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2022-23 NHL Discussion Thread


tomh009

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14 minutes ago, dlbalr said:

 

McAvoy at $9.5M for eight years didn't already qualify?

At D yes. But IMO their top three guys have been forwards for the past 2-3 years, and none of them have been paid even close to market value. Speculation was also that Pastrnak would come in at equal to or under what McAvoy got.

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12 hours ago, DON said:

Suzuki 61pts in 82 games last year; on pace for 63.5pts in 82games this year, bit better every year.

 

That’s not a meaningful improvement.

 

While I’m sure having CC around would have bumped his total upward, I’ve noted before that I’m uneasy with Suzuki as a stud #1C on a true contending team, unless he can find another level and become a real, high-impact force even without freaking Mike Bossy on his wing. Now if Dach can find another gear, then maybe he and Suze as he is right now can share the load - two #1As rather than a single stud C. Perhaps you can win that way. But ideally, Slick Nick would be a clear-cut PPG C, period.

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5 minutes ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

That’s not a meaningful improvement.

 

While I’m sure having CC around would have bumped his total upward, I’ve noted before that I’m uneasy with Suzuki as a stud #1C on a true contending team, unless he can find another level and become a real, high-impact force even without freaking Mike Bossy on his wing. Now if Dach can find another gear, then maybe he and Suze as he is right now can share the load - two #1As rather than a single stud C. Perhaps you can win that way. But ideally, Slick Nick would be a clear-cut PPG C, period.


To be fair, Suzuki hasn’t had good wingers for a full season. I would expect much higher points totals if he played with Caufield and Dach the entire time. 
 

Not to mention that we don’t have any line that is a threat in anyway so Suzuki sees 100% of the toughest opponents. 
 

I do think that the 1a 1b scenario with Dach is what HuGo are hoping for though and I think this strategy could really work out if we had PLD as a 1c to add to that strength. 

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4 minutes ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:


To be fair, Suzuki hasn’t had good wingers for a full season. I would expect much higher points totals if he played with Caufield and Dach the entire time. 
 

Not to mention that we don’t have any line that is a threat in anyway so Suzuki sees 100% of the toughest opponents. 
 

I do think that the 1a 1b scenario with Dach is what HuGo are hoping for though and I think this strategy could really work out if we had PLD as a 1c to add to that strength. 

 

Well, your last line kind of makes my point for me.

 

Sure, if we had PLD/Nick/Dach down the middle we’d be beasts. But I’m talking about a scenario where the team is constructed so that Slick Nick is positioned as the #1C on a team that’s supposed to contend. I love the player. But I’m having trouble seeing him being that guy. 

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51 minutes ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

That’s not a meaningful improvement.

 

While I’m sure having CC around would have bumped his total upward, I’ve noted before that I’m uneasy with Suzuki as a stud #1C on a true contending team, unless he can find another level and become a real, high-impact force even without freaking Mike Bossy on his wing. Now if Dach can find another gear, then maybe he and Suze as he is right now can share the load - two #1As rather than a single stud C. Perhaps you can win that way. But ideally, Slick Nick would be a clear-cut PPG C, period.

Keep in mind he’s spent half of the year playing with AHL caliber wingers and washed up garbage has beens like Hoffman. Losing CC and getting saddled with the guts s he’s been not good Wally a fair assessment. I think he is still going through his own growing pains as well. I think we won’t know what he is for another two years, but I think at the very least he’ll be a very good 2C. Which is also been a gap -Dvorak certainly is not even close to being a legit 2C. What a waste of picks he was!

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1 hour ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

That’s not a meaningful improvement.

 

0.7321

0.7459

0.7741

pt/gm the last 3 years.

 

And not just referring to his points, as shiny new captain with huge contract, on a low scoring roster.

 

(I hope an ironman streak isnt unlucky to bring up...is it?)

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11 hours ago, hab29RETIRED said:

Keep in mind he’s spent half of the year playing with AHL caliber wingers and washed up garbage has beens like Hoffman. Losing CC and getting saddled with the guts s he’s been not good Wally a fair assessment. I think he is still going through his own growing pains as well. I think we won’t know what he is for another two years, but I think at the very least he’ll be a very good 2C. Which is also been a gap -Dvorak certainly is not even close to being a legit 2C. What a waste of picks he was!

Two picks. At least the 1st was a 27th OA. Our 2024 2nd is yet to be done. Though we likely can get a vaguely similar package retained at a deadline next year. I don't think it'll end up being terrible. May come out in the wash.

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11 hours ago, Commandant said:

Dvorak has been fine

 

Not good, not bad, just fine 

 

He really is a tough player to like - almost the definition of ‘generic.’ His game really seems to have no particular strength; nothing at all about his game stands out; but as you say, he’s a serviceable player. He’s just good enough in a variety of skill sets to take a regular shift in the top 9. 🤷‍♂️ Off the top of my head I’m hard-pressed to think of a blander Hab in recent memory.

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Nos Amours Les Canadiend de Montreal at the 75% season mark, post trade.

 

The Habs have done better than I expected. Allen and Montembeault have stolen a few games and the youth energy in the first half of the season carried them to a few surprising wins.

After 63 games, they are still hovering at 7th worst team in the league and seemingly trending to a top-10 pick in the draft and early picks in the other rounds: a good thing.

 

I am upset at the many injuries to the young players that were having a good season: Caufield, Dach, Guhle, Xhekaj and even Barron since his call up.

With the alarming rate of injuries and the poor return-to-play protocol/management, I do not see Monahan re-singing with the Habs in hopes of showing he is healthy. That will be an unfortunate loss for the Habs.

 

image.png

The last 20 games will be interesting, to see how well the duck-taped lineup performs. I will try to enjoy Suzuki's cerebral play and Anderson's play the few times he'll play like a tasmanian devil.

I also look forward to watching Matheson play so well, and to see if Edmundson can finish the year healthy and playing better.

Habs did not ship out enough NHL-level talent to tank to the bottom. If they get healthy, they may win more than loose which would be a strategic mistake by management.

 

[*] injured

Harvey-Pinard - Suzuki - Gurianov

Hoffman - Dach[*]/Drouin - Anderson

Pitlick - Dvorak - Ylonen

Pezzetta - Tierney/Evans[*] - Belzile

 

Matheson - Savard

Edmundson- Allard
Harris - Kovacevic

Guhle[*] - Barron[*]

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38 minutes ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

He really is a tough player to like - almost the definition of ‘generic.’ His game really seems to have no particular strength; nothing at all about his game stands out; but as you say, he’s a serviceable player. He’s just good enough in a variety of skill sets to take a regular shift in the top 9. 🤷‍♂️ Off the top of my head I’m hard-pressed to think of a blander Hab in recent memory.

He’s the kind of guy who is serviceable and looks okay on a bad team like us, or Phoenix to play 3rd line role, and occasionally he a 2nd liner.

 

But he is not a guy who will make a team better. On a good team he is no better than a 3rd/4th line option, but makes too much money to be in a role like that.

 

he is definitely no the type of guy I’d want to give up a 1st and 2nd pick for.

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2020- Young Leaf fan, co-worker; who was having a grand time giving me grief when Leafs up 3-1 in series and i told him the series isnt over (i thought it was also but), and then i remember he went on and on about a glorified AHL team being in the playoffs and wasnt just joking. 

 

Last week i joked about Leafs golfing early again this spring, even with roster improvements...and that set him off, he went on and on about how he just cant figure out why so many people he knows have a hate on and want to see the Leafs fail.

 

I chuckled and said it is a real mystery.:youpi:

 

 

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On 3/6/2023 at 11:59 AM, hab29RETIRED said:

he is definitely no the type of guy I’d want to give up a 1st and 2nd pick for.

First round pick, yes, but it was 29th overall in a fairly weak draft, we're not talking about a top pick.

 

In any case, when Bergevin did the deal, the Habs needed a C to replace Kotkaniemi. Dvorak was the best option they could identify, and arguable he has been roughly as good as Kotkaniemi, and on a somewhat less expensive contract.

 

But, again, it's not Dvorak's fault that he was acquired by the Habs, or what he was traded for. The picks are a sunk cost, they no longer matter since you can't get them back. Hughes will determine Dvorak's future with the team based on his expected contributions and his contract, not based on the trade history.

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25 minutes ago, tomh009 said:

First round pick, yes, but it was 29th overall in a fairly weak draft, we're not talking about a top pick.

 

In any case, when Bergevin did the deal, the Habs needed a C to replace Kotkaniemi. Dvorak was the best option they could identify, and arguable he has been roughly as good as Kotkaniemi, and on a somewhat less expensive contract.

 

But, again, it's not Dvorak's fault that he was acquired by the Habs, or what he was traded for. The picks are a sunk cost, they no longer matter since you can't get them back. Hughes will determine Dvorak's future with the team based on his expected contributions and his contract, not based on the trade history.


well said 

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two more years finishing in the bottom 10 (from The Athletic projection earlier this season) would be unbearable. I hope the Habs tank hard this season to draft some stud talent this year

 

P.S. top teams in the east got better at the trade deadline

 

 

Edited by alfredoh2009
added P.S.
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The (original) article was rather disappointing, really, too many shortcuts: they looked at current roster and current cap, rather than assessing what the roster and cap situation might be three years from now. So, I wouldn't get too agitated about that.

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1 minute ago, tomh009 said:

The (original) article was rather disappointing, really, too many shortcuts: they looked at current roster and current cap, rather than assessing what the roster and cap situation might be three years from now. So, I wouldn't get too agitated about that.

 

I agree, but I thought that if the Habs still hover near the bottom next season, with Hoffman, Edmundson on expiring contracts it will be hard to get any quality draft picks.

Habs still need some elite talent to climb to the top of the league in a few years from now.

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2 hours ago, alfredoh2009 said:

I agree, but I thought that if the Habs still hover near the bottom next season, with Hoffman, Edmundson on expiring contracts it will be hard to get any quality draft picks.

Habs still need some elite talent to climb to the top of the league in a few years from now.

This, of course, depends on the definition of "elite". We have young players (such as Suzuki, Caufield, Dach, Guhle) and prospects (Slafkowsky, Mailloux, Hutson) with strong top line/pair potential, and that's before the 2023 draft. Whether they count as "elite" depends on both their progress and on one's definition of "elite".

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23 minutes ago, tomh009 said:

This, of course, depends on the definition of "elite". 

A 1st or 2nd team all-star would be nice.

A top 10 forward in scoring for 1st time since Naslund also.

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1 hour ago, DON said:

A 1st or 2nd team all-star would be nice.

A top 10 forward in scoring for 1st time since Naslund also.

Agreed ... the Year-End NHL All-Star team is a reasonable objective

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2 hours ago, tomh009 said:

This, of course, depends on the definition of "elite". We have young players (such as Suzuki, Caufield, Dach, Guhle) and prospects (Slafkowsky, Mailloux, Hutson) with strong top line/pair potential, and that's before the 2023 draft. Whether they count as "elite" depends on both their progress and on one's definition of "elite".


McDavid elite 

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