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2022 NHL Offseason Thread


dlbalr

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56 minutes ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

Finally: this could be the start of the end of Drouin’s career. If he doesn’t come back strong, what team in their right minds is going to sign a guy who couldn’t even crack the opening night roster of this POS squad? Drouin’s patterns, however, do not suggest a player who is in the least bit resilient. [B]The odds of him ending up in Europe next season just increased considerably.[/B]

 

That is exactly where Drouin and his soft-as-mush game belong....floating around the Swiss league.  Good riddance!

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OHL or AHL which will Mesar play?

 

Kicking ass for a year in OHL seems a smarter route, no?

 

https://montrealhockeynow.com/2022/10/12/kent-hughes-negotiating-next-steps-with-filip-mesar-for-season/

 

"During his press conference, general manager Kent Hughes spoke of his ongoing discussions with Mesar’s agent as to where his client will play this upcoming season. Hughes believes that Mesar is good enough to play in the AHL right now, but feels it would be to the detriment of his offensive game.

“I think Filip Mesar is better off scoring 80 points in the OHL than he is scoring 40 points in the AHL,” said Kent Hughes regarding his viewpoint on why Mesar would be better served in the OHL than the AHL."

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17 minutes ago, DON said:

OHL or AHL which will Mesar play?

 

Kicking ass for a year in OHL seems a smarter route, no?

 

https://montrealhockeynow.com/2022/10/12/kent-hughes-negotiating-next-steps-with-filip-mesar-for-season/

 

"During his press conference, general manager Kent Hughes spoke of his ongoing discussions with Mesar’s agent as to where his client will play this upcoming season. Hughes believes that Mesar is good enough to play in the AHL right now, but feels it would be to the detriment of his offensive game.

“I think Filip Mesar is better off scoring 80 points in the OHL than he is scoring 40 points in the AHL,” said Kent Hughes regarding his viewpoint on why Mesar would be better served in the OHL than the AHL."

 

Understandable that a young player prefers the AHL ... especially since he gets paid a VERY decent "real world" salary ($82.5K) in Laval rather than the weekly OHL stipend ($50-150?) ... I expect the 9 game rule applies to AHL games in terms of sliding the ELC, so he may start the season in Laval and see how he plays.

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8 hours ago, sbhatt said:

 

That is exactly where Drouin and his soft-as-mush game belong....floating around the Swiss league.  Good riddance!

No, no, no. We want a resurgent Drouin and the lovely assets he will bring at the trade deadline. He can go wherever once he leaves another fan base gnashing  their teeth in frustration 

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1 hour ago, GHT120 said:

Understandable that a young player prefers the AHL ... especially since he gets paid a VERY decent "real world" salary ($82.5K) in Laval rather than the weekly OHL stipend ($50-150?) ... I expect the 9 game rule applies to AHL games in terms of sliding the ELC, so he may start the season in Laval and see how he plays.

 

AHL games don't count towards the 9-game rule, just NHL ones.  If Mesar spent all season down there, the contract would still slide but Montreal wouldn't get a corresponding credit against the 50-contract limit.

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39 minutes ago, dlbalr said:

 

AHL games don't count towards the 9-game rule, just NHL ones.  If Mesar spent all season down there, the contract would still slide but Montreal wouldn't get a corresponding credit against the 50-contract limit.

Thanks for the contract clarification ... as I should have realized since you pointed out earlier that it applies to him a Slafkovsky ... but I still think he may well still get a "look see" in the AHL (whatever number of games) and if he is having struggles then get demoted.

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5 hours ago, PMAC said:

No, no, no. We want a resurgent Drouin and the lovely assets he will bring at the trade deadline. He can go wherever once he leaves another fan base gnashing  their teeth in frustration 

 

A "resurgent Drouin??"  Isn't that a contradiction in terms.  

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9 hours ago, Habs Fan in Edmonton said:

 

A "resurgent Drouin??"  Isn't that a contradiction in terms.  

 

The guy’s a bum. For a 27-year-old francophone to be a healthy scratch on opening night is a devastating indictment. 

 

I’m not sure we want a “resurgent Drouin” anyhow. Given language politics and our dubious depth at LW, it would be dangerously hard to resist re-signing such a player; and yet I doubt even a 60-point Drouin would command all that much at the deadline, on an expiring contract, because most teams know what he is (although I never under-estimate the stupidity of NHL GMs). Also, if he did have such a season, he would be guaranteed to get injured right before deadline day, because he’s Jonathan Drouin.

 

Drouin was a complete dog feces of an acquisition by our former “Mr. Character” GM - one of those franchise-damaging, cataclysmically bad trades that every Habs GM since Pollock has made at least once. The door can’t hit his arse fast enough.

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

... I’m not sure we want a “resurgent Drouin” anyhow. Given language politics and our dubious depth at LW, it would be dangerously hard to resist re-signing such a player; and yet I doubt even a 60-point Drouin would command all that much at the deadline, on an expiring contract ...

 

The expiring contract is why he would have any value ... doubt a Cup contender would be interested but if JD is having a solid-to-good season a team chasing a playoff spot/ranking might well be interested.

 

As for a possible re-signing, I have confidence that HuGo having resisted the temptation to sign token francophones, or popular re-treads like PK, this summer would resist.

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49 minutes ago, GHT120 said:

The expiring contract is why he would have any value ... doubt a Cup contender would be interested but if JD is having a solid-to-good season a team chasing a playoff spot/ranking might well be interested.

 

 

I agree but that is a pretty big "if".  I just don't think Drouin is mentally where he needs to be.  I wish him the best as he seems like a nice guy but maybe Europe is a much better place for him, less scrutiny, less pressure and he can use his skill to glide the rest of his life away. 

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2 hours ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

The guy’s a bum. For a 27-year-old francophone to be a healthy scratch on opening night is a devastating indictment. 

 

I’m not sure we want a “resurgent Drouin” anyhow. Given language politics and our dubious depth at LW, it would be dangerously hard to resist re-signing such a player; and yet I doubt even a 60-point Drouin would command all that much at the deadline, on an expiring contract, because most teams know what he is (although I never under-estimate the stupidity of NHL GMs). Also, if he did have such a season, he would be guaranteed to get injured right before deadline day, because he’s Jonathan Drouin.

 

Drouin was a complete dog feces of an acquisition by our former “Mr. Character” GM - one of those franchise-damaging, cataclysmically bad trades that every Habs GM since Pollock has made at least once. The door can’t hit his arse fast enough.

 

 

 

 

I think Drouin just didn't have a healthy camp and is just not ready to start the season. I do not believe it is because he is a "bum" or "lacks heart", just going through a rough patch in his career that follows years of injuries and mental health issues.

 

If punks like Kassian can redeem themselves (EDM for a couple of seasons) and players like Phil Kessel are still in the league ... then, there is hope for a player like Drouin.

 

If healthy, he can play top-6 in this league

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20 hours ago, DON said:

OHL or AHL which will Mesar play?

 

Kicking ass for a year in OHL seems a smarter route, no?

 

https://montrealhockeynow.com/2022/10/12/kent-hughes-negotiating-next-steps-with-filip-mesar-for-season/

 

"During his press conference, general manager Kent Hughes spoke of his ongoing discussions with Mesar’s agent as to where his client will play this upcoming season. Hughes believes that Mesar is good enough to play in the AHL right now, but feels it would be to the detriment of his offensive game.

“I think Filip Mesar is better off scoring 80 points in the OHL than he is scoring 40 points in the AHL,” said Kent Hughes regarding his viewpoint on why Mesar would be better served in the OHL than the AHL."

 

The issue is that once you send him to the OHL he has to stay there until his team plays their last game (ie is eliminated in the playoffs, or the regular season ends if they don't make it).  By sending him to the AHL they have more time to make the decision. 

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13 minutes ago, Commandant said:

The issue is that once you send him to the OHL he has to stay there until his team plays their last game (ie is eliminated in the playoffs, or the regular season ends if they don't make it).  By sending him to the AHL they have more time to make the decision. 

How long can they keep him in the AHL, and still send him to the OHL?

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3 hours ago, alfredoh2009 said:

 

I think Drouin just didn't have a healthy camp and is just not ready to start the season. I do not believe it is because he is a "bum" or "lacks heart", just going through a rough patch in his career that follows years of injuries and mental health issues.

 

If punks like Kassian can redeem themselves (EDM for a couple of seasons) and players like Phil Kessel are still in the league ... then, there is hope for a player like Drouin.

 

If healthy, he can play top-6 in this league

 

Unfortunately, I believe Drouin is in fact a "bum" who "lacks heart". Doesn't mean he's a horrible person, I just don't want him on my favourite team. It's no coincidence we went on our best run without him and always seem to look better when he's out. We have a really deep forward group and offence on all four lines, and since he doesn't figure into our future plans, I'm fine with him riding the pine until injuries hit. It's not like he'd get that much back at the deadline anyways - I'd rather boost the stock of Dadonov, Hoffman, and even Armia. 

 

The whole Drouin experience was regrettable and I'll be happy to see him go next summer (or earlier if we're lucky).

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14 hours ago, Habs Fan in Edmonton said:

 

A "resurgent Drouin??"  Isn't that a contradiction in terms.  

Yes, but I live in hope. Imagine, Drouin shows flashes of brilliance, scores lots of goals and the Canadiens trade him and Armia for a first round pick and lo and behold the possibility of the Canadiens winning the egregious, ill-conceived and infuriating Sergachev for Drouin trade becomes a possibility. Likely? No. Bordering on fantasy? Yes. Pleasant to think about? Yes. Kind of like a Leafs fan envisioning a Stanley Cup. 

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2 minutes ago, PMAC said:

... Kind of like a Leafs fan envisioning a Stanley Cup. 

 

Leafs winning the Stanley Cup tenor.gif?itemid=3989580

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1 minute ago, PMAC said:

Yes, but I live in hope. Imagine, Drouin shows flashes of brilliance, scores lots of goals and the Canadiens trade him and Armia for a first round pick and lo and behold the possibility of the Canadiens winning the egregious, ill-conceived and infuriating Sergachev for Drouin trade becomes a possibility. Likely, no? Bordering on fantasy? Yes. Pleasant to think about? Yes. Kind of like a Leafs fan envisioning a Stanley Cup. 

 

The Leafs winning the Cup is a much likelier outcome than our being able to package a bum like Drouin and dead-weight contract like Armia for a 1st-rounder. 

 

3 hours ago, alfredoh2009 said:

 

I think Drouin just didn't have a healthy camp and is just not ready to start the season. I do not believe it is because he is a "bum" or "lacks heart", just going through a rough patch in his career that follows years of injuries and mental health issues.

 

If punks like Kassian can redeem themselves (EDM for a couple of seasons) and players like Phil Kessel are still in the league ... then, there is hope for a player like Drouin.

 

If healthy, he can play top-6 in this league

 

I remind you that he was a HEALTHY scratch. Or, to put it another way, do you think Gallagher would have been sat out because he "wasn't ready" (in some metaphysical sense) because his health hadn't been perfect through training camp? Please.

 

Yep, Drouin can play top-6 in this league - when he is 100% healthy, when he feels like it, and when Jupiter is in the correct alignment with Uranus, and the pollen content in their air is not 0.3% above or below normal. Since those conditions never prevail for very long, neither does he.

 

Verdict: bum.

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6 hours ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

The guy’s a bum. For a 27-year-old francophone to be a healthy scratch on opening night is a devastating indictment. 

 

I’m not sure we want a “resurgent Drouin” anyhow. Given language politics and our dubious depth at LW, it would be dangerously hard to resist re-signing such a player; and yet I doubt even a 60-point Drouin would command all that much at the deadline, on an expiring contract, because most teams know what he is (although I never under-estimate the stupidity of NHL GMs). Also, if he did have such a season, he would be guaranteed to get injured right before deadline day, because he’s Jonathan Drouin.

 

Drouin was a complete dog feces of an acquisition by our former “Mr. Character” GM - one of those franchise-damaging, cataclysmically bad trades that every Habs GM since Pollock has made at least once. The door can’t hit his arse fast enough.

 

 

 

Luckily we are dealing with Hu-gort --or Horton as I have recently heard them referred to-- and they do not operate in any, way, shape or form like the previous regime. I have no doubt that even if Drouin has a great year-- and that is a big IF-- that they would not be tempted to re-sign him unless there were compelling hockey reasons to do so. They are not going to be swayed by language politics or sentiment. Their MO is to bring in players like Matheson who have a connection to Montreal and a compelling rationale as to why they fit the ethos, needs, goals, and long term plan. You know, the long term plan and commitment to a certain approach to team building and team play that Bergevin and most of his recent predecessors lacked. Forget the trades and signings-- which have been almost universally excellent-- I am most impressed by Horton's revamp of how the organization does business and their commitment to having the CH be cutting edge in treating players well, drafting with a plan, paying attention to analytics ,while being cognizant of the short-comings of a fully data-based approach, taking   innovative approaches to player skills development-- with a real staff and resources-- and otherwise operating a smart, agile 21 st business intent on leveraging all of its advantages for success. 

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1 hour ago, tomh009 said:

How long can they keep him in the AHL, and still send him to the OHL?

 

I don't think there is a limit, but not sure. 

 

Its just a thing where when he goes down, he can't come back until Kitchener's season is done. 

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1 hour ago, Commandant said:

Its just a thing where when he goes down, he can't come back until Kitchener's season is done. 

Send him there now, who cares if he is staying the full year there.

Isnt that 'likely' the best for his development in the end anyways, playing vs his own age and hopefully dominating the younger high school age kids.

 

Or would 'some' AHL time be helpful? Not sure did much for Mysak did it?

(i know different players and all that but still)

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I keep thinking Alexander Daigle being similar to Drouin.

Not real comfortable with the physicality/pressure of the NHL.

Hope he has saved some $$ and maybe can go fool around/part-owner with some QMJHL team in early retirement, maybe best for him?

 

Or does St Louis really think trying to light a fire under his ass will help?

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2 hours ago, Commandant said:

I don't think there is a limit, but not sure. 

 

Its just a thing where when he goes down, he can't come back until Kitchener's season is done. 

 

Correct, there's no deadline for someone to go from the AHL to the CHL.  There was one that I think got sent back in late February/early March last season.

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On 10/12/2022 at 6:38 PM, GHT120 said:

Understandable that a young player prefers the AHL ... especially since he gets paid a VERY decent "real world" salary ($82.5K) in Laval rather than the weekly OHL stipend ($50-150?) ... I expect the 9 game rule applies to AHL games in terms of sliding the ELC, so he may start the season in Laval and see how he plays.

Whether AHL or OHL, Mesar would have already been paid his signing bonus ($92.5K), right? I think he could survive on that in Kitchener. :)

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