Our strengths and weaknesses have flip-flopped!

[alfredoh2009]

on another note, I was looking at the lineup suggested by Cap Friendly. What do you think of this lineup to start the season?

 

I would swap Dadonov with Hoffman and Play Shueneman instead of of one of the rookies.

 

[Prime Minister Koivu]

34 minutes ago, alfredoh2009 said:

on another note, I was looking at the lineup suggested by Cap Friendly. What do you think of this lineup to start the season?

 

I would swap Dadonov with Hoffman and Play Shueneman instead of of one of the rookies.

 

Interesting line suggestions 🤔

 

I think if Slaf plays well in camp he will play with Suzuki and Caufield 

 

I still believe a forward will be traded before or just after the season starts. 
 

Defence:

 

Matheson - Savard

Edmundson - Harris

Guhle - Schueneman

Wideman

 

Barron isn’t ready 

 

[alfredoh2009]

1 hour ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

Interesting line suggestions 🤔

 

I think if Slaf plays well in camp he will play with Suzuki and Caufield 

 

I still believe a forward will be traded before or just after the season starts. 
 

Defence:

 

Matheson - Savard

Edmundson - Harris

Guhle - Schueneman

Wideman

 

Barron isn’t ready 

 

 

Com'on, PMK. with the current roster, what would your forward lineup be?

[Prime Minister Koivu]

39 minutes ago, alfredoh2009 said:

 

Com'on, PMK. with the current roster, what would your forward lineup be?

Assuming the roster includes Monahan (injury):

 

Slafkovsky - Suzuki - Caufield 

Dadonov - Dvorak - Gallagher 

Drouin - Dach - Hoffman 

Armia - Monahan - Anderson 

Evans 

[alfredoh2009]

45 minutes ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

Assuming the roster includes Monahan (injury):

 

Slafkovsky - Suzuki - Caufield 

Dadonov - Dvorak - Gallagher 

Drouin - Dach - Hoffman 

Armia - Monahan - Anderson 

Evans 

Thanks for sharing 
if they roll 4 lines, sure. Otherwise, Anderson on the crash and bang line may be underused/misused 

[GHT120]

58 minutes ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

... Slafkovsky - Suzuki - Caufield 

Dadonov - Dvorak - Gallagher 

Drouin - Dach - Hoffman 

Armia - Monahan - Anderson 

Evans 

 

 

 

Even if he has a good camp, I don't know that I want Slafkovsky starting his NHL career against the opposition's top line and top D pairing ... drop him to 3rd line to start.

 

I also would prefer to see Anderson on the second line and Gallagher and Hoffman on the 3rd/4th, 4th/3rd, lines as the case may be (no preference).

 

[dlbalr]

20 minutes ago, GHT120 said:

Even if he has a good camp, I don't know that I want Slafkovsky starting his NHL career against the opposition's top line and top D pairing ... drop him to 3rd line to start.

 

Same here and I'd be surprised if he was up there.  Asking him to play heavy minutes for 82 games in his rookie season is asking for trouble (and injury).  Besides, players don't typically go from the third line in Finland to the top line in the NHL.

[alfredoh2009]

Ok, now that you shared your opinion on some else’s lineup what are yours ? @dlbalr and @GHT120?

[GHT120]

40 minutes ago, alfredoh2009 said:

Ok, now that you shared your opinion on some else’s lineup what are yours ? @dlbalr and @GHT120?

I said how I would switch the forwards (assuming Monahan is healthy) ... on defence, I think Schueneman starts the season and only one rookie (which one depending on training camp) starts the season on the blueline.

 

[dlbalr]

48 minutes ago, alfredoh2009 said:

Ok, now that you shared your opinion on some else’s lineup what are yours ? @dlbalr and @GHT120?

 

I've given precisely zero thought to this but sure, here goes (assuming Monahan is healthy).

 

Caufield - Suzuki - Anderson

Dadonov - Dvorak - Gallagher

Hoffman - Monahan - Dach (Dach takes strong-side draws on his side of the ice)

Drouin - Evans - Armia

 

With the extra forward depth, start Slafkovsky in the minors and have Pitlick and either Byron (if healthy) or Pezzetta as the healthy scratches.  Drouin on the fourth line isn't ideal but given Montreal's injury luck, that problem will probably resolve itself by the second or third game anyway.

[HabsWEST]

On 8/25/2022 at 9:04 AM, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

.......

 

 

I would caution against assuming the C position is solved for years to come. That assumes that Dach (who remains unsigned) is going to pan out. If he doesn’t, we’re right back in the crapper at C, with a 1A (Suzuki) and a bunch of bottom-6 guys.

 

The importance of the Dach acquisition seems to have gone somewhat under the radar. We gave up either Romanov or a 13th-overall pick for him. That is a significant organizational investment. This was their big play to fix our organizational hole at C. If it doesn’t work out, that could become a structural problem with the rebuild and, along with goaltending, could be the difference between success and failure. A lot is depending on Mr. Dach.

 

 

I have been pondering all summer on the DACH move. and keep asking myself, why? ( on mulitple fronts...WHY ?

Do Hughes and Gorton know something? Or is it wishful thinking, A Big C, young, to justify not picking a C ( WRIGHT) at the draft and getting Slafkovsky..

 

Dach, hasnt shown any JR, or early offensive potential pre or post his draft year? and Chicago too eager to pawn him off..

 

NOW, this is curious to me, either Hughes is a genius, or its a gample and wishful thinking.

 

Now , suppose, fine  Romanov still is trade.. BUT KEEP THE 13th pick.. get JS

 

and are the habs better off with ;

 

1. JS and a center prospect taken 13th like one of the ones available like NAZAR?

 

OR

 

2. HABS TAKE WRIGHT, as their C, and then take a winger like KEMELL or even MIROSHNICHENKO?

 

Wright and Kemell instead of SLAFKOVSKY and DACH

 

yes depends on DACH, and if was better to go with Wright..

 

soon we will find out over next 2 to 3 years.

 

But the trade for DACH, is curious

 

WIshful thinking gamble, ( as there doesnt appear to be any history showing Dach's potential ..) or Hughes knows more than most...hmmmm?

[alfredoh2009]

Thanks for playing along  

[GHT120]

4 minutes ago, HabsWEST said:

I have been pondering all summer on the DACH move. and keep asking myself, why?...

 

 

I think *** A *** factor (not THE factor) in the trade with the NYI was a desire to move Romanov ... I've read/heard that HuGo were not fans ... IMO they feel that there is untapped potential in Dach.

[Prime Minister Koivu]

AFAIC Anderson adds little to the quality of any line he plays on. 
 

As stated in another thread, Anderson does the same thing over and over again - regardless of line mates. 
 

Anderson is responsible for his own success and nobody else’s - it’s just how he plays. 

NOT bagging on Anderson at all. We all love what he brings. 

 

Slafkovsky is going to tear crap up and earn that spot. 
 

We should roll 4 lines with speed because we have strong offensive depth. 

[Sir_Boagalott]

atm, I'd go with:

 

Caufield - Suzuki - Anderson

Hoffman - Monahan - Dadonov

Drouin - Dvorak - Armia

Slafkovsky - Dach - Gallagher

Evans 

- play 1st line 18 mins, the rest avg around 14 mins

 

Matheson - Schueneman

Edmundson - Wideman

Guhle - Savard

Harris

- reason: trying to balance the pairs with a vet and young guy, + have 1 offensive d/pairing.  

 

They desperately need a goalie and the D isnt the best so the Habs gaa will be high but they should score a enough that they might be a bubble team.  ex:  allow almost 4g/gm but score close to 6 g/gm and be around .600.

 

With Byron, Pitlick and Pezzetta out they have too many F's.  Hughes must be trying to get a G or another dman.  Who will move out and who will he bring in?  ex: trade Drouin for a G that makes similar with 1 or 2 years left on their contract.  What teams potentially have a goalie that fits that criteria?

[Commandant]

Opening Night Prediction

 

Drouin - Suzuki - Caufield

Dadonov - Dach - Anderson

Slafkovsky - Dvorak - Gallagher

Hoffman - Evans - Armia

 

Press box to start: Pitlick

 

LTIR to start - Byron, Monahan

 

When Monahan comes off IR is also a convenient time to be Slafkovsky's 9th game and the decision to send him to the AHL or burn a year off his contact.  Assume Monahan in November.  Assume Slafkovsky doesn't play all 8 games, Pitlick rotates in some too and they ease Slafkovsky in, with some press box too. 

 

Matheson - Savard
Edmundson - Barron

Guhle - Wideman

 

PB will be Harris to start, but he will rotate in a lot, especially cause he could replace Barron on RD, or Guhle on LD, and as the season goes on they might play 3 rookies at times)

 

 

[BCHabnut]

17 hours ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

Assuming the roster includes Monahan (injury):

 

Slafkovsky - Suzuki - Caufield 

Dadonov - Dvorak - Gallagher 

Drouin - Dach - Hoffman 

Armia - Monahan - Anderson 

Evans 

That's a nice looking forward group.

[GHT120]

10 hours ago, Commandant said:

... When Monahan comes off IR is also a convenient time to be Slafkovsky's 9th game and the decision to send him to the AHL or burn a year off his contact ...

 

No issues with your lineup ... but my understanding is that only sending a player to junior after 9 games rolls over a year on his ELC ... I believe that Laval still counts as the first season of his ELC ... which is OK with me if that is what is best for his development.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

13 hours ago, HabsWEST said:

I have been pondering all summer on the DACH move. and keep asking myself, why? ( on mulitple fronts...WHY ?

Do Hughes and Gorton know something? Or is it wishful thinking, A Big C, young, to justify not picking a C ( WRIGHT) at the draft and getting Slafkovsky..

 

Dach, hasnt shown any JR, or early offensive potential pre or post his draft year? and Chicago too eager to pawn him off..

 

NOW, this is curious to me, either Hughes is a genius, or its a gample and wishful thinking.

 

Now , suppose, fine  Romanov still is trade.. BUT KEEP THE 13th pick.. get JS

 

and are the habs better off with ;

 

1. JS and a center prospect taken 13th like one of the ones available like NAZAR?

 

OR

 

2. HABS TAKE WRIGHT, as their C, and then take a winger like KEMELL or even MIROSHNICHENKO?

 

Wright and Kemell instead of SLAFKOVSKY and DACH

 

yes depends on DACH, and if was better to go with Wright..

 

soon we will find out over next 2 to 3 years.

 

But the trade for DACH, is curious

 

WIshful thinking gamble, ( as there doesnt appear to be any history showing Dach's potential ..) or Hughes knows more than most...hmmmm?

 

I believe you may be overthinking it. HuGo probably got wind that Chicago was, for baffling reasons, selling off their young players and identified Dach as a promising young C with size. They would both have been familiar with him given that he was a high-end prospect. In other words, they believe he will live up to his potential as a top-6 C and were willing to make the investment.

 

My point is that if they are wrong, then the C position will remain a hole that needs filling, and we’ll be right back in the situation we’ve been in ever since trading away Turgeon and Damphousse: desperately seeking C. (The one time since then that we had real strength down the middle was 2021, when we went to the Finals; no coincidence, that).

 

You’re quite right about the big picture. Slaf needs to be as good as, or better than, Wright and Dach needs to be as good as or better than Nazar. Otherwise, they f**ked up royally. No way around it. Those are the burdens of judgement you undertake when you’re the GM making the call.

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

7 minutes ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

Those are the burdens of judgement you undertake when you’re the GM making the call.

 

That is very true. There are no guarantees when you make a trade or draft a player. It's always easy for us to 2nd guess later. 

 

I agree that they need to be correct in their assessment of Dach for the center  position to be a position of strength again.  This year will tell us a lot about Dach, if he doesn't progress then it's very very likely they will be a drafting a center in the draft next year,  they might be drafting one anyway. 

[Commandant]

3 hours ago, GHT120 said:

No issues with your lineup ... but my understanding is that only sending a player to junior after 9 games rolls over a year on his ELC ... I believe that Laval still counts as the first season of his ELC ... which is OK with me if that is what is best for his development.

 

No, as long as the player is 19 or under on December 31st, his contract can roll over in the AHL as well. 

 

This happened with Pacioretty. 

[GHT120]

18 minutes ago, Commandant said:

No, as long as the player is 19 or under on December 31st, his contract can roll over in the AHL as well. 

 

This happened with Pacioretty. 

 

All the more reason to perhaps give him a year of development in the AHL.

[Plutarch]

On 8/26/2022 at 11:56 AM, alfredoh2009 said:

on another note, I was looking at the lineup suggested by Cap Friendly. What do you think of this lineup to start the season?

 

I would swap Dadonov with Hoffman and Play Shueneman instead of of one of the rookies.

 

things I noticed with Hoffman's stats is he had the lowest Sh% of his career (minus his last year in Ottawa which... Let's just say he was distracted lol). Also he had the lowest offensive zone start time % of his career.

 

Maybe we st Louis can change his usage a bit to up his value. Maybe a Drouin-???-Hoffman lineup and give them offensive zone starts? 

[Prime Minister Koivu]

36 minutes ago, GHT120 said:

All the more reason to perhaps give him a year of development in the AHL.

I think he goes to Laval unless he is dominant during those 9 games. 
 

I expect dominance though. Slaf has swagger and skills to match. 
 

 

[dlbalr]

5 hours ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

I think he goes to Laval unless he is dominant during those 9 games. 
 

I expect dominance though. Slaf has swagger and skills to match.

 

You expect dominance based on what though?  This was a weak draft class.  Top guys from top draft classes go in and dominate.  Top guys from weaker draft classes that make the jump typically struggle and don't produce much.  Look at Lafreniere and Kakko as recent examples of that, guys that were at or near the top of their draft that were expected to produce right away and instead didn't do a whole lot.  Slafkovsky is closer to that level of talent right now. 

 

If you want him in a scoring role to start the season where he'll have a chance at success, Laval is the right spot for him.