2022 NHL Offseason Thread

[tomh009]

5 minutes ago, DON said:

Whats the hurry?

So, I suppose we could have claimed more players off waivers. Is that what you are suggesting?

 

As it is, I expect that when the NHL team is healthy, all the rookies bar possibly Guhle will be developing in Laval. However, even when injuries hit, we still do need to put a full complement of 20 players on the ice, so that will likely include some prospects getting a call-up. And I'm OK with that.

[Prime Minister Koivu]

3 hours ago, alfredoh2009 said:

 

we have not seen any tangible positive impact of the coaching staff and development program.

 

we have not yet seen any benefits from the analytics

 

Like in politics during elections, the potential for all of this to work well is there; I will reserve my judgement after next summer.

 

But so far, with the NHL roster makeup, it feels like 2015-2016

It’s been five minutes of the new program. 
 

let’s reevaluate in two years

[Prime Minister Koivu]

I hope Drouin finds his way and I’m a bit surprised that Hoffman is more attractive - Drouin must be having a hard time

[DON]

Shiny new toys that mgmt just has to run out there for mostly PR reasons i think. They talked the talk, guess that is it.

 

Seems 99.9% of folks are good with it, so i will shut up now.

 

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

3 hours ago, alfredoh2009 said:

 

we have not seen any tangible positive impact of the coaching staff and development program.

 

we have not yet seen any benefits from the analytics

 

Like in politics during elections, the potential for all of this to work well is there; I will reserve my judgement after next summer.

 

But so far, with the NHL roster makeup, it feels like 2015-2016

 

Patience young grasshopper, the season hasn't even started yet. 

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

15 minutes ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

I hope Drouin finds his way and I’m a bit surprised that Hoffman is more attractive - Drouin must be having a hard time

 

That is disappointing but perhaps not surprising. Thank goodness he only has 1 year left on his contract. 

[Prime Minister Koivu]

Im excited to watch the season start and progress. 
 

I hope we score 8 on Wednesday 

 

Edit - article is up and it’s really great. 
 

 

[GHT120]

1 hour ago, DON said:

Shiny new toys that mgmt just has to run out there for mostly PR reasons i think. They talked the talk, guess that is it.

 

Seems 99.9% of folks are good with it, so i will shut up now.

 

Other than Slafkovsky over Drouin, and that benching is hardly "unearned" by Drouin, the other rookies are all starting because of injuries, leaving no better options ... don't think it means they have abandoned proper development.

[DON]

Cap reasons also?

 

https://montrealhockeynow.com/2022/10/11/montreal-canadiens-juraj-slafkovsky-starting-season-in-montreal-has-positive-ltir-impact/

[dlbalr]

4 hours ago, alfredoh2009 said:

I had Meloche on my short list of waiver pickups. I don't know if the Habs are done already; CGY seems to be trying to squeeze him by

 

#Yotes place Jonas Johansson on waivers.#Flames place Nicolas Meloche on waivers.

— Brennan Klak (@nhlupdate) October 11, 2022

 

 

Had they not claimed Kovacevic, I'd have said there was a shot they'd take him but I'd be a bit surprised if they took him now.  He's a true 7th d-man type of player, not great at much aside from hitting people.

 

2 hours ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

I hope Drouin finds his way and I’m a bit surprised that Hoffman is more attractive - Drouin must be having a hard time

 

Always be leery of blog writers quoting unnamed NHL sources.  NHL executives don't typically speak off the record to writers of independent sites knowing that they're going to turn around and be anonymously quoted.  This seems to be the new in thing, supposedly cite a well-placed source (perhaps from a ___ Conference team) and then magically get a bunch of followers.  Once in a while it might be true (and this could be one of them for sure) but never to the extent that people claim it happens.

 

13 minutes ago, DON said:

Cap reasons also?

 

https://montrealhockeynow.com/2022/10/11/montreal-canadiens-juraj-slafkovsky-starting-season-in-montreal-has-positive-ltir-impact/

 

Yes, That's why Harris made the season-opening roster over Barron.  Barron could have gotten them closer to the $10.5M overage but Harris had more bonuses; including them expands the bonus ceiling if they have to call other youngsters up.  It doesn't bypass the potential for an overage at the end of the season though, that's important to note.

[tomh009]

5 hours ago, alfredoh2009 said:

we have not seen any tangible positive impact of the coaching staff and development program

Development, by its nature, should be measured in seasons, not weeks or months. It’s not instant transformation.

 

And the new coaching staff has yet to coach an NHL game played in anger.

[Prime Minister Koivu]

58 minutes ago, dlbalr said:

 

Had they not claimed Kovacevic, I'd have said there was a shot they'd take him but I'd be a bit surprised if they took him now.  He's a true 7th d-man type of player, not great at much aside from hitting people.

 

 

Always be leery of blog writers quoting unnamed NHL sources.  NHL executives don't typically speak off the record to writers of independent sites knowing that they're going to turn around and be anonymously quoted.  This seems to be the new in thing, supposedly cite a well-placed source (perhaps from a ___ Conference team) and then magically get a bunch of followers.  Once in a while it might be true (and this could be one of them for sure) but never to the extent that people claim it happens.

 

 

Yes, That's why Harris made the season-opening roster over Barron.  Barron could have gotten them closer to the $10.5M overage but Harris had more bonuses; including them expands the bonus ceiling if they have to call other youngsters up.  It doesn't bypass the potential for an overage at the end of the season though, that's important to note.

I do understand and I’ve been burned before but it looks like this one is true

 

 

[dlbalr]

Well, yeah, it has been out there since yesterday that he was going to be a healthy scratch.  That wasn't the part I was commenting about as I assumed everyone knew he was going to be a scratch.

[IN THE HEARTS OF MEN]

As well he should be... he has done nothing to assume he is a lock for a spot... maybe this will light the fire? But I highly doubt it

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

58 minutes ago, IN THE HEARTS OF MEN said:

As well he should be... he has done nothing to assume he is a lock for a spot... maybe this will light the fire? But I highly doubt it

 

I doubt it as well. He is 27, the fire should have been lit by now. Some people just don't have that burning desire, doesn't make him a bad person, just disappointing to see someone with his talent not make the best use of it. 

[DON]

Is he slightly injured maybe?

[IN THE HEARTS OF MEN]

6 minutes ago, DON said:

Is he slightly injured maybe?

Nope... who's he taking out the line up? Pitlick? Pitlick had been great and shown chemistry with Evans. 

[hab29RETIRED]

7 hours ago, Habs Fan in Edmonton said:

 

That is disappointing but perhaps not surprising. Thank goodness he only has 1 year left on his contract. 

It would have been nice if he had a good first half this year, so we could get something back for his lazy ass.

[DON]

9 minutes ago, IN THE HEARTS OF MEN said:

Nope... who's he taking out the line up? Pitlick? Pitlick had been great and shown chemistry with Evans. 

Maybe like me, he thought his spot was assured if healthy?

[tomh009]

34 minutes ago, IN THE HEARTS OF MEN said:

Nope... who's he taking out the line up? Pitlick? Pitlick had been great and shown chemistry with Evans. 

Hoffman?

[TurdBurglar]

23 minutes ago, tomh009 said:

Hoffman?

Hopefully Dadanov.  He looked so bad during the preseason.  Drouin was invisible, Dadanov was only visible for bad things.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

I find it shocking that Drouin is a HEALTHY scratch. Veterans usually aren’t punished for preseason play, and it’s not like we have a passel of fantastic options at LW. 

 

Three thoughts: one is that MSL must have explicitly given Drouin instructions, either during the offseason or preseason, which he has failed or refused to act upon. No way does a coach sit a veteran player for a poor preseason otherwise. 

 

The second thought is, this is a case where having a popular coach makes all the difference. MSL will own Drouin in the court of media and public opinion, and that’s why he can make this move without howls of denunciation echoing across la belle province.

 

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. The odds of him ending up in Europe next season just increased considerably.

[GHT120]

4 minutes ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

I find it shocking that Drouin is a HEALTHY scratch. Veterans usually aren’t punished for preseason play, and it’s not like we have a passel of fantastic options at LW. 

 

Three thoughts: one is that MSL must have explicitly given Drouin instructions, either during the offseason or preseason, which he has failed or refused to act upon. No way does a coach sit a veteran player for a poor preseason otherwise. 

 

The second thought is, this is a case where having a popular coach makes all the difference. MSL will own Drouin in the court of media and public opinion, and that’s why he can make this move without howls of denunciation echoing across la belle province.

 

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. The odds of him ending up in Europe next season just increased considerably.

Read on a less than reputable site, so take for what it is worth, that MSL was unhappy with the physical condition in which Drouin reported to camp.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

9 minutes ago, GHT120 said:

Read on a less than reputable site, so take for what it is worth, that MSL was unhappy with the physical condition in which Drouin reported to camp.

 

Well, that would be a plausible explanation for the decision to sit a veteran on the basis of a crummy camp. 

 

If this rumour is correct, then it shows that Drouin is even more of a basket case than I realized. For a guy to show up out of shape during a contract year speaks either to a grotesque sense of entitlement despite years of failure, or to a simple lack of commitment to his hockey career along the lines of Alexandre Daigle.

 

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

12 minutes ago, GHT120 said:

Read on a less than reputable site, so take for what it is worth, that MSL was unhappy with the physical condition in which Drouin reported to camp.

 

If that is true then what a huge disappointment, after missing most of last season you would think he would be raring to go plus he SHOULD see himself as a role model for the younger guys. If that is true then he can't be gone soon enough.