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2024-25 Montreal Canadiens discussion thread


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3 hours ago, DON said:

I didnt realize Dach was doing quite so well on the PP.

 

"...It’s also worth noting Kirby Dach had 16 power-play points (6G, 10A) in 2022-23 and figures to be back in the mix this season, possibly adding a playmaking element to the slot."

 

He played huge minutes on the power play in his first season with the Habs, literally with a higher PP ATOI than anyone on the team (forward or d-man).  

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17 hours ago, Habs Fan in Edmonton said:

 

 

100%  Marty is a really perceptive guy, he gets the big picture, he understands how a team is supposed to work, he has great analogies. He has a great hockey mind. 

The hockey mind part may be up for debate. I think he's a very good leader for sure. I'll give it another season to decide if he's a good coach.

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2 hours ago, BCHabnut said:

The hockey mind part may be up for debate. I think he's a very good leader for sure. I'll give it another season to decide if he's a good coach.

 

Fair enough, expectations are a little higher this year. Hopefully he has a healthy Dach to work with. 

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Pick a Finn to replace one perhaps?

 

"Kapanen is a right shot, like Laine, and he was third on KalPa last season with four power-play goals, though he hasn’t really played on the wing since his junior days. Heineman is more of a shooter than Kapanen but is a left shot. He was third on the Laval Rocket last season with five power-play goals."

Two ways the Canadiens can cope with Patrik Laine’s injury - The Athletic (nytimes.com)

or

 

"Moving Slafkovský back onto Dach’s wing makes even more sense when you have the possibility of replacing him on the Suzuki line with Alex Newhook, who spent time on that line last season and was really starting to cook when he went down with a high-ankle sprain. At the time of the injury, Newhook had put up four goals and two assists in his previous seven games."

 

Celebrini, Gauthier, Hutson among top 12 rookies to watch in NHL this season | NHL.com

Lane Hutson, D, Montreal Canadiens
How acquired: No. 62 pick in 2022 NHL Draft

Hutson (5-9, 162) had 97 points (30 goals, 67 assists) in 77 games over two seasons at Boston University before he signed his entry-level contract April 12. The 20-year-old is a great skater with vision, anticipation, and high hockey IQ. He'll likely work big minutes in a top-four role after getting two assists in two games with the Canadiens late last season. Hutson was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award after he had 49 points (15 goals, 34 assists) in 38 games in 2023-24. He also played a key role with six assists in seven games to help the United States to a gold medal at the 2024 WJC.

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3 hours ago, BCHabnut said:

The hockey mind part may be up for debate. I think he's a very good leader for sure. I'll give it another season to decide if he's a good coach.

 

I've read stuff suggesting that he really does see and think the game in a different way from most people. This would help to explain his incredible success as a player against long odds. And he seems to be able to explain (at least partially) his way of seeing the game to others, which is where analogous superstar-players-turned-coach have struggled (c.f. Gretzky).

 

In that sense, he may really be a 'great hockey mind.'

 

He has also, clearly, done a fine job of nurturing espirt de corps and bringing the young players along. That goes beyond 'thinking' the game and gets into team-building and development. He seems strong in these areas as well.

 

But that still doesn't prove him to be a great coach in the round. What remains to be seen is whether he can go beyond being a great 'development/rebuilding' coach - the answer to this question seems to be 'yes' - and become a great coach of a team that has a chance to win. That's quite a different challenge. At some point it will require getting the team to play a defensive system...something we've seen no sign of as yet.

 

I still think the likeliest outcome is that he gets fired after a couple of playoff exits. That said, he's always been one of those guys it's unwise to bet against. I hope this proves true yet again.

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9 minutes ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

I've read stuff suggesting that he really does see and think the game in a different way from most people. This would help to explain his incredible success as a player against long odds. And he seems to be able to explain (at least partially) his way of seeing the game to others, which is where analogous superstar-players-turned-coach have struggled (c.f. Gretzky).

 

In that sense, he may really be a 'great hockey mind.'

 

He has also, clearly, done a fine job of nurturing espirt de corps and bringing the young players along. That goes beyond 'thinking' the game and gets into team-building and development. He seems strong in these areas as well.

 

But that still doesn't prove him to be a great coach in the round. What remains to be seen is whether he can go beyond being a great 'development/rebuilding' coach - the answer to this question seems to be 'yes' - and become a great coach of a team that has a chance to win. That's quite a different challenge. At some point it will require getting the team to play a defensive system...something we've seen no sign of as yet.

 

I still think the likeliest outcome is that he gets fired after a couple of playoff exits. That said, he's always been one of those guys it's unwise to bet against. I hope this proves true yet again.


I think this is pretty bang on. I do remember St. Louis talking about how he likes to teach and focus on one single aspect at a time. Perhaps the defensive game simply hasn’t been taught yet as the focus. 

 

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59 minutes ago, Butterface said:

Line up to start season ?

 

Suzuki with Slafkovsky and Caufield 

Dach with Newhook and Kapanen

Dvorak with Roy and Anderson

Evans with Armia and Gally 

 

Matheson with Guhle

Hutson with Savard

Xhekaj with Barron

 

Montembeault with Primeau as back up

 

Willing to put Struble in if Toronto doesn’t dress Reaves..

 

Anybody expecting it to be someone else over Kapanen ?

Guhle appear ready to play.


I would like but I’m not going to get:

 

Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovsky 

Roy - Dach - Newhook 

Armia - Kapanen - Heineman 

Gallagher - Evans - Anderson 

 

Matheson - Guhle 

Hutson - Savard

Xhekaj - Struble 

Barron

 

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

I would like but I’m not going to get:

 

Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovsky 

Roy - Dach - Newhook 

Armia - Kapanen - Heineman 

Gallagher - Evans - Anderson 

 

Matheson - Guhle 

Hutson - Savard

Xhekaj - Struble 

Barron

Interesting suggestion just now on TSN690 ... with the season starting with TO, Bos and Ott ... go with 7D and 11F in those games ... Xhekaj brings what Arber Brings, and Struble also brings a physicality (if not the fighting) ... if a game gets ridiculous it allows the team coaches to shelter Hutson somewhat, and ensures that even if the opponent draws Xhekaj into long-stints in the box (or a game misconduct) the D is not left short-handed

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38 minutes ago, Habs Fan in Edmonton said:

I am pretty sure this has been brought up before but I wonder if trying Arber on LW has any merit. He's a pretty decent skater, can really shoot the puck and would be an absolute menace in front of the other teams net. Just a thought. 

Theres no way they play Toronto with 11 forwards and 7 D. 

 

 

 

 

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Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovsky

Roy - Dach - Newhook

Armia - Dvorak - Anderson

Kapanen - Evans - Gallagher

 

scratch - Pezzetta, Barre-Boulet

 

Matheson - Guhle

Hutson - Savard

Struble - Barron

 

scratch xhekaj

 

Montembault
Primeau

 

 

would be my roster to open the season.... 

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15 minutes ago, Commandant said:

Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovsky

Roy - Dach - Newhook

Armia - Dvorak - Anderson

Kapanen - Evans - Gallagher

 

scratch - Pezzetta, Barre-Boulet

 

Matheson - Guhle

Hutson - Savard

Struble - Barron Mailloux

 

scratch xhekaj, barron

 

Montembault
Primeau

 

 

would be my roster to open the season.... 

just a tweek or two perhaps

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4 minutes ago, DON said:

just a tweek or two perhaps

I get where you are coming from ... but, I-M-O, Mailloux has not earned starting the season on the roster based on his play in TC.

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27 minutes ago, Commandant said:

Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovsky

Roy - Dach - Newhook

Armia - Dvorak - Anderson

Kapanen - Evans - Gallagher

 

scratch - Pezzetta, Barre-Boulet

 

Matheson - Guhle

Hutson - Savard

Struble - Barron

 

scratch xhekaj

 

Montembault
Primeau

 

 

would be my roster to open the season.... 

Is Newhook playing the right side something he is comfortable with?

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5 hours ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

I would like but I’m not going to get:

 

Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovsky 

Roy - Dach - Newhook 

Armia - Kapanen - Heineman 

Gallagher - Evans - Anderson 

 

Matheson - Guhle 

Hutson - Savard

Xhekaj - Struble 

Barron


I don’t mind that line up, but I think Dvorak stays in. (A trade would change it)

I was not able to watch many games last few years… I was impressed by Heineman this preseason.

Barron I wasn’t enamoured with in pre season, but he is a RHDman.

Hope we draft a RHDman in 2025 draft with a first round pick. 

It’s hard to watch M Michkov playing this well and B. Tkachuk for that matter.

I am really bummed out with the injuries. Hard for me to even get excited to post about the upcoming season.

If there was talk about a Dmen playing wing, Xhekaj would be fun to watch for sure. Might be cool to see that and bring up Mailloux if we were down more forwards or playing a game we thought might include a donnybrook or two.

We will need to get the special teams working quickly or a lot of teams will be willing to trade penalties with us or get us off our game by taking liberties on our players.

If Anderson isn’t scoring, maybe he could take the heat off Xhekaj and lay down some law too. 

 

 

 

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53 minutes ago, Commandant said:

 

I'm also factoring in what Roy has done in the AHL and 20+ NHL games last year. 

 

Fair enough, Roy certainly has the smarts and puck skills to play with high end linemates but I think Kapanen's skating ability will allow him to keep up with the pace a little better. Anyway I know Marty has said a lot of good things about Roy so you could very well turn out to be right on this one. 

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