Prime Minister Koivu Posted August 20, 2024 Share Posted August 20, 2024 8 hours ago, tomh009 said: I believe they will give Newhook the opportunity to prove that he's a centre. If yes, playing between Armia and Gallagher would make sense. Next fall, the Habs will need third and fourth-line centres, and it's not clear yet whether Beck and/or Kapanen will fit those roles. In the above scheme he's on the second line rather than third, but he would likely end up on the third line anyway once Demidov arrives. I think Evans is a capable third line centre with Beck starting on the fourth. Once Demidov comes then I see: Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovsky Laine - Dach - Demidov Newhook - Evans - Roy That top 9 sure looks impressive on paper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DON Posted August 20, 2024 Share Posted August 20, 2024 12 hours ago, hab29RETIRED said: The only bad move this mgmt team has made so far is Lekhonon for Barron and 2nd. And that deal was because Bergevin gave Armia an extension instead of Lekhonon How would Lehkonen of helped the Habs in last 2 years? Just another solid checker is all he is isnt he? Barron is a young-d who has just played 94 games so far and not sure what the 2nd was traded for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomh009 Posted August 20, 2024 Share Posted August 20, 2024 7 minutes ago, DON said: How would Lehkonen of helped the Habs in last 2 years? Just another solid checker is all he is isnt he? Barron is a young-d who has just played 94 games so far and not sure what the 2nd was traded for? Lehkonen has 85 points (37 goals) in 109 games in the last two seasons (and 17 points in 18 playoff games) with Colorado. Capable of more than checking, I'd say. But on Barron, I agree, I'm not ready to write him off yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hab29RETIRED Posted August 20, 2024 Share Posted August 20, 2024 1 hour ago, DON said: How would Lehkonen of helped the Habs in last 2 years? Just another solid checker is all he is isnt he? Barron is a young-d who has just played 94 games so far and not sure what the 2nd was traded for? I think a Lekhonon was worth more than a 2nd and Barron - IF quite absolutely wanted to trade him. He has shown himself to be a legit 2nd line player - something we have sorely been missing. You need second liners that are solid defenders AND can score. He would also have been a perfect mentor for a Newhook and Daxh IF Healthy. If Beck makes the team would also be a perfect mentorZ the guy works like a dog. Solid defensiv3"6 and proven he has an underrated offensive game. when Armia was signed I wa complaing we should have signed Lekhonan. He is the better and more reliable player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hab29RETIRED Posted August 20, 2024 Share Posted August 20, 2024 1 hour ago, tomh009 said: Lehkonen has 85 points (37 goals) in 109 games in the last two seasons (and 17 points in 18 playoff games) with Colorado. Capable of more than checking, I'd say. But on Barron, I agree, I'm not ready to write him off yet. Not ready to rite him off yet either-'just think a Lekhonon would was more then a Barron type of prospect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hab29RETIRED Posted August 20, 2024 Share Posted August 20, 2024 2 hours ago, Prime Minister Koivu said: I think Evans is a capable third line centre with Beck starting on the fourth. Once Demidov comes then I see: Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovsky Laine - Dach - Demidov Newhook - Evans - Roy That top 9 sure looks impressive on paper. I'd rather give Roy an audition with Dach and Laine - IF he earns it in camp. "Longterm I think Newhooknis a third line centre. May as well have him play that role.now. Ideally back and Newhoo are part of the future third line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GHT120 Posted August 20, 2024 Share Posted August 20, 2024 3 minutes ago, hab29RETIRED said: ... 'just think a Lekhonon would was more then a Barron type of prospect. If it had been a pure hockey trade, I would agree ... but AL was gone at the end of that season, so HuGo got what they could. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commandant Posted August 20, 2024 Share Posted August 20, 2024 Barron type of prospect... the guy was one year removed from being a first rounder. Not all first rounders develop of course but lets not use hindsight on his development to what typpe of prospect he was when acquired. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomh009 Posted August 20, 2024 Share Posted August 20, 2024 55 minutes ago, Commandant said: Barron type of prospect... the guy was one year removed from being a first rounder. Not all first rounders develop of course but lets not use hindsight on his development to what typpe of prospect he was when acquired. Right. Hughes saw more upside in Barron than we have seen so far. It was a decent trade, given what Lehkonen had been able to do in Montreal. Maybe with St-Louis it could have been different and he could be on our second line now instead of Laine, but with the last handful of Bergevin contract extensions it really wasn't an option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime Minister Koivu Posted August 20, 2024 Share Posted August 20, 2024 I don’t want to break up the Suzuki line but with pure offensive potential in mind, Laine - Dach - Slafkovsky This line has size, speed, elite passing, elite shooting and the ability to control the play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DON Posted August 20, 2024 Share Posted August 20, 2024 3 hours ago, tomh009 said: Lehkonen has 85 points (37 goals) in 109 games in the last two seasons (and 17 points in 18 playoff games) with Colorado. Capable of more than checking, I'd say. Yup, Burrows/Anson Carter looked very good playing with the Sedins is how i see the uptick offense. Unlikely he would put up same offense (or made any difference) if stayed on a weak Montreal team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomh009 Posted August 20, 2024 Share Posted August 20, 2024 1 hour ago, DON said: Yup, Burrows/Anson Carter looked very good playing with the Sedins is how i see the uptick offense. Unlikely he would put up same offense (or made any difference) if stayed on a weak Montreal team. So, "just another solid checker is all he is isnt he?" I think we better agree to disagree on this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huzer Posted August 20, 2024 Share Posted August 20, 2024 15 minutes ago, tomh009 said: So, "just another solid checker is all he is isnt he?" I think we better agree to disagree on this one. Drouin looks pretty solid with MacKinnon, too. Just sayin'. Lehkonen is a good player, but I don't think he would've become a 65 pt player in Montreal. I think he was destined to remain a checking third liner with some upside had he stayed here. The change of scenery has definitely benefited him. And while oft-injured himself, he's also benefitted from other players (Drouin, Landeskog, Nichushkin) being injured or off-roster as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomh009 Posted August 20, 2024 Share Posted August 20, 2024 8 minutes ago, huzer said: Drouin looks pretty solid with MacKinnon, too. Just sayin'. Lehkonen is a good player, but I don't think he would've become a 65 pt player in Montreal. I think he was destined to remain a checking third liner with some upside had he stayed here. The change of scenery has definitely benefited him. And while oft-injured himself, he's also benefitted from other players (Drouin, Landeskog, Nichushkin) being injured or off-roster as well. MacKinnon xGF for the last two seasons with ... Rantanen 61.97 Rodrigues 57.67 Lehkonen 57.51 Nichuskin 50.77 Drouin 43.87 MacKinnon overall had 56.84% xGF%. Anyway, I won't argue this any further. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted August 20, 2024 Share Posted August 20, 2024 Funny thing about Lehks…he never showed a lot of offensive flash with us. In fact, while I respected him a lot, I used to roll my eyes at his cement hands. The most he ever got with us was 13 goals and 31 points. Not exactly a neon sign saying “hey this guy is a top-liner!!” With him, it seems to be a combination of factors. He went to COL as he was entering his mid-20s. That’s often an age where players with experience start to put it together and hit another level. (This doesn’t always happen, but it does, sometimes). He had a good playoff in the Run of ‘21 and that probably helped his confidence as an offensive player. And he landed on a line with a superstar, which never hurts. My guess is that, if he’d stayed here, he’d have shown the same sort of evolution Danault did. PD was another example of a guy who seemed 100% Plumber for a few seasons before finding another level and becoming a respectable offensive producer. IMHO Lehks on the Habs would probably have become a 20-goal 50-point W, something like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commandant Posted August 20, 2024 Share Posted August 20, 2024 32 minutes ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said: Funny thing about Lehks…he never showed a lot of offensive flash with us. In fact, while I respected him a lot, I used to roll my eyes at his cement hands. The most he ever got with us was 13 goals and 31 points. Not exactly a neon sign saying “hey this guy is a top-liner!!” With him, it seems to be a combination of factors. He went to COL as he was entering his mid-20s. That’s often an age where players with experience start to put it together and hit another level. (This doesn’t always happen, but it does, sometimes). He had a good playoff in the Run of ‘21 and that probably helped his confidence as an offensive player. And he landed on a line with a superstar, which never hurts. My guess is that, if he’d stayed here, he’d have shown the same sort of evolution Danault did. PD was another example of a guy who seemed 100% Plumber for a few seasons before finding another level and becoming a respectable offensive producer. IMHO Lehks on the Habs would probably have become a 20-goal 50-point W, something like that. Lehkonen had 18 goals as a rookie in Montreal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huzer Posted August 20, 2024 Share Posted August 20, 2024 1 hour ago, tomh009 said: MacKinnon xGF for the last two seasons with ... Rantanen 61.97 Rodrigues 57.67 Lehkonen 57.51 Nichuskin 50.77 Drouin 43.87 MacKinnon overall had 56.84% xGF%. Anyway, I won't argue this any further. I wasn't arguing anything. Top players can also elevate the games of others. That doesn't mean Lehky himself isn't good. But Lehky+MacKinnon are likely a better duo than Lehky+Dvorak. Simply put, I think Colorado is a better place for Lehky than Montreal, I don't think he would've had the same opportunity here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habs Fan in Edmonton Posted August 20, 2024 Share Posted August 20, 2024 10 minutes ago, huzer said: I wasn't arguing anything. Top players can also elevate the games of others. That doesn't mean Lehky himself isn't good. But Lehky+MacKinnon are likely a better duo than Lehky+Dvorak. Simply put, I think Colorado is a better place for Lehky than Montreal, I don't think he would've had the same opportunity here. I am getting in at the end of this discussion but I certainly agree that top players can make those around them better and Lehkonen certainly benefits from playing with talented players in Colorado. Sometimes a change of scenery can work wonders for a player and in this case it did. It always easy to judge trades with hindsight. At the time this seemed like a logical trade to make for a rebuilding club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted August 20, 2024 Share Posted August 20, 2024 1 hour ago, Commandant said: Lehkonen had 18 goals as a rookie in Montreal. Oh that's right! Whoops. Only 28 points though. I guess the point is that he always seemed more a plumber than an offensive talent - at least to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime Minister Koivu Posted August 20, 2024 Share Posted August 20, 2024 29 is retired but isn’t Demidov #92 I'm excited for the season Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted August 20, 2024 Share Posted August 20, 2024 I hate it...Drouin vibes, for a player who resembles Drouin in terms of mental health issues, etc. Too me that's bad voodoo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime Minister Koivu Posted August 20, 2024 Share Posted August 20, 2024 OVER Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IN THE HEARTS OF MEN Posted August 20, 2024 Share Posted August 20, 2024 4 hours ago, DON said: Yup, Burrows/Anson Carter looked very good playing with the Sedins is how i see the uptick offense. Unlikely he would put up same offense (or made any difference) if stayed on a weak Montreal team. If you watch Colorado, then at no time would you think Lehks was riding the coattails of Colorado players. He's been one of Aves top forwards for multiple years in a row now and helping to drive play. He would be very good on Mtl right now! We traded him just as he was blossoming before our eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IN THE HEARTS OF MEN Posted August 20, 2024 Share Posted August 20, 2024 50 minutes ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said: Oh that's right! Whoops. Only 28 points though. I guess the point is that he always seemed more a plumber than an offensive talent - at least to me. Until he scored the goal that sent us to the Stanley Cup final... than followed it up with the goal that sent Aves to the fi al and followed that up with the Stanley cup winning goal in the Finals... Clutch is clutch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habs Fan in Edmonton Posted August 20, 2024 Share Posted August 20, 2024 24 minutes ago, IN THE HEARTS OF MEN said: If you watch Colorado, then at no time would you think Lehks was riding the coattails of Colorado players. He's been one of Aves top forwards for multiple years in a row now and helping to drive play. He would be very good on Mtl right now! We traded him just as he was blossoming before our eyes. There was never any doubt about Arturi's skating ability. He could keep up with anyone. He was and is a hard worker, and a 200 foot player who every coach had confidence in. He just couldn't seem to score consistently enough in Montreal whether it was a lack of confidence, not playing with the right players, who knows. He certainly had his chances but just couldn't bury enough of them. It's impossible to say whether he would have blossomed in Montreal if we had kept him. We do know that Colorado has been good to him. Playing a skating game with others who excel at it has been a good recipe for him. Good for him. He is one former Hab I am happy to see do well somewhere else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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