driving the bet creating chaos and impersonating A. Shaw when he was not suffering from concussions 

 

Gallagher has actually scored more wrist shots after getting the hand injuries. 

 

His biggest issue last season was that his skating was a half step slower and he wasn't finding open space, hence the number of shots he took has gone down.  Also with Tatar and Danault they were an elite possession line, with tons of offensive zone time. He didn't have that connection with linemates last year and with less zone time, he had fewer shots. 

 

As for slap shot, other than PP, very few forwards score with slap shots anyways, so this doesn't really effect him. 

[Plutarch]

4 hours ago, BCHabnut said:

Anderson has one move. Fire up the afterburner and power past or through everything in his path. Scare the shit out of the goalie and shoot in close. Not knocking it. It's fun to watch. I just haven't seem much else as far as shooting goes.

That's all I see... but it would be easy to forget him doing other things because when he does that it's so exciting hahaha

 

 

[Plutarch]

3 hours ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

You are so right. A limited player, but as you say, so much damned fun to watch that I find it hard to be too critical of him. And he does bring some value. If you’re the other team, you worry that he might be on his game any particular night, because he is basically unstoppable when that afterburner kicks in.

 

If he ever does add another element or two to his arsenal, that could make the difference between 35 and 50 points, between being an entertaining “bonus” versus being a real impact player. It was interesting to hear him talk about how MSL wanted him to develop other aspects of his game…that seemed to be a new idea to him. He’s probably too old to really do it, but it’s an intriguing thought.

I feel adding a one-timer wouldn't be the hardest dimension to add? I feel adding defense won't happen so might as well diversify his offensive threat in the cycle?

[DON]

15 hours ago, Plutarch said:

I feel adding a one-timer wouldn't be the hardest dimension to add?

But, is Anderson the type of player who can ever just hang back, top of circle and wait for a one-timer set-up? Like Ovi or Stamkos and the like do, with obvious success.

 

[BCHabnut]

2 hours ago, DON said:

But, is Anderson the type of player who can ever just hang back, top of circle and wait for a one-timer set-up? Like Ovi or Stamkos and the like do, with obvious success.

 

He's probably more useful smashing defenseman in the boards and passing to another one timer guy. Maybe he can work on his saucer.

[GHT120]

18 hours ago, Plutarch said:

I feel adding a one-timer wouldn't be the hardest dimension to add? ...

 

 

Somehow I think that if it was easy EVERY player in the NHL would be doing it.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

1 hour ago, BCHabnut said:

He's probably more useful smashing defenseman in the boards and passing to another one timer guy. Maybe he can work on his saucer.

 

Funny, I was just thinking that it’s his passing game I’d be trying to elevate. His assist levels are laughably low for a top-6 guy, but he *is* capable of making an alert pass. The potential is there.

 

I think it’s really tough when you come up as a physically dominating kid, to develop a fully rounded game. For most of your life coaches just opened the door and let you fly out there, since you were so dominant. Eric Lindros was a vastly better player than Anderson, but unlike most players he never learned to keep his head up - because he never had to, and coaches never insisted on it. The result was a career cut short, because in the 1990s NHL, there were guys just as big and powerful as him, and they were allowed to head-hunt, and he had no tools to defend himself.

 

I see Anderson as like that, except his issue is that he was never forced to learn anything other than steamrolling past the D on the outside. Too big and too good, too young; never properly trained.

 

 

 

 

[Plutarch]

5 hours ago, DON said:

But, is Anderson the type of player who can ever just hang back, top of circle and wait for a one-timer set-up? Like Ovi or Stamkos and the like do, with obvious success.

 

 

3 hours ago, BCHabnut said:

He's probably more useful smashing defenseman in the boards and passing to another one timer guy. Maybe he can work on his saucer.

 

3 hours ago, GHT120 said:

 

Somehow I think that if it was easy EVERY player in the NHL would be doing it.

Considering his advanced stats indicate he is one of the worst passers in the league... Any improvement would likely help 😛

 

On GHT120's comment, I meant a one-timer is a possibly more approachable skill to improve through repetition than something like "defensive awareness" or passing/vision. Both major weaknesses of his that would require a lot of work.

 

In my brain I was thinking him battling on the boards boards, passing it around the boards than drifting back out to the hashmarks. Just a play you could see happening every game. I'm not saying it would define his offensive strategy.

[Sir_Boagalott]

2 hours ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

 

 

I think it’s really tough when you come up as a physically dominating kid, to develop a fully rounded game. For most of your life coaches just opened the door and let you fly out there, since you were so dominant. Eric Lindros was a vastly better player than Anderson, but unlike most players he never learned to keep his head up - because he never had to, and coaches never insisted on it. The result was a career cut short, because in the 1990s NHL, there were guys just as big and powerful as him, and they were allowed to head-hunt, and he had no tools to defend himself.

 

I see Anderson as like that, except his issue is that he was never forced to learn anything other than steamrolling past the D on the outside. Too big and too good, too young; never properly trained.

 

 

 

 

 

I agree and I wonder if that can be said regarding Dach too.  i.e. big guys with the skills that could be capable of playing in the age group above them their whole life, but when they hit the NHL they are playing with the best players in the world.  Not everybody is Gretzky or McDavid that stay at a level above everybody else.  There are very few players that can keep that up at the NHL level.  

 

I think people are forgetting some of Andersons other talents, because we really haven't see it yet with the Habs, but he is really good at forechecking where he rushes a player and does a big hard open ice hit and steamrollers them.  The CBJ fans did call him BangBus.  

 

A great potential combo with Anderson and passing is how he stays to the outside and skates down the ice.  When he isnt able to get around the d and cut to the net he could pass back and over to center ice to a trailing and open linemate.  i.e. Caufield.  They were close to doing that last year. 

[BCHabnut]

6 hours ago, Sir_Boagalott said:

 

 

 

A great potential combo with Anderson and passing is how he stays to the outside and skates down the ice.  When he isnt able to get around the d and cut to the net he could pass back and over to center ice to a trailing and open linemate.  i.e. Caufield.  They were close to doing that last year. 

Having that one extra trick could certainly make him less predictable. 

[DON]

Fun is all well and good but not sure we want Drouin taking Guhle, Harris, Caufield, Barron, Slaf...etc under his wing. But, do hope he produces lots offense and that he-Dadonov-Hoffman arnt too much of a black hole in own end for the young d-men to work with.

 

“I don’t want to overthink it,” Drouin said of his mindset as he returns to the ice. “I just want to play hockey and have fun. This is what I love, playing hockey and being around the guys, helping the guys. Obviously, I’m a little older now and you see these young kids, they’re kind of clueless, so you try to help them as much as possible.”

 

https://montrealgazette.com/sports/hockey/nhl/hockey-inside-out/canadiens-winger-drouin-hopes-health-is-key-to-success-in-contract-year

 

[Prime Minister Koivu]

28 minutes ago, DON said:

Fun is all well and good but not sure we want Drouin taking Guhle, Harris, Caufield, Barron, Slaf...etc under his wing. But, do hope he produces lots offense and that he-Dadonov-Hoffman arnt too much of a black hole in own end for the young d-men to work with.

 

“I don’t want to overthink it,” Drouin said of his mindset as he returns to the ice. “I just want to play hockey and have fun. This is what I love, playing hockey and being around the guys, helping the guys. Obviously, I’m a little older now and you see these young kids, they’re kind of clueless, so you try to help them as much as possible.”

 

https://montrealgazette.com/sports/hockey/nhl/hockey-inside-out/canadiens-winger-drouin-hopes-health-is-key-to-success-in-contract-year

 

For Drouin’s sake I hope he has a career year for goals and points so that he can get a decent contract somewhere. 
 

If he flops then I fear his nhl career might be over or at the very least a short term minimum contract. 
 

It was short sighted and unfair to put the entire Francophone hope and weight on his shoulders. 
 

I hope he can rebound 

 

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

3 hours ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

For Drouin’s sake I hope he has a career year for goals and points so that he can get a decent contract somewhere. 
 

If he flops then I fear his nhl career might be over or at the very least a short term minimum contract. 
 

It was short sighted and unfair to put the entire Francophone hope and weight on his shoulders. 
 

I hope he can rebound 

 

 

I hope he has a good year too but Drouin having a very good year is kind of a double edge sword, as there would be a lot of pressure to sign the French Canadian kid to a long term contract. A lot of fans would be clamoring that he has finally turned it around.  I hope he has a good enough year that he is attractive to some other team at the trade deadline and Hughes has the cahones to trade him. 

[tomh009]

I have confidence in Hugo making a rational decision, regardless of any media pressure.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

4 hours ago, tomh009 said:

I have confidence in Hugo making a rational decision, regardless of any media pressure.

 

I share HabsFan in Edmonton's concern. We don't yet know that HughGort will be impervious to pressure - especially not if it's coming from Molson.

 

As I've noted before, it would be just like Drouin to put together a strong year, strong enough to get signed to a fat contract which will proceed to disappoint whichever team signs him for years to come.

[tomh009]

1 hour ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

As I've noted before, it would be just like Drouin to put together a strong year, strong enough to get signed to a fat contract which will proceed to disappoint whichever team signs him for years to come.

Drouin has scored at a roughly 50-point pace over the last years. However, even if he scores 50 actual points this coming season, he won't be valued at that level (at least not by most GMs) because he has a history of injuries, so the GMs will discount his ability to play a full season.

 

And even a 60- or 70-point season won't give him a windfall contract. He's been fairly steady at that 50-point pace, so one outlier year at 28 won't get him valued as a 70-point scorer.

 

I expect that even after such a "solid" 50-point season, his contract will be less than it is today, given his track record of missing a significant chunk of the season. And, no, I can't see anyone offering seven years to him. Maybe two or three, if he plays well this year.

[TurdBurglar]

51 minutes ago, tomh009 said:

Drouin has scored at a roughly 50-point pace over the last years. However, even if he scores 50 actual points this coming season, he won't be valued at that level (at least not by most GMs) because he has a history of injuries, so the GMs will discount his ability to play a full season.

 

And even a 60- or 70-point season won't give him a windfall contract. He's been fairly steady at that 50-point pace, so one outlier year at 28 won't get him valued as a 70-point scorer.

 

I expect that even after such a "solid" 50-point season, his contract will be less than it is today, given his track record of missing a significant chunk of the season. And, no, I can't see anyone offering seven years to him. Maybe two or three, if he plays well this year.

So the question is, in hypothetic-land, Drouin puts up 50-pts in 70 games (to account for injuries).  Does Hughes offer him a long term deal with low AAV to roll the dice?  Hoping Drouin wants security over a payday?  Say 5-8 years @ $3.5-4.5m?

 

A 50-pts player at even $4.5m a season for 5 years is well worth an 8 year contract as long as it's 50+ pts for the first 5 and 30ish for the last 3.

 

I will say I'm on the side that Drouin needs to produce and play nearly an entire season or he has very little hopes of getting any term or contract.

 

Again, this is hypothetic-land.

[tomh009]

I really can't see Hugo offering anything close to eight years. I would really see a shortish contract that would enable Drouin to show that he can sustain the performance (that he could potentially show this season).

 

And what would Drouin accept? Does he really love Montreal and the Habs as much as he says he does? If yes, maybe he'd be willing to concede some salary in order to stay in Montreal. Maybe. In the end, few players are willing to do that, but his work with CHUM etc could indicate that he'd at least consider it.

 

Very hypothetical indeed.

[GHT120]

17 minutes ago, TurdBurglar said:

So the question is, in hypothetic-land, Drouin puts up 50-pts in 70 games (to account for injuries).  Does Hughes offer him a long term deal with low AAV to roll the dice?  Hoping Drouin wants security over a payday?  Say 5-8 years @ $3.5-4.5m? ...

 

I don't see anything long-term ... and much depends on what contracts HuGo are able to move out ... once Caufield signs an extension, the Habs would already have 10 forwards under contract for 23/24 ... eleven counting Dach ... and who knows how Monahan and Dadonov play/fit-in ... ***IF*** the latter two don't earn being extended, or re-signed after being traded, and 3-4 others are moved out (e.g., Hoffman, Armia, Dvorak or Anderson, Gallagher [in my dreams]) then a reasonable short-term deal after a good season by Drouin ***might*** make sense.

[tomh009]

Hoffman and Dadonov will be 33 and 34 so I can't see them being part of the Habs' longer-term plans at this point, and I would expect them to be moved at the deadline, even if Hoffman still has one year remaining.

 

Monahan? Drouin? Gallagher? Anderson? So much depends on what form they'll have this year. They could make sense to keep, or they might become attractive to another team.

 

But back to Drouin, if he has a decent season this year (50+ points in 70+ games, as TurdBurglar suggests), I do believe that he'll be able to sign a reasonable contract going forward, whether with the Habs or somewhere else. Not seven years, but not a single-year one, either.

[hab29RETIRED]

19 minutes ago, tomh009 said:

Hoffman and Dadonov will be 33 and 34 so I can't see them being part of the Habs' longer-term plans at this point, and I would expect them to be moved at the deadline, even if Hoffman still has one year remaining.

 

Monahan? Drouin? Gallagher? Anderson? So much depends on what form they'll have this year. They could make sense to keep, or they might become attractive to another team.

 

But back to Drouin, if he has a decent season this year (50+ points in 70+ games, as TurdBurglar suggests), I do believe that he'll be able to sign a reasonable contract going forward, whether with the Habs or somewhere else. Not seven years, but not a single-year one, either.

If Drouin has a good start, is productive, and stays healthy up to the deadline, he should be traded and hopefully for a good return. Resigning him should even be a consideration.

[Prime Minister Koivu]

1 hour ago, hab29RETIRED said:

If Drouin has a good start, is productive, and stays healthy up to the deadline, he should be traded and hopefully for a good return. Resigning him should even be a consideration.

This 100000000%

 

If Drouin puts up 150 points he still won’t be offered a contract by the Habs.  There isn’t a single aspect of Drouin’s game that fits anything that HuGo described as their type of player or vision for the style of team they building.  Drouin’s only high skill quality is his passing abilities and that comes with significant injury history, average skating, poor decisions with the puck and a half assed work ethic. 
 

The team that signs him to a long term contract will be disappointed. 

[DON]

1 hour ago, hab29RETIRED said:

If Drouin has a good start, is productive, and stays healthy up to the deadline, he should be traded and hopefully for a good return. Resigning him should even be a consideration.

On a better contract, he might be fine for couple years, but Habs dont lack for wingers and think he is well aware he is likely going elsewhere in Feb-Mar.

[tomh009]

Yes, we have wingers. But, for perspective, consider the number of wingers on the Habs that scored at a 50-point pace last year, or better:

 

One. Caufield, of course.

 

Toffoli would have qualified, but he is now in Calgary. We may be drowning in wingers, but not in wingers capable of scoring or setting up goals.

 

And, just to be clear: I am not proposing to extend Drouin now. But depending on what happens this season, I will accept a rational decision from Hugo, whether it's to extend or trade. I don't think making player decisions based on who one likes or dislikes is the best way to build a strong team, and I expect that the Habs (especially with their new analytics team) will be in the best position to determine whether player X is worth keeping or trading.