HF Habs: 2023 Roster, Schedule & Standings Thread

[SlafySZN]

Poop night for the tank.
This is why when people look at standings and think, “we are only a 7 points from bottom 5!” They don’t realize how hard it is for the bottom teams to get those points…and we are CONSTANTLY picking them up.

Won’t happen.
Pray for bottom 10 at this point.

I think it’s fair to think we will draft around 7-8th overall.

 

[McGees]

I think it’s fair to think we will draft around 7-8th overall.

I personally highly doubt we pick inside top 10.
10-15 more likely.

 

[SlafySZN]

I personally highly doubt we pick inside top 10.
10-15 more likely.

I don’t think so. They’ll have a dip in performance soon enough and lose more games since they have an harder schedule starting december 17th and especially after the trade deadline.

 

[McGees]

I don’t think so. They’ll have a dip in performance soon enough and lose more games since they have an harder schedule starting december 17th and especially after the trade deadline.

All bad teams will be worse after deadline as they’ll all sell

 

[Sorinth]

I don’t think so. They’ll have a dip in performance soon enough and lose more games since they have an harder schedule starting december 17th and especially after the trade deadline.

Teams often see an improved record after the trade deadline. Not only do they get an influx of youth that come in with a bunch of energy and try to prove they belong, but opposing teams will play the backup and distribute their ice time more evenly between lines to avoid tiring their star players.

 

[ReHabs]

The Habs have a wonderfully rich history of massive tumbles down the standings. You only have to go back to 2017-2018 for a situation similar to now: 13-12-3 after 28 games, followed by a .398 record that put them in 28th place.

Keep the faith, peoples.

If anyone can lead the Habs to a tumble it’s the losing streak champion Brendan Gallagher. He’s getting his sound bites ready — we just gotta work through it, one shift at a time, we’re all together in the room right now even if the results aren’t there, we’re behind the coach, the answers are with us and we know we are capable of turning this around, etc.

One fat losing streak will help encourage HuGo to sell Dvorak/Hoffman/Eddy/Monahan, possibly waive Armia, bring some young blood up like Ylonen and RHP and Barron, and help keep us in the tank race.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Pretty sure no one saw the habs having more points than Colorado and the same numbers as Florida after 25 games.

I would agree with that. However, I was one of the rare ones to say it's not a guaranteed bottom 5 finish this season.

One of my favorite quotes: "You're never as good as your best season and your not as bad as your worse". This fits when you look at the last 2 previous seasons.

 

[BLONG7]

If anyone can lead the Habs to a tumble it’s the losing streak champion Brendan Gallagher. He’s getting his sound bites ready — we just gotta work through it, one shift at a time, we’re all together in the room right now even if the results aren’t there, we’re behind the coach, the answers are with us and we know we are capable of turning this around, etc.

One fat losing streak will help encourage HuGo to sell Dvorak/Hoffman/Eddy/Monahan, possibly waive Armia, bring some young blood up like Ylonen and RHP and Barron, and help keep us in the tank race.

Sticking to The Plan..............I hate the losing too guys, but the bottom line is we need another good first round at the 23 draft, and purge some vets that MB had signed......
It's in the kids as we move forward.
Big question though, where will the goalie come from? Do we have that kid, or will they sign someone in the next year or two?

 

[Habs Halifax]

I personally highly doubt we pick inside top 10.
10-15 more likely.

Before the season I said 5-10 or 8-12. The later is where they are tracking but a lot depends on if we make any trades. If we trade Monahan, that will have ripple effects. We survived against the Kraken but it would be tough over the long haul and it's possible Dach moves back to center and who knows how that would play out. Monahan has provided a lot of stability up the middle after Suzuki. That's very important to where they are today

I'm still saying 7th or 8th pick but the conservative range is 6-12 from what we see today. Some have talked about "tough schedule" to come and I do believe we slip a bit. How much we slip is the question

 

[WeThreeKings]

Sticking to The Plan..............I hate the losing too guys, but the bottom line is we need another good first round at the 23 draft, and purge some vets that MB had signed......
It's in the kids as we move forward.
Big question though, where will the goalie come from? Do we have that kid, or will they sign someone in the next year or two?

There's still a possibility on Dobes or Dichow but it's not looking as promising as it did a year ago. Dichow has struggled at the SHL level and Dobes hasn't followed up his amazing freshman season with an improved effort.

Primeau is trending toward NHL back-up. Great 7th round pick just isn't a long-term starter.

They will have to draft a couple goalies this year. They can't afford to miss out on Hrabal and Bjarnason.

 

[Milhouse40]

has struggled at the SHL level and Dobes hasn't followed up his amazing freshman season with an improved effort.

Primeau is trending toward NHL back-up. Great 7th round pick just isn't a long-term starter.

They will have to draft a couple goalies this year.They can't afford to miss out on Hrabal and Bjarnason.

The solution for goaltending is not at the draft table. It will be through trade or UFA.....what's the difference between spending a 1st round pick on a goalie or trading a 1st round pick to get one? The 2nd one is safest and fits with the timeline.

A goalie ever make it as a starter for a good 6 years, an exceptional like Price, it takes 4 years at least before being a good starter in the NHL. Doesn't mean we can't draft one but it's not a priority to spend that much on it.

Highly touted goalie in the draft before have turned into nothing or are still in limbo 5-6 years after their draft...like Carter Hart for example!

 

[WeThreeKings]

The solution for goaltending is not at the draft table. It will be through trade or UFA.....what's the difference between spending a 1st round pick on a goalie or trading a 1st round pick to get one? The 2nd one is safest and fits with the timeline.

A goalie ever make it as a starter for a good 6 years, an exceptional like Price, it takes 4 years at least before being a good starter in the NHL. Doesn't mean we can't draft one but it's not a priority to spend that much on it.

Highly touted goalie in the draft before have turned into nothing or are still in limbo 5-6 years after their draft...like Carter Hart for example!

You don't want to go through trade or UFA for a goaltender because the goaltending position sucks at the NHL level right now. The best option is to try to get the next generation of good goaltenders.

The only situation right now to monitor is Sorokin in NYI if he goes to UFA. I doubt they will let him.
And Nashville with Saros and Askarov.

But if you go the UFA market.. look at what Campbell and Kuemper got. I'd rather not pay 5m a year for an absolute scrub, you are better off running Jake Allen.

 

[Sorinth]

You don't want to go through trade or UFA for a goaltender because the goaltending position sucks at the NHL level right now. The best option is to try to get the next generation of good goaltenders.

The only situation right now to monitor is Sorokin in NYI if he goes to UFA. I doubt they will let him.
And Nashville with Saros and Askarov.

But if you go the UFA market.. look at what Campbell and Kuemper got. I'd rather not pay 5m a year for an absolute scrub, you are better off running Jake Allen.

The best solution is to build a team that doesn't require a great goalie. It's when you need a goalie to fix non-goaltending team issues that you get into problems.

 

[Runner77]

You don't want to go through trade or UFA for a goaltender because the goaltending position sucks at the NHL level right now. The best option is to try to get the next generation of good goaltenders.

The only situation right now to monitor is Sorokin in NYI if he goes to UFA. I doubt they will let him.
And Nashville with Saros and Askarov.

But if you go the UFA market.. look at what Campbell and Kuemper got. I'd rather not pay 5m a year for an absolute scrub, you are better off running Jake Allen.

To better our chances, would it not be advisable to set up a special department focused on goalies, like several NHL teams have been doing? Chicago recently created a structure for recruiting, developing and following up on goalies headed by Luongo.

 

[WeThreeKings]

To better our chances, would it not be advisable to set up a special department focused on goalies, like several NHL teams have been doing? Chicago recently created a structure for recruiting, developing and following up on goalies headed by Luongo.

I'm surprised we haven't done it, but there should be scouts specifically focused on goaltenders. It really shouldn't be in the jurisdiction of the guy scouting forwards and defenseman to scout a goalie, the positions are so vastly different.

And similar to what they are doing with the data analytics department, they need someone who is able to take the scouting data on goaltenders and accurately depict and defend their placement on a draft board.

 

[Milhouse40]

You don't want to go through trade or UFA for a goaltender because the goaltending position sucks at the NHL level right now. The best option is to try to get the next generation of good goaltenders.

The only situation right now to monitor is Sorokin in NYI if he goes to UFA. I doubt they will let him.
And Nashville with Saros and Askarov.

But if you go the UFA market.. look at what Campbell and Kuemper got. I'd rather not pay 5m a year for an absolute scrub, you are better off running Jake Allen.

Agreed but you don't need to hit a homerun with someone established either.
We had Dubnyk rotting in the AHL for half a season and 2 years later he was in the Vezina discussion........That freaking position is the worst in terms of projecting.

Considering that if we draft a goalie next draft, if we're lucky, he'll become a starting goalie 2028.
I don't think HuGo will sit and hope for the best.

But goalie.....that might be Dobes, Dichow or Crotteau for all we know.....that freaking position.
So many goalie suddenly just flip the switch and are good to go!

 

[morhilane]

To better our chances, would it not be advisable to set up a special department focused on goalies, like several NHL teams have been doing? Chicago recently created a structure for recruiting, developing and following up on goalies headed by Luongo.

That was the plan when Burke was named director of goaltending by MB, but in (not quite) two seasons nothing was done about it. Burke was still acting like a scout when Gorton/Hughes took over.

And while Gorton/Hughes haven't said anything about it, it's possible that internally they did setup something for recruiting, developing and following up on goalies. I know that Verbic is recalled from the Lions to Laval when they have skill coaching practices for example.

 

[Runner77]

Big question though, where will the goalie come from? Do we have that kid, or will they sign someone in the next year or two?

There has to be a multipronged approach given the uncertainty and development commitment it takes for goalies.

Draft some, trade for some, scour internationally for free agents — target teams that have excess goalie talent. I’d put more resources on the quality and quantity of goalie scouts and have personnel in regions that are not scouted as closely by other NHL clubs.

 

[WinterLion]

Good new for the FLA pick (actually both picks) if true:

Travis Yost: Why Christmas is another important NHL milestone | TSN

In recent years, the National Hockey League has instituted a miniature break around the Christmas holiday. The break has become one of the notable milestones in the regular-season schedule – most teams have completed between 40 and 45 per cent of games, and consequently, we start to build...

www.tsn.ca

 

[Adam Michaels]

That was the plan when Burke was named director of goaltending by MB, but in (not quite) two seasons nothing was done about it. Burke was still acting like a scout when Gorton/Hughes took over.

And while Gorton/Hughes haven't said anything about it, it's possible that internally they did setup something for recruiting, developing and following up on goalies. I know that Verbic is recalled from the Lions to Laval when they have skill coaching practices for example.

One of the unannounced hires in scouting is Neil Little, who was a goalie. So it's possible his hire was to have someone scouting goalies. The Habs already have Vincent Riendeau. So it's possible they added another who specializes in goalie scouting. We don't know for sure what role Neil Little has as a scout because Habs never announced it and he hasn't been added to the Habs' Hockey Ops page.

 

[Naslundforever]

All bad teams will be worse after deadline as they’ll all sell

Weirdly the opposite with the habs though, it seems none of the vets want to leave or make better money on their next contract beyond Monahan

 

[NewEraGM]

Before the season I said 5-10 or 8-12. The later is where they are tracking but a lot depends on if we make any trades. If we trade Monahan, that will have ripple effects. We survived against the Kraken but it would be tough over the long haul and it's possible Dach moves back to center and who knows how that would play out. Monahan has provided a lot of stability up the middle after Suzuki. That's very important to where they are today

I'm still saying 7th or 8th pick but the conservative range is 6-12 from what we see today. Some have talked about "tough schedule" to come and I do believe we slip a bit. How much we slip is the question

There are 4-5 teams behind us who I very much expect to pass us even if we maintain this pace.
Buffalo St. Louis Nashville should all pass us
Outside chance that Ottawa and Vancouver pass us as well

We will be right around 8th pre lottery

There are 4-5 teams behind us who I very much expect to pass us even if we maintain this pace.
Buffalo St. Louis Nashville should all pass us
Outside chance that Ottawa and Vancouver pass us as well

We will be right around 8th pre lottery

I’m more focused on floridas pick. We will be around 8th or so but if Florida can miss, that’s a hue difference.

At the start of the season, if we were offered 8th and 16th, that would be pretty good. I think most would have been accepting of 5th and 25th so instead we get 8th and 16th. Pretty good

 

[Adam Michaels]

Habs were 18th after Tuesday when they won against Seattle. Between that game and the one tonight, they dropped down to 21st as Colorado, Washington & Calgary moved ahead of them.

Desired results tonight:

- MTL regulation loss to LAK
- FLA regulation loss to TBL

- DET win vs. DAL: DET win would put them 3 pts ahead of FLA and continue to keep them out of a playoff spot.
- CGY win vs. TOR: CGY win would put them 3 pts ahead of MTL and create some separation.
- VAN vs. MIN: if VAN wins, they move ahead of MTL. If MIN wins, they go 3 pts up on MTL and create some separation.
- NSH vs. OTT: if NSH wins, they move ahead of MTL. If OTT wins, they get within 4 pts.
- BUF vs. PIT: if BUF wins, they tie MTL in pts, but MTL stay ahead due to games in hand. If PIT wins, they go 6 pts ahead of FLA.

 

[SwiftyHab]

Habs were 18th after Tuesday when they won against Seattle. Between that game and the one tonight, they dropped down to 21st as Colorado, Washington & Calgary moved ahead of them.

Desired results tonight:

- MTL regulation loss to LAK
- FLA regulation loss to TBL

- DET win vs. DAL: DET win would put them 3 pts ahead of FLA and continue to keep them out of a playoff spot.
- CGY win vs. TOR: CGY win would put them 3 pts ahead of MTL and create some separation.
- VAN vs. MIN: if VAN wins, they move ahead of MTL. If MIN wins, they go 3 pts up on MTL and create some separation.
- NSH vs. OTT: if NSH wins, they move ahead of MTL. If OTT wins, they get within 5 pts.
- BUF vs. PIT: if BUF wins, they tie MTL in pts, but MTL stay ahead due to games in hand. If PIT wins, they go 6 pts ahead of FLA.

OT wins for everyone behind us except us!!!

 

[Adam Michaels]

Sens win. They get within 4 pts of Habs.