Pre-Game Talk: 2023-2024 Habs Rookie Camp & Training Camp

[Bee Holder]

Can’t wait to see the Trudeau-Mailloux top pair terrorize the AHL and get call ups if the injuries stack up

 

[1909]

That’s what I hope to see Matty try for at least one pre-season game (based on what I’ve seen so far):

Caufield-Suzuki-RHP
Newhook-Dach-Anderson
Slafkovsky-Monahan-Roy
Pearson-Evans-Gally
HS: Armia and one of Pezz/Ylonen

let Heineman marinate a bit more with Laval and call him up if injuries stack up

Too early for Roy to play at NHL right now, like Heineman. Gally is NOT a 4th liner ! RHP is too small for the first line with Caufield and Suzuki.

 

[habsterr]

Can’t wait to see the Trudeau-Mailloux top pair terrorize the AHL and get call ups if the injuries stack up

Terrorize the defensive zone and our goalie perhaps.

 

[Treb]

Rushing Roy to the NHL is just asking for a Latendresse 2.0.

He even has a famous name in Montreal like "Gui! Gui! Gui!" Latendresse.

Some people never learn.

 

[The Real Timo]

Too early for Roy to play at NHL right now, like Heineman. Gally is NOT a 4th liner ! RHP is too small for the first line with Caufield and Suzuki.

Let's give Suziki and Caufield the Great Yoel Armia! That will show everybody.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

Let's give Suziki and Caufield the Great Yoel Armia! That will show everybody.

The great Yoelle, or an over matched Roy and potentially ruin him ?

Not sure having a player play a season in the A has ruined their career/develop, but forcing a player in the NHL certainly has.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

I can pull highlight reel goals from
Nail Yakupov’s rookie year too.

And?

And Galchenyuk and Kotkaniemi

 

[Doublechin]

Rushing Roy to the NHL is just asking for a Latendresse 2.0.

He even has a famous name in Montreal like "Gui! Gui! Gui!" Latendresse.

Some people never learn.

Latendresse came in at D+1

This is D+3 for Roy now, big difference

 

[ChesterNimitz]

I find the same thing. He makes a few beautiful plays per game, then disappears for stretches. I get the impression he avoids contact.

So did Lafleur. We want him skating with the puck and finding the openings on the ice and not banging bodies. We have other prospects to play physical.

 

[Whitesnake]

If he did he’d be a $8M+ player…

Which a team would gladly pay for.

 

[417]

So far hes looked like his usual self.

So far?

We’ve played games?

I know you ain't talking about some red/white scrimmage.

The realisation of his true potential is probably directly linked to his development path, like 99.99% of prospects, hes a 1OA, hes an insane investment. He needs to return the most possible. Just being a good player shouldn't cut it.

And that has to happen not even before he’s played a full season’s worth of games?

 

[Andy]

People are being really childish with Slafkovsky

 

[Bee Holder]

Too early for Roy to play at NHL right now, like Heineman. Gally is NOT a 4th liner ! RHP is too small for the first line with Caufield and Suzuki.

Fair enough. What is your forward line-up you'd want to see tried during preseason?

 

[Trabdy2]

My guess at this point is we see something like this to start the season:

Caufield - Suzuki - Ylonen
Pearson - Dach - Monahan
RHP - Newhook - Anderson
Armia - Evans - Gallagher
Pezzetta

All the others go to the farm/junior to start. The italicized players are most likely to be moved around in the lineup or scratched, depending on performance.

I think unless Ylonen has a mediocre camp, he'll get a shot to start because he's not waivers-exempt.

Slafkovsky, Heineman, Farrell, Roy would benefit from big-minute playing time on the farm, but if any of them stand out in camp, we might see them challenge the positions of those italicized players.

 

[Bee Holder]

Terrorize the defensive zone and our goalie perhaps.

Mailloux does have some work to do but Trudeau is already more than decent in that department imo

 

[Expos94]

Yakupov did that and busted, slaf hasn't even done what Yakupov did.

I think the idea is to be concerned.

However, Slaf was never considered to be that skilled, just a... Unicorn. 6'4 ,220lbs winger who can fly and has a lethal shot is rare and that's why he was taken 1st overall.

Also it just wasn't a very high end draft unfortunately

 

[WinterLion]

Rushing Roy to the NHL is just asking for a Latendresse 2.0.

He even has a famous name in Montreal like "Gui! Gui! Gui!" Latendresse.

Some people never learn.

I do see your point, but to be fair it is a different situation. Roy is more seasoned and has already dealt with some ups and downs.

Still i do agree with you overall that management has to be careful about managing expectations with him!

 

[Paddy17]

and Jack Hughes was awful in his D+1 season. And Slaf had highlights too.

Most of these arguments either way are frankly stupid. Slaf was and is a project 1st OA pick from a relatively weak draft class. He was always going to take time and he hasn't even been as bad as people make him out to be. Slaf could be a dominant winger. He could flame out. He will likely fall somewhere in-between. But the way people talk about him and judge him, they should probably be just as worried about Suzuki, Caufield, Dach, Guhle, etc.

It feels like people don't understand what happens in rebuild and just want to go back to being a veteran plucky underdog team that can win one or two upset rounds once or twice a decade.

People don't understand what development is, yet they keep repeating Habs don't know how to develop players.

After 39 games in his first season, and 2 days of camp... why isn't he dominating yet???

...

Ma', I want my ice cream NOW!!! Now, now, now!!!

 

[Dusty Bender]

Rumors of Mesar's demise were greatly exaggerated.

He excels in an environment with little hitting. Watching him live, he consistently goes wide off the rush and doesn’t attack the middle of the ice. Hopefully it was just a matter of adjusting to the smaller ice.

 

[Dusty Bender]

So did Lafleur. We want him skating with the puck and finding the openings on the ice and not banging bodies. We have other prospects to play physical.

It isn’t so much that he isn’t physical. In watching him play live up close, he stops moving his feet when engaging the opponent. He lost leverage so many times. This won’t play at the next level.

 

[Doublechin]

People are being really childish with Slafkovsky

He's a first overall pick, he shouldn't look average or even below average, they have every right to be disappointed. I know I know, there's the whole big forwards take longer to develop but I just don't see the IQ there for him to reach star status and I haven't once yet.

 

[FrankMTL]

Hey guys, what's the schedule for tomorrow?

 

[Rapala]

I’m talking about play style. Rush hockey doesn’t seems to be the style who fits him better. Suzuki is more calculated and would use Slaf’s board work and puck protection better.

You took what i said to literally, lol. Could be with Monahan/Dach for now.

It could be lower too.

Rumors of Mesar's demise were greatly exaggerated.

He's better tha Slaf now.

 

[KevSkillz4]

Imagine we are hyped for all defensive prospects in camp and Hutson, Engstrom, Konyushkov are not even there. Amazing!

 

[le_sean]

So did Lafleur. We want him skating with the puck and finding the openings on the ice and not banging bodies. We have other prospects to play physical.

Ylonen is not Lafleur lol. He’s more Murray Wilson.