2024-25 Montreal Canadiens discussion thread

[GHT120]

31 minutes ago, Commandant said:

Its more than that. 

 

He had 15 goals and 33 points as a rookie

15 and 37 the next year

18 and 38 before being traded to Montreal. 

17 and 31 in just 56 games in the covid shortened season. 

11 and 33 in 56 in his first year as a hab. 

 

The production for a 3rd liner was there and he looked like he could be a second liner with better linemates and just never took the next step (and actually regressed). 

Problem is that he was already getting 1C/2C minutes in Arizona ... and what he produced was with ZERO real pressure ... I think the "looked like" was an oasis in the desert ... tempting, but not real.

[hab29RETIRED]

10 minutes ago, GHT120 said:

Problem is that he was already getting 1C/2C minutes in Arizona ... and what he produced was with ZERO real pressure ... I think the "looked like" was an oasis in the desert ... tempting, but not real.

When. We acquired him most analysts said he would be a good third liner to have on a good team. Paying a 1st and 2nd (or 3rd - don’t remember), is way too much for a third liner.

 

he wins faceoffs, but otherwise whenever he is setup he looks like a guy that scoring chances die with. I’ve been on Anderson as for a the past year and half and wanted him traded two deadlines ago. But even though he is grossly overpaid, he has been much more effective this year then Dvorak. If we can’t resign Evans, and Dvorak is willing to take $1.5m, I wouldn’t be opposed to resigning him. But if he Evans resigns, Dvorak should not be back - even at a discounted team friendly rate. Consistency in effort levels just is not there.

[GHT120]

 

 

The Habs currently have no spare forwards or defencemen ... 🤞

[Commandant]

1 hour ago, GHT120 said:

Problem is that he was already getting 1C/2C minutes in Arizona ... and what he produced was with ZERO real pressure ... I think the "looked like" was an oasis in the desert ... tempting, but not real.

 

As stated he produced points in his first season as a Hab too (and injuries took him away from his first 40+ point year).

 

It just fell off after that.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

1 hour ago, GHT120 said:

 

 

The Habs currently have no spare forwards or defencemen ... 🤞

 

Poor Struble. He impressed last season, but his stock sure has fallen. 

[DON]

8 minutes ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

Poor Struble. He impressed last season, but his stock sure has fallen. 

Or Xhekaj's has risen moreso (he seems more stable lately or for awhile now) and adding a RH-d was smart for team but another spot taken.

I hope Struble takes it out on Laval's opponent today and has an awesome conditioning stint.

 

(there always will be injuries crop up for him to prove his worth)

[DON]

Jack Quinn seems to fit Hughes 'type'.

 

Habs' near-perfect rebuild, top J.T. Miller fit, and 5 other NHL items | theScore.com

 

"Buy-low candidate: There's been plenty of chatter about Buffalo potentially trading center Dylan Cozens. Buying teams should be (and probably are) also asking about winger Jack Quinn, who would cost significantly less to acquire. Quinn's stock has plummeted since he posted 37 points in 75 games as a rookie in 2022-23. The 23-year-old's suffered multiple injuries, lost confidence, failed to produce, and watched his ice time sag under a new coach. He was picked eighth overall in 2020 for a reason, though, and a different environment could do wonders for resetting the pending restricted free agent's career."

 

[GHT120]

3 hours ago, DON said:

Jack Quinn seems to fit Hughes 'type'.

 

Habs' near-perfect rebuild, top J.T. Miller fit, and 5 other NHL items | theScore.com

 

"Buy-low candidate: There's been plenty of chatter about Buffalo potentially trading center Dylan Cozens. Buying teams should be (and probably are) also asking about winger Jack Quinn, who would cost significantly less to acquire. Quinn's stock has plummeted since he posted 37 points in 75 games as a rookie in 2022-23. The 23-year-old's suffered multiple injuries, lost confidence, failed to produce, and watched his ice time sag under a new coach. He was picked eighth overall in 2020 for a reason, though, and a different environment could do wonders for resetting the pending restricted free agent's career."

 

• Barely playing 3rd line minutes 5-on-5
• Almost no PK minutes
• Borderline PP1/PP2 minutes
  • on the 6th worst PP in the league
  • 22% of his 9 goals and 66% of his 9 assists on the PP)
• PRESUMABLY low-cost
• Pending RFA, so still under team control but can also let him go free if they were to so choose

 At the right price I would give it a try and see if MSL can work his magic.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

Just now, GHT120 said:

• Barely playing 3rd line minutes 5-on-5
• Almost no PK minutes
• Borderline PP1/PP2 minutes
  • on the 6th worst PP in the league
  • 22% of his 9 goals and 66% of his 9 assists on the PP)
• PRESUMABLY low-cost
• Pending RFA, so still under team control but can also let him go free if they were to so choose

 At the right price I would give it a try and see if MSL can work his magic.

 

Likely a long shot, but you have to feel for any kid that comes up in that Buffalo Gong Show and wonder if a healthier environment can turn things around. It all comes down to price.

[DON]

3 hours ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

Likely a long shot, but you have to feel for any kid that comes up in that Buffalo Gong Show and wonder if a healthier environment can turn things around. It all comes down to price.

i dont recall ever seeing him play, or noticing him.

He was just a name put out in that athletic piece and stats showed some offense, nice productive AHL year 61pts in 45 games in 2021-22. 

 

Obviously he should improve on his rookie season.

2024-25 Second Quarter Grades: Goalies and Defencemen – HabsWorld.net

 

Defencemen
Lane Hutson: Player Rating 9.50/10

[Commandant]

Whats the cost, and where is the spot for him in the lineup are the two questions that need to be asked. 

If the cost is low, then maybe he can take a third or fourth line spot, but remember we have a lot of players competing for wing spots. 

Even if we assume Armia out, you have Demidov and Roy looking for spots on the wing.  Do we assume he's better than these guys?  Is there a way to move another winger (Anderson, Gallagher) out.  Are one of Beck, Kapanen moved to wing to make the lineup?

 

Its not a no to acquiring him, but those questions need to be answered too. 

[Habs Fan in Edmonton]

Artturi Lehkonen scores his 20th goal of the year (in 39 games) with 15 seconds left to lift Colorado to a 5-4 win over the Rangers. I guess we can say at this point that Colorado won that trade. Happy for Artturi though and glad to see the Rangers lose. 

[Commandant]

1 hour ago, Habs Fan in Edmonton said:

Artturi Lehkonen scores his 20th goal of the year (in 39 games) with 15 seconds left to lift Colorado to a 5-4 win over the Rangers. I guess we can say at this point that Colorado won that trade. Happy for Artturi though and glad to see the Rangers lose. 

 

Alexandre Carrier is making the trade closer, but yes the original deal was a big loss with Barron. 

[Canajun]

52 minutes ago, Commandant said:

 

William Carrier is making the trade closer, but yes the original deal was a big loss with Barron. 

 

 

Alexandre Carrier.

 

[TurdBurglar]

1 hour ago, Habs Fan in Edmonton said:

Artturi Lehkonen scores his 20th goal of the year (in 39 games) with 15 seconds left to lift Colorado to a 5-4 win over the Rangers. I guess we can say at this point that Colorado won that trade. Happy for Artturi though and glad to see the Rangers lose. 

The 2nd round pick from the Avs in that trade was packaged to get the 21st pick in last year's draft and Hage was picked.  At this point in time it's a loss, but if Hage turns out to be a top-6 forward it could still be a win for Montreal.

 

This is one of the reason I enjoyed Steve Dangle's trade tree videos during the pandemic.  You never really see the full picture of a trade as it often has ripple effects.

[Commandant]

6 minutes ago, Canajun said:

 

 

Alexandre Carrier.

 

Thank you

[Butterface]

Reading this - opened my eyes a bit to Struble with relation to his pairing with Xhekaj.

 

https://montrealhockeynow.com/2025/01/24/montreal-canadiens-defenceman-jayden-struble-analysis-xhekaj-savard-ahl/
 

 

[alfredoh2009]

33 minutes ago, Butterface said:

Reading this - opened my eyes a bit to Struble with relation to his pairing with Xhekaj.

 

https://montrealhockeynow.com/2025/01/24/montreal-canadiens-defenceman-jayden-struble-analysis-xhekaj-savard-ahl/
 

 

 

Numbers show Savard is a boat anchor around any defensive partner he plays with. Doesn't say much about Struble's play or future

[Butterface]

1 hour ago, alfredoh2009 said:

 

Numbers show Savard is a boat anchor around any defensive partner he plays with. Doesn't say much about Struble's play or future

Yes, on Savard, which opened my eyes. But also yes on Struble since he seems more useful than I had previously thought.

 

Don't yell that out -  just in case we want to trade Savard. Shhhhhhhhh……

[DON]

PP shake-up?

Habs Weekly: Some Slips But Still a Few Points – HabsWorld.net

 

"...I might go a step past tweak, however.  While Cole Caufield doesn’t deserve to be dropped to the second unit, I think that’s the best play." 

[Butterface]

3 hours ago, DON said:

PP shake-up?

Habs Weekly: Some Slips But Still a Few Points – HabsWorld.net

 

"...I might go a step past tweak, however.  While Cole Caufield doesn’t deserve to be dropped to the second unit, I think that’s the best play." 

Worth a shot - pun intended.

 

 

https://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/crunch_time_for_the_canadiens_before_the_break/s1_17468_41647538
 

The upcoming seven games will play a significant role in shaping Kent Hughes’ trade deadline plans. Whether the Canadiens sell off pending UFAs or add pieces to their roster will depend largely on how they perform before the break.

Once the team returns to action on February 22nd with a visit to Ottawa, the Canadiens’ path forward—and the makeup of their roster—may change based prior to trade deadline based on their performance up until the break.

 

This article first appeared on The Sick Podcast and was syndicated with permission.

 

 

We are about to see what the prelude to the TDL looks like.

 

In the words of Eminem as said by alter-ego Slim Shady from the year 2000 album, The Marshall Mathers LP and sampled from the song, The Way I Am:

 

“This $4!T about to get heavy”

 

 

 

[tomh009]

14 hours ago, Butterface said:

Reading this - opened my eyes a bit to Struble with relation to his pairing with Xhekaj.

https://montrealhockeynow.com/2025/01/24/montreal-canadiens-defenceman-jayden-struble-analysis-xhekaj-savard-ahl/

I don't read MHN often as I find most of their content to be recycled from other sites with clickbait headlines. Marc Dumont (ex-Athletic writer, like Marc-Antoine Godin) is quite good, though, and I think his analysis in this case is sound. Struble could do better than Savard, in spite of being on his wrong side. With Mailloux and Reinbacher also in the RD pipeline, Savard may yet be gone at TDL, no matter where the Habs are in the standings.

[xXx..CK..xXx]

12 hours ago, Butterface said:

Yes, on Savard, which opened my eyes. But also yes on Struble since he seems more useful than I had previously thought.

 

Don't yell that out -  just in case we want to trade Savard. Shhhhhhhhh……

Where are those stats taken from? From what I see, Xhekaj-Savard has been a stronger pairing than Xhekaj-Struble.

 

*Edit: I see it now in terms of expected goals:

 

 

Still, one is the actual goals scored and the other is “expected”. Seems easy to cherry pick some stats in order to paint a picture. The sample size is also much smaller.

[tomh009]

I suspect that Dumont's stats are from naturalstattrick.com.

[Commandant]

xG% is more predictive of future performance than G% due to the higher sample sizes and removing goaltending from the equation.

 

I find that to be a more instructive stat than G% which is essentially just another way of representing +/-