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

[Colezuki]

I think our division is too tough, but I hope you're right. I hope we're competitive this year.

I just hope regardless of how we do the teams healthy last year got unwatchable once dach, caufield, Guhle, xhekaj and slaf went down

 

[Wateredgarden]

I just hope regardless of how we do the teams healthy last year got unwatchable once dach, caufield, Guhle, xhekaj and slaf went down

TBH Monahan was the first domino, as soon as he went down the team slowed down a lot.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

Tickets were pretty much sold out a few weeks ago.

I was considering driving the 3-4 hours, bring the family and have a day in Montreal, get a hotel and leave Monday morning, but all the good seats were long gone. Nothing left but the upper bowl.

I gotta be faster, maybe go go do that next year, or just get a Saturday night game so no one has to miss work, or school.

 

[MadMslm]

I think our division is too tough, but I hope you're right. I hope we're competitive this year.

Matheson plays a high risk/high reward type of game. He’ll help bring offense but will definitely make a lot of mistakes in the process.

I think they will be competitive on game to game basis, but standing wise the chances are pretty low. The Atlantic is just way too strong and you have some top teams in the Metropolitan.

I think Chicago, San Jose and Philadelphia are guaranteed to finish under us. Same could be said about Anaheim, unless the addition of some young prospects push them in the second tier.

Then you have Arizona, Columbus and us.

With some injuries that might change a bit. It’s pretty much a top 10 pick again.

 

[yianik]

What has Slaf shown to deserve playing on the 1st line?

Edit : sure enough, Logan Cooley with the highlight reel goal in Australia.

I'll eat crow by the pound. But im not high on Slaf like I wasnt on KK like im not on Reinbacher. Then again, Im more Allen Iverson than Tim Duncan, more Kane then Toews, more prime Subban then Prime McDonagh.

Would love to have a couple ( settle for one ) guys that can make me jump out of my seat like PK, Kovalev.

As to the line ups, deserves got nothen to do with it to quote Clint Eastwood. I just think the players on the lines have a real good chance of bringing out the best in their line mates , on the whole. So yeah maybe a guy would be better with another player on his line, but on the whole of the team.

 

[Evgeny Oliker]

Curious what everyone thinks about Harris this season?

With Petry gone, will Harris play in the top 4? Is he likely to also get more PP time compared to last season?

What exactly is his upside? Just a defensive D?


Thanks

 

[The Real Timo]

He showed surprising quickness today. This kid is going to be load to play against.

Xhekaj is ma man. MSL better help him as much as he plans to help Slaf.

Curious what everyone thinks about Harris this season?

With Petry gone, will Harris play in the top 4? Is he likely to also get more PP time compared to last season?

What exactly is his upside? Just a defensive D?


Thanks

Top 4? Come on. The dude wouldn’t make it on a semi decent team. He’s got no speed , no playmaking, not to mention zero physical presence. No clue why Habs see in him.

 

[Colezuki]

We are approaching a point though where we’ll need to trade a d for a forward or potentially a starting goalie if Monty slips. We can get away with it this year (barely) but after this year I think we’ll need to be looking at a trade

 

[Tyson]

Matheson plays a high risk/high reward type of game. He’ll help bring offense but will definitely make a lot of mistakes in the process.

I think they will be competitive on game to game basis, but standing wise the chances are pretty low. The Atlantic is just way too strong and you have some top teams in the Metropolitan.

I think Chicago, San Jose and Philadelphia are guaranteed to finish under us. Same could be said about Anaheim, unless the addition of some young prospects push them in the second tier.

Then you have Arizona, Columbus and us.

With some injuries that might change a bit. It’s pretty much a top 10 pick again.

I think folks around the league are over rating Detroit and under rating the Habs. If the Habs stay healthy I predict a 35-38 win season.

Xhekaj looked plenty fast today

Folks need to factor in that he will continue improving.

 

[Nedved]

I think folks around the league are over rating Detroit and under rating the Habs. If the Habs stay healthy I predict a 35-38 win season.


Folks need to factor in that he will continue improving.

35 wins puts us bottom 10 in last year's draft. we had 31 wins last year. I feel like a lot uf see a team drafting anywhere from 8-12 which would fit in your range. things need to go bad for us to be bottom 5.

 

[Tyson]

35 wins puts us bottom 10 in last year's draft. we had 31 wins last year. I feel like a lot uf see a team drafting anywhere from 8-12 which would fit in your range. things need to go bad for us to be bottom 5.

Had the Habs stayed healthy for the entire season, how many wins do you think they would have ended up with? Close to 40?

 

[Nedved]

Had the Habs stayed healthy for the entire season, how many wins do you think they would have ended up with? Close to 40?

with the way monty played, probably, but I don't expect him to be as solid as he was last year. I also think other teams will get better too. Until our top 10 picks become impact players we're probably not competing for a playoff spot.

 

[Tyson]

with the way monty played, probably, but I don't expect him to be as solid as he was last year. I also think other teams will get better too. Until our top 10 picks become impact players we're probably not competing for a playoff spot.

I have the exact opposite view on Monty. I think he might become a legitimate goalie this season. The teams in our division such as Ottawa and Buffalo will take alot of wins away from Boston, Toronto and Tampa. I think the Habs will surprise way more than people think. This Habs team has some pretty good players.

 

[26Mats]

We are approaching a point though where we’ll need to trade a d for a forward or potentially a starting goalie if Monty slips. We can get away with it this year (barely) but after this year I think we’ll need to be looking at a trade

yes the point where too many d are NHL ready could be near.

I hope Savard plays well and can get us a 2nd or even a 1st.

 

[MasterD]

Not sure how Weber's contract was a mess.

I don't think he knew he was going to break

That's funny. He was broken when we traded for him.

 

[CheldishGamibno]

We are approaching a point though where we’ll need to trade a d for a forward or potentially a starting goalie if Monty slips. We can get away with it this year (barely) but after this year I think we’ll need to be looking at a trade

that looks to be the plan with all the 2025 picks that were pilled up

 

[MadMslm]

Curious what everyone thinks about Harris this season?

With Petry gone, will Harris play in the top 4? Is he likely to also get more PP time compared to last season?

What exactly is his upside? Just a defensive D?


Thanks

Top 4 might be hard to achieve with Matheson and Guhle on the left side.

The only way this happens is if he is moved to the right side or if they put Guhle there (they tried him on the right side in one of the scrimmages). Last year all three of Guhle (to a lesser extent), Harris and Xhekaj rotated to the right side at times.

I think Harris does a lot of things well on the ice and is better than Xhekaj on a lot of aspects, but the latter offers something more valuable. If they keep Barron up, there will definitely be a congestion on the backhand because I doubt they’ll want to waive Kovacevic.

I don’t believe he’ll get much PP time. Matheson will be on the main wave, there’s a good chance they go with 4 forwards. On the second wave they have to give Guhle something and if Barron is in the line up he’ll definitely be there.

He definitely has the talent and understand of the game to be a #4 but if that ever happens it won’t be on this team. With the infusion of young defensemen coming in he’ll most probably end up in a trade.

 

[Milhouse40]

yes the point where too many d are NHL ready could be near.

I hope Savard plays well and can get us a 2nd or even a 1st.

I think the play is not to get rid of Savard for more picks but to trade one good for another good piece at another position.

 

[26Mats]

I think the play is not to get rid of Savard for more picks but to trade one good for another good piece at another position.

If it's not Matheson, Guhle, Hutson, Mailloux, Reinbacher, or Xhekaj that we trade, I'm not sure we could get another good piece at another position

 

[MadMslm]

I think folks around the league are over rating Detroit and under rating the Habs. If the Habs stay healthy I predict a 35-38 win season.


Folks need to factor in that he will continue improving.

Sure you can add Detroit to that second tier, teams like Vancouver/Nashville/Capitals could end up there depending on injuries.

There shouldn’t be much separation between those teams. A hot/cold streak or a few injuries will be the difference maker in where they’ll rank.

Last year, even if they would have went for .500 in the Atlantic, they would have still finished last of the division. It’s an incredibly strong division.

 

[yianik]

I know that. I'm suggesting a change in rules to discourage teams from drafting underagers who are not ready for the pros yet.

Not sure about that. I thought a player is eligible the earlier of 7 years as a pro, or when he turns 27. This is another reason I am mystified about bringing kids up early. Why blow a year of RFA years when you can just let him get better for a year or two and then bring him up.

 

[The Real Timo]

I think the play is not to get rid of Savard for more picks but to trade one good for another good piece at another position.

We can get two pieces for Chris Wideman.

 

[Nedved]

I have the exact opposite view on Monty. I think he might become a legitimate goalie this season. The teams in our division such as Ottawa and Buffalo will take alot of wins away from Boston, Toronto and Tampa. I think the Habs will surprise way more than people think. This Habs team has some pretty good players.

I like Monty and his story, and I'm rooting for him hard. He was really, really solid last year. Ten times the goalie Allen was in net. I think the stealing of points from leafs bolts bruins will just put us further away from them. The division might be tighter for the top 5 teams but will be farther away from them. We do have some great players, but the same can be said for every team.

until reinbacher is a top 4 on our team I think will be outside looking in for some time.

im excited to see all the growth this year!

 

[AlexGretzchenvid]

Lol

Everyone are really good according to you. They all have high potential.

To be fair, these guys are in NHL training camps, they are really good, obviously, and for the most part have good potential.

 

[le_sean]

I think our division is too tough, but I hope you're right. I hope we're competitive this year.

The Habs will be competitive in the sense that it won’t be an easy matchup for any team.

But they are still a step behind everyone else in the division. That’s the hard part.