2024-25 Montreal Canadiens discussion thread

[GHT120]

29 minutes ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

I know it’s very early with Dach, but his disastrous start to this season kind of reminds us of what missing an entire year of development can do to a kid. I would temper my expectations around Reinbacher now.

At least near-term expectations ... next season will be his "recovery year" ... but I don't know that I'd let Dach overly influence expectations for Reinbacher ... Kirby had already disappointed in Chicago ... David is an NHL "blank canvas".

[Commandant]

Dach was always going to take time after the injury.

 

Hes shown flashes but lacks consistency.

 

I think in the second half of the season we will.see the real Dach.

 

This brings up two things I previously said.

 

1) caufield needed time coming off his shoulder surgery.  Dach needs the same coming off the leg.  Its too early to give up on him or to declare this as more than a setback, and question how it effects his overall development. Taking longer doesn't mean he wont get there.

 

I suspect the same with Reinbacher.

 

Another example is Shane Wright who is behind schedule but still looks a quality prospect for seattle.

 

2) all the ideas that Dach's return made the team better ignored the fact that he is replacing what monahan did for 2/3rds of last season and right now hes not at monahan's level.

[tomh009]

1 hour ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

Reinbacher was a crown jewel, so of course he suffers a catastrophic injury. I know it’s very early with Dach, but his disastrous start to this season kind of reminds us of what missing an entire year of development can do to a kid. I would temper my expectations around Reinbacher now.

On the flip side ... both Mailloux and Xhekaj lost a LOT of development time, and both seem to have recovered from that. They are not the same level as Reinbacher, not comparing ceilings, but the point is that it is possible to recover from a lost year--or even two.

 

Dach, I think there is more to it than just a lost year. Whether he is not fully healed, or psychological issues resulting from the injury, or something else.

[hab29RETIRED]

13 hours ago, Habs Fan in Edmonton said:

Now this seems really stupid. Why would the Habs give up this early on a young talented French Canadian kid??

 

 

Georges Laraque expects Joshua Roy to be traded

Laraque is an idiot. He has a job because he speaks French. He wouldnt have a radio job in any other market.

[Prime Minister Koivu]

Bag skate practice today?

[Prime Minister Koivu]

We sure could use the General right now

[Prime Minister Koivu]

This graph is truly amazing. 
 

It compares high danger passes connecting to high danger shots. 
 

Lane Hutson is the unicorn in the very top right. He is significantly better than any other player in the NHL.  Makar? Hughes? PPFFFT they aren’t even close. 
 

 

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

1 minute ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

This graph is truly amazing. 
 

It compares high danger passes connecting to high danger shots. 
 

Lane Hutson is the unicorn in the very top right. He is significantly better than any other player in the NHL.  Makar? Hughes? PPFFFT they aren’t even close. 
 

 

 

Holy God.

 

Very, very early days and obviously not sustainable. It does suggest, though, that we might just have ourselves a rookie destined to become a truly elite offensive defenceman.

[Commandant]

Its a small sample and it will come down, but even as it does, he's still going to be a high end (and possibly elite) creator of offence. 

[Prime Minister Koivu]

It’s too bad that Hutson doesn’t have Celebrini to pass it to!

 

 

[BCHabnut]

4 hours ago, GHT120 said:

Given the Habs recent defensive zone deficiencies, I wonder if we are seeing why HuGo so valued Reinbacher ... other than Guhle and Hutson do the Habs have a top four quality young defenceman ... Mailloux has the offence but can he become a legitimate NHL defender ... Xhekaj, Barron and Struble are looking like no more than 5/6/7 defenders ... Savard is almost done and Matheson is only tied up for one more season.

 

 

Hutson and ghule are the only 2 right now IMO. Barron or Mailloux could still develop into that role. 

[BCHabnut]

1 hour ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

This graph is truly amazing. 
 

It compares high danger passes connecting to high danger shots. 
 

Lane Hutson is the unicorn in the very top right. He is significantly better than any other player in the NHL.  Makar? Hughes? PPFFFT they aren’t even close. 
 

 

I haven't been this excited about a rookie since subban.

[alfredoh2009]

20 minutes ago, BCHabnut said:

Hutson and ghule are the only 2 right now IMO. Barron or Mailloux could still develop into that role. 

 

in my projections it should be:

Hutson-Reinbacher

Ghule-Mailloux

(*LD or RD)Xhekaj-Barron/Engstrom

 

[BCHabnut]

6 minutes ago, alfredoh2009 said:

 

in my projections it should be:

Hutson-Reinbacher

Ghule-Mailloux

(*LD or RD)Xhekaj-Barron/Engstrom

 

These are the top 2 pairings I picture as well. How the 3rd pair winds up is anybodies guess. Lots of candidates. I like struble more than Xhekaj.  Have since strubles first game. 

[alfredoh2009]

2 minutes ago, BCHabnut said:

These are the top 2 pairings I picture as well. How the 3rd pair winds up is anybodies guess. Lots of candidates. I like struble more than Xhekaj.  Have since strubles first game. 

I like Struble too, but Engstrom is an intriguing prospect and is playing well in Laval. Engstrom and Barron are good depth players that can replace someone in the top-4 when injured.

 

Xhekaj and Struble play a similar role in MSL's system, but I do not think MSL will be the coach when the tam is competing in the series. A traditional coach would play Xhekaj to his full potential, where Struble does not seem to have mush more upside.

[hab29RETIRED]

3 hours ago, alfredoh2009 said:

I like Struble too, but Engstrom is an intriguing prospect and is playing well in Laval. Engstrom and Barron are good depth players that can replace someone in the top-4 when injured.

 

Xhekaj and Struble play a similar role in MSL's system, but I do not think MSL will be the coach when the tam is competing in the series. A traditional coach would play Xhekaj to his full potential, where Struble does not seem to have mush more upside.

Right now, Struble looks to have much more upside as a solid defensive stabilizer, as well as becoming a hard hitting physical presence. From what I've seen he also looks to have better hockey IQ based on his decision making. He looks like a guy who can make the right first pass. I also think will be able to drop the gloves when needed. Will he be as feared as Xhekaj? Probably not.

 

Xhekaj, MAY become a unicorn player, hard hitting guy who can support the transition and bring offense. But I haven't seen any evidence of that yet. He could just turn out to be a Clysdale.

 

 

[hab29RETIRED]

3 hours ago, BCHabnut said:

These are the top 2 pairings I picture as well. How the 3rd pair winds up is anybodies guess. Lots of candidates. I like struble more than Xhekaj.  Have since strubles first game. 

If those are the pairings and we become a contender, than the Reinbacher pick will be vindicated. I just am not optimistic that's the way it will play out. There were 3 RHD dmen from this years draft I would have preferred over Reinbacher, and I'm not sure he's even better than the top 6 picked this year.

[tomh009]

1 minute ago, hab29RETIRED said:

If those are the pairings and we become a contender, than the Reinbacher pick will be vindicated. I just am not optimistic that's the way it will play out. There were 3 RHD dmen from this years draft I would have preferred over Reinbacher, and I'm not sure he's even better than the top 6 picked this year.

Let's hope the Habs's scouting staff was not totally incompetent.

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

16 minutes ago, hab29RETIRED said:

Xhekaj, MAY become a unicorn player, hard hitting guy who can support the transition and bring offense. But I haven't seen any evidence of that yet. He could just turn out to be a Clysdale.

 

 

 

Xkekaj has the physical tools to be a unicorn player but right now the mental part of his game is messed up. Will he turn it around? I sure hope so. In his rookie year he was leading rookie defensemen in goals until he got hurt. Right now Struble is a more mature player but Arber has more upside in my opinion. 

[BCHabnut]

52 minutes ago, hab29RETIRED said:

If those are the pairings and we become a contender, than the Reinbacher pick will be vindicated. I just am not optimistic that's the way it will play out. There were 3 RHD dmen from this years draft I would have preferred over Reinbacher, and I'm not sure he's even better than the top 6 picked this year.

Ya. Time will tell. Every draft year, an bunch of players are desirable. 4 years later, 3/4 of them were drafted in the wrong spot. Reinbachers development, from horrible team in Europe to season lost from injury, will probably need 2 more years.

[GHT120]

59 minutes ago, hab29RETIRED said:

There were 3 RHD dmen from this years draft I would have preferred over Reinbacher, and I'm not sure he's even better than the top 6 picked this year.

SERIOUS ANSWER: On June 28–29, 2023 how could the Habs have known (a) how any player(s) would develop throughout the 2023/24 season ... and ... (b) whether they Habs would even have a shot at drafting any given player that they may have had projected interest in on a year before the 2024 draft?

 

SARCASTIC ANSWER: So when you develop time travel you can go back and let HuGo know how the 23/24 season and 2024 draft lottery work out so they can decide whether or not to draft Reinbacher ... assuming of course that sharing that knowledge doesn't reset the timeline and undo everything you tell them ... 😉

[hab29RETIRED]

1 hour ago, GHT120 said:

SERIOUS ANSWER: On June 28–29, 2023 how could the Habs have known (a) how any player(s) would develop throughout the 2023/24 season ... and ... (b) whether they Habs would even have a shot at drafting any given player that they may have had projected interest in on a year before the 2024 draft?

 

SARCASTIC ANSWER: So when you develop time travel you can go back and let HuGo know how the 23/24 season and 2024 draft lottery work out so they can decide whether or not to draft Reinbacher ... assuming of course that sharing that knowledge doesn't reset the timeline and undo everything you tell them ... 😉

2023 draft was seen as deep on forward. If we didn't take Michkov, I wanted Leonard. Picking him would have addressed some big gaps we have.
 

We lack speed, and physicality from our skilled guys (other than Slafkovsky). Leonard would have addressed that need. He has speed, skill and is a physical guy who hits and scores. 

[GHT120]

17 minutes ago, hab29RETIRED said:

2023 draft was seen as deep on forward. If we didn't take Michkov, I wanted Leonard. Picking him would have addressed some big gaps we have.
 

We lack speed, and physicality from our skilled guys (other than Slafkovsky). Leonard would have addressed that need. He has speed, skill and is a physical guy who hits and scores. 

Doesn't change the fact that when they drafted Reinbacher they had no idea what their 2024 draft position would be or what their ranking of most players would be.

[Butterface]

Since you guys loved my thoughts on who my core are and when we will be competitive, I put together a list… 

 

Last Bunch of Stanley Cup Champions and Their Rebuild Start Year..

 

2024 - Florida Panthers

   - Rebuild Start: 2017…….. 7 Years to Cup

   - First Major Pick: Owen Tippett (10th overall in 2017)

 

2023 – Vegas Golden Knights

   - Rebuild Start: 2017 (Expansion Draft year)….. 6 years to Cup

   - First Major Pick: Cody Glass (6th overall in 2017)

 

2022 – Colorado Avalanche

   - Rebuild Start: 2016…. 6 Years to Cup (maybe 9)

   - First Major Pick: Tyson Jost (10th overall in 2016)

   - Could argue MacKinnon (1st overall in 2013) Making 9 years to Cup

 

2020 – Tampa Bay Lightning

   - Rebuild Start: 2008…. 12 Years to Cup (Although got to finals in 2015) 

   -First Major Pick: Steven Stamkos (1st overall in 2008)

 

2019 – St. Louis Blues

   - Rebuild Start: 2007…… 12 Years to Cup

   - First Major Pick: Lars Eller (13th overall in 2007)

 

2018 – Washington Capitals

   - Rebuild Start: 2004…… 14 Years to Cup

   - First Major Pick: Alexander Ovechkin (1st overall in 2004)

 

2012 – Los Angeles Kings

   - Rebuild Start: 2006….. 6 Years to Cup

   - First Major Pick: Jonathan Bernier (11th overall in 2006)

 

 

2010 – Chicago Blackhawks

   - Rebuild Start: 2004….. 6 Years to Cup

   - First Major Pick: Cam Barker (3rd overall in 2004)

 

 

2009 – Pittsburgh Penguins

   - Rebuild Start: 2003….. 6 Years to Cup

   - First Major Pick: Marc-Andre Fleury (1st overall in 2003)

 

 

Teams Still Trying…

 

Edmonton Oilers…… 14 Years No Cup

   - Rebuild Start: 2010

   - First Major Pick: Taylor Hall (1st overall in 2010)

   - McDavid drafted in 2015 (1st overall) So 9 Years No Cup in this case

 

Toronto Maple Leafs

   -Rebuild Start: 2015…. 10 Years No Cup

   -First Major Pick: Mitch Marner (4th overall in 2015)

   -Morgan Reilly 2012 could push No Cup to 13 Years

 

New York Rangers….. 6 Years No Cup

   - Rebuild Start: 2018 (announced via public letter to fans)

   - First Major Pick: Vitali Kravtsov (9th overall in 2018)

 

Carolina Hurricanes

   - Rebuild Start: 2015….. 10 Years No Cup

   - First Major Pick: Noah Hanifin (5th overall in 2015)

 

New Jersey Devils

   - Rebuild Start: 2016….. 8 Years No Cup

   - First Major Pick: Michael McLeod (12th overall in 2016)

 

Kings are about 5 or 6 years in on their rebuild….

 

So it takes 4-6 years to build something that can compete for the Conference and if you are lucky with superstars (Crosby, Kane, Matthews, Malkin, Ovechkin, McDavid) you can maybe speed up the time frame and compete for a cup in 6 or 7.

 

We are in year 3. You can argue that we will finally get a sniff at a possible Franchise player next year with Demidov…2024 Draft … 3-4 years later we should be cooking. 

 

I think I was guessing we would get competitive in the 2026-27 season (5th year) and look at being a real competitor in 2028-29.

2028-29 is 11 years after Suzuki’s draft year 2017 and he will be 29 almost 30. I guess he will have some gas in the tank still as a seasoned vet. If he keeps salary demands low and we can hang on to younger core players, the future is exciting. Just looks like crap now.

 

You guys see Hughes being able to make the trades to speed up being competitive earlier ? Anderson and Gallagher come of the books end of 2026-27 season. That’s when I see us taking the big steps. Until then steady progression with bumps.

 

 

[Commandant]

You keep mentioning that Nick Suzuki is going to need to keep his salary demands low in order to be part of the core, but keep missing that he is signed through the end of the 2029-30 season.  

 

You see our big step as "Anderson and Gallagher come of the books end of 2026-27 season. That’s when I see us taking the big steps. Until then steady progression with bumps."

 

In 2026-27, Suzuki will still have four years of contract left. 

 

Please screen shot me and write in 84 point font again.