Confirmed with Link: Alex Newhook for 31st, 37th and Fairbrother

[Habs]

Yeah,

He’s building a pretty good team that is going to take time to find its way. That’s how rebuilding works. You have to go through rough patches to get there.

As for us emulating the Bruins I have no idea where that came from. We’re investing in skilled play. Some guys will pan out and some guys won’t. No doubt we’ll tweak things as we go.

We’re not going to be anything like Boston though. And honestly I don’t want us to be. They lucked out on a cup in 2011 but have consistently underperformed. HUGO wants us to go back to the fire wagon hockey of the 70s. No doubt we’ll need some size and toughness but honestly we’ve already got some of that here. Unfortunate that RB wasn’t available because I think he probably would’ve been brought in later this year.

This is what rebuilding looks like man.

I think you rebuild with big heavy teams, it doesn't work with small fast ones. Want proof? The Montreal Canadiens since 1994. Insulate your core with size and the ability to cycle without getting killed. Chicago immediately added size when they landed Bedard, what do you think we will do when Demidov comes here? Watch him get crushed?

I'm all for the rebuild, but with this coaching and the decisions, we are made to look like bitches out there. I don't know how long our small core will last this year getting hammered. That Slaf hit last night was brutal, the hit on Hutson was brutal .. Cole is next and he is going to get railed out there at some point.

I am convinced the team doesn't know what direction they want to go. Maybe Laine would have solved issues, maybe Reinbacher... but we may never know at this injury rate. If we looked organized on the ice it would hurt less as well.

 

[overlords]

what do you think we will do when Demidov comes here? Watch him get crushed?

 

[cave troll]

I think you rebuild with big heavy teams, it doesn't work with small fast ones. Want proof? The Montreal Canadiens since 1994. Insulate your core with size and the ability to cycle without getting killed. Chicago immediately added size when they landed Bedard, what do you think we will do when Demidov comes here? Watch him get crushed?

Since when Demidov became small gnome needed to be protceted by big players?
At 18 he's the same size like McJesus and he'll probably enter NHL with 90+ kg.

 

[Habs]

Since when Demidov became small gnome needed to be protceted by big players?
At 18 he's the same size like McJesus and he'll probably enter NHL with 90+ kg.

All our rookies need to be protected / insulated big or small.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I think you rebuild with big heavy teams, it doesn't work with small fast ones. Want proof? The Montreal Canadiens since 1994. Insulate your core with size and the ability to cycle without getting killed. Chicago immediately added size when they landed Bedard, what do you think we will do when Demidov comes here? Watch him get crushed?

The Montreal Canadiens since 94 haven’t had anything going for it. No top five pick from 1984 to 2004. And we only got Price via a one time lotto.

You point to size? How about skill? We haven’t had a 100 point player since 1986. No 50 goal guy since 1990.

The one time it looked like we were building something we hired an idiot GM/coach combo who went out and got goons. Murray (who he inexplicably played with PK Subban) Prust and a whack of other scrubs. Then he played those guys in the top six. Shaw, Weal, Weiss, Ott….

That’s why we didn’t go anywhere.

I'm all for the rebuild, but with this coaching and the decisions, we are made to look like bitches out there. I don't know how long our small core will last this year getting hammered. That Slaf hit last night was brutal, the hit on Hutson was brutal .. Cole is next and he is going to get railed out there at some point.

We’re disorganized and look bad. No dispute. But it doesn’t matter on the long run. Half the guys who will be helping us work towards a cup aren’t in the lineup yet. And those who are are mostly young and just starting their careers. Even Caufield only has like 250 games…

I am convinced the team doesn't know what direction they want to go. Maybe Laine would have solved issues, maybe Reinbacher... but we may never know at this injury rate. If we looked organized on the ice it would hurt less as well.

They’ve drafted highly skilled players and have a mix of size thrown in. The entire back end except for Hutson is fairly big. RB (a guy you hate) is a big physical blueliner who they expect to lead the way on that front.

Up front, we’ve got some bigger players coming. Newhook and CC are smaller but everyone else is average size or bigger. It’s not the Smurf village you’re making it out to be. And the skill level of these guys is absolutely sick.

I think a big power forward would be great. I’m all for that and maybe Dach falls out and we go get one. But it’s a really good mix of skill and size.

It’s going to take time though. The next few years will be inconsistent.

As for Newhook, he’s not bad. Showed real promise and did well when healthy last year. But he’s a complimentary player. He’s not going to lead anything. If Dach sucks he can’t make up for it. And then we added Armia…

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

Let's be honest he is playing the worst hockey we've ever seen him play in a habs jersey. I'm trying not to be reactionary with this player too early into the season , showed good things last year , this year not so much , I've always said he's more of a third liner but it's a bit damning to see him be this bad with so many puck touches during games.

 

[Runner77]

80% or more of last year's players are struggling....how is that possible?

Gaining experience means making mistakes and having to accept inconsistencies and a painful learning curve. It’s still a rebuild and that means setting my expectations accordingly but maybe that’s just me.

 

[BLONG7]

I think you rebuild with big heavy teams, it doesn't work with small fast ones. Want proof? The Montreal Canadiens since 1994. Insulate your core with size and the ability to cycle without getting killed. Chicago immediately added size when they landed Bedard, what do you think we will do when Demidov comes here? Watch him get crushed?

I'm all for the rebuild, but with this coaching and the decisions, we are made to look like bitches out there. I don't know how long our small core will last this year getting hammered. That Slaf hit last night was brutal, the hit on Hutson was brutal .. Cole is next and he is going to get railed out there at some point.

I am convinced the team doesn't know what direction they want to go. Maybe Laine would have solved issues, maybe Reinbacher... but we may never know at this injury rate. If we looked organized on the ice it would hurt less as well.

The hit last night on Slaf, was a total joke......................if that had been a hit imposed by The Sherriff, we would have heard about a 5 game suspension. The league has a Player Safety Group, which seems to have a hate bias towards the Habs.

We do have to get a couple of guys, bottom or top 6 who have the weight, and the talent to play the roles, and keep everyone else out there honest. I think we have become an easy team to play against.

All that said................we are the 2nd youngest team in the league, which tells us patience should be practiced here.
So.....................................The direction of the rebuild, may need a pivot of sorts, that includes picking up some size that will have us play a heavier style of game.

 

[Habs]

The Montreal Canadiens since 94 haven’t had anything going for it. No top five pick from 1984 to 2004. And we only got Price via a one time lotto.

You point to size? How about skill? We haven’t had a 100 point player since 1986. No 50 goal guy since 1990.

The one time it looked like we were building something we hired an idiot GM/coach combo who went out and got goons. Murray (who he inexplicably played with PK Subban) Prust and a whack of other scrubs. Then he played those guys in the top six. Shaw, Weal, Weiss, Ott….

That’s why we didn’t go anywhere.

We’re disorganized and look bad. No dispute. But it doesn’t matter on the long run. Half the guys who will be helping us work towards a cup aren’t in the lineup yet. And those who are are mostly young and just starting their careers. Even Caufield only has like 250 games…

They’ve drafted highly skilled players and have a mix of size thrown in. The entire back end except for Hutson is fairly big. RB (a guy you hate) is a big physical blueliner who they expect to lead the way on that front.

Up front, we’ve got some bigger players coming. Newhook and CC are smaller but everyone else is average size or bigger. It’s not the Smurf village you’re making it out to be. And the skill level of these guys is absolutely sick.

I think a big power forward would be great. I’m all for that and maybe Dach falls out and we go get one. But it’s a really good mix of skill and size.

It’s going to take time though. The next few years will be inconsistent.

As for Newhook, he’s not bad. Showed real promise and did well when healthy last year. But he’s a complimentary player. He’s not going to lead anything. If Dach sucks he can’t make up for it. And then we added Armia…

I don't think you and I will ever agree on anything lol. I'm for rebuilding while insulating, with size toughness and attitude. You are looking to recreate some team that I don't believe will ever make a dent in the NHL.

This team can't draft because they go by position by default, the rare event they go by BPA they seem to succeed. Price - Demidov - Slaf.... not sure who else qualifies right now. They haven't drafted BPA EVER it has never been a philosophy in Montreal.

We have two entirely different ideas on how to rebuild and what type of teams succeed in the NHL. All I know if the top teams are almost always the biggest and heaviest and have the 3-4 lines of grit, meat and potatos. The formula isn't that tricky. Your star players can be small if you can surround them with size, otherwise you are doomed.

 

[Garnet76]

The Montreal Canadiens since 94 haven’t had anything going for it. No top five pick from 1984 to 2004. And we only got Price via a one time lotto.

You point to size? How about skill? We haven’t had a 100 point player since 1986. No 50 goal guy since 1990.

The one time it looked like we were building something we hired an idiot GM/coach combo who went out and got goons. Murray (who he inexplicably played with PK Subban) Prust and a whack of other scrubs. Then he played those guys in the top six. Shaw, Weal, Weiss, Ott….

That’s why we didn’t go anywhere.

We’re disorganized and look bad. No dispute. But it doesn’t matter on the long run. Half the guys who will be helping us work towards a cup aren’t in the lineup yet. And those who are are mostly young and just starting their careers. Even Caufield only has like 250 games…

They’ve drafted highly skilled players and have a mix of size thrown in. The entire back end except for Hutson is fairly big. RB (a guy you hate) is a big physical blueliner who they expect to lead the way on that front.

Up front, we’ve got some bigger players coming. Newhook and CC are smaller but everyone else is average size or bigger. It’s not the Smurf village you’re making it out to be. And the skill level of these guys is absolutely sick.

I think a big power forward would be great. I’m all for that and maybe Dach falls out and we go get one. But it’s a really good mix of skill and size.

It’s going to take time though. The next few years will be inconsistent.

As for Newhook, he’s not bad. Showed real promise and did well when healthy last year. But he’s a complimentary player. He’s not going to lead anything. If Dach sucks he can’t make up for it. And then we added Armia…

Yes, in the 90's Montreal constantly drafted big rugged players. Ryan and Stevenson for example. That got them no where in a hurry. You have to draft the skill and insulate that skill with size and toughness. I believe that's what the Habs are trying to do now but it's going to take a few more years.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I don't think you and I will ever agree on anything lol. I'm for rebuilding while insulating, with size toughness and attitude. You are looking to recreate some team that I don't believe will ever make a dent in the NHL.

You want a team with a good mix. Skill is much harder to acquire than size. We can - and likely will - add more size down the road.

This team can't draft because they go by position by default, the rare event they go by BPA they seem to succeed. Price - Demidov - Slaf.... not sure who else qualifies right now. They haven't drafted BPA EVER it has never been a philosophy in Montreal.

We could very well have gotten the two best players in the 2022 draft. We just got Demidov who was ranked the number one player outside the NHL in 2024.

Not sure how you can be unhappy with our drafting.

We have two entirely different ideas on how to rebuild and what type of teams succeed in the NHL. All I know if the top teams are almost always the biggest and heaviest and have the 3-4 lines of grit, meat and potatos. The formula isn't that tricky. Your star players can be small if you can surround them with size, otherwise you are doomed.

I don’t disagree that we’ll need some size. These are the transition years. It’s where we evaluate what we have. Maybe Newhook just doesn’t cut it. If that’s the case we’ll go another way. But there’s no point in just throwing him away when he’s shown promise when healthy and we’re early on in what’s been a rough start. You need more patience than that.

It’s also really weird that you’d argue for size over skill and then get upset over us drafting RB instead of Michkov.

 

[Habs]

You want a team with a good mix. Skill is much harder to acquire than size. We can - and likely will - add more size down the road.

We could very well have gotten the two best players in the 2022 draft. We just got Demidov who was ranked the number one player outside the NHL in 2024.

Not sure how you can be unhappy with our drafting.

I don’t disagree that we’ll need some size. These are the transition years. It’s where we evaluate what we have. Maybe Newhook just doesn’t cut it. If that’s the case we’ll go another way. But there’s no point in just throwing him away when he’s shown promise when healthy and we’re early on in what’s been a rough start. You need more patience than that.

It’s also really weird that you’d argue for size over skill and then get upset over us drafting RB instead of Michkov.

No I draft BPA always, you can find size on the market for the bottom lines. Give me Leonard/Michkov any day of the week , I build around them in a heartbeat. People are already kicking themselves for missing out on Demidov , he was clearly the BPA and they drafted by position which is just stupid.

I also agree the contracts are killing this team, but there is no excuse for Armia and Dvorak at this point. They have to go to make room. Demidov is going to get hammered here unless we add some serious depth next year to help out

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

No I draft BPA always, you can find size on the market for the bottom lines. Give me Leonard/Michkov any day of the week , I build around them in a heartbeat. People are already kicking themselves for missing out on Demidov , he was clearly the BPA and they drafted by position which is just stupid.

Okay…. So then why are you arguing with me? We’re packed with skill.

I also agree the contracts are killing this team, but there is no excuse for Armia and Dvorak at this point. They have to go to make room. Demidov is going to get hammered here unless we add some serious depth next year to help out

Those contracts won’t matter in the long run. We’re in the transition period now.

 

[OldCraig71]

Holy Shit you are Howie Meeker, I knew it!
View attachment 925778

" Stop it right there".

 

[Habs]

Okay…. So then why are you arguing with me? We’re packed with skill.

Those contracts won’t matter in the long run. We’re in the transition period now.

Because I want people to protect the skill on the rebuild and no more headshots, and I want the team to walk into any arena knowing a few guys have their backs. You can't rebuild on skill alone, you need that comfort level knowing players have your back. I mean people were giving Andy a hard time for thumping Wilson FFS. The stupid comments from the guys that have never played 'SEE IT DID NOTHING !!!!'

We need an identify, and right now it's that of a soft little team you can take liberties with.

 

[Bombshell11]

No I draft BPA always, you can find size on the market for the bottom lines. Give me Leonard/Michkov any day of the week , I build around them in a heartbeat. People are already kicking themselves for missing out on Demidov , he was clearly the BPA and they drafted by position which is just stupid.

I also agree the contracts are killing this team, but there is no excuse for Armia and Dvorak at this point. They have to go to make room. Demidov is going to get hammered here unless we add some serious depth next year to help out

But you hate Subban...

BPA my a$$, Subban would have gone top 3 based the hockey news... would you have drafted Subban at 12th OA?

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Because I want people to protect the skill on the rebuild and no more headshots, and I want the team to walk into any arena knowing a few guys have their backs. You can't rebuild on skill alone, you need that comfort level knowing players have your back. I mean people were giving Andy a hard time for thumping Wilson FFS. The stupid comments from the guys that have never played 'SEE IT DID NOTHING !!!!'

Where did I disagree?

I told you we need a mix. But the skill is harder to acquire. We’ve got some size already and more is coming.

We need an identify, and right now it's that of a soft little team you can take liberties with.

No it isn’t. It’s a young team that’s trying to find its way.

And last night you saw guys stand up for each other so I don’t know what you’re talking about. Both Struble and X stepped up.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

The Montreal Canadiens since 94 haven’t had anything going for it. No top five pick from 1984 to 2004. And we only got Price via a one time lotto.

You point to size? How about skill? We haven’t had a 100 point player since 1986. No 50 goal guy since 1990.

The one time it looked like we were building something we hired an idiot GM/coach combo who went out and got goons. Murray (who he inexplicably played with PK Subban) Prust and a whack of other scrubs. Then he played those guys in the top six. Shaw, Weal, Weiss, Ott….

That’s why we didn’t go anywhere.

We’re disorganized and look bad. No dispute. But it doesn’t matter on the long run. Half the guys who will be helping us work towards a cup aren’t in the lineup yet. And those who are are mostly young and just starting their careers. Even Caufield only has like 250 games…

They’ve drafted highly skilled players and have a mix of size thrown in. The entire back end except for Hutson is fairly big. RB (a guy you hate) is a big physical blueliner who they expect to lead the way on that front.

Up front, we’ve got some bigger players coming. Newhook and CC are smaller but everyone else is average size or bigger. It’s not the Smurf village you’re making it out to be. And the skill level of these guys is absolutely sick.

I think a big power forward would be great. I’m all for that and maybe Dach falls out and we go get one. But it’s a really good mix of skill and size.

It’s going to take time though. The next few years will be inconsistent.

As for Newhook, he’s not bad. Showed real promise and did well when healthy last year. But he’s a complimentary player. He’s not going to lead anything. If Dach sucks he can’t make up for it. And then we added Armia…

The year the Habs had Parros, Murray, White, Moen, Bouillon, Weaver, etc was one of, if not the best team the Habs have had in maybe a decade, or more.

 

[Habs]

But you hate Subban...

BPA my a$$, Subban would have gone top 3 based the hockey news... would you have drafted Subban at 12th OA?

I hated his attitude but I always like him here as a player. I only take BPA , and I don't care if its forward or defense.

And last night you saw guys stand up for each other so I don’t know what you’re talking about. Both Struble and X stepped up.

X hasn't played the last 3 of 5 and no big shocker, the team reacts to a hit. Struble hasn't reacted all year, he knows he needed to step up and he did. I really liked him for doing that

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

The year the Habs had Parros, Murray, White, Moen, Bouillon, Weaver, etc was one of, if not the best team the Habs have had in maybe a decade, or more.

That team played poorly across the board. Therrien had PK Subban playing dump and chase. At one point Therrien had Subban with Douglas Murray.

We had Carey Price. That’s why you remember it well.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

X hasn't played the last 3 of 5 and no big shocker, the team reacts to a hit. Struble hasn't reacted all year, he knows he needed to step up and he did. I really liked him for doing that

Okay… so then what are you talking about then?

This isn’t a team of goons but it doesn’t take shit either. It’s the second youngest team in the league. It’s going to take time for them to mature.

 

[Catanddogguitarrr]

I always thought he could be a slight upgrade offensively on Paul Byron. We'll see... But as much as I liked Byron, it's debatable whether we even would need him in our bottom six, given we already have Caufield and Hutson as small players.

We don't need an upgrade to Byron, to Drouin or to Desharnais. We need a good player in any situation, a stud you can trust. Give me a second Plekanec, I could accept. We need better than an upgrade on a bad player, we need a good player, period.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

We don't need an upgrade to Byron, to Drouin or to Desharnais. We need a good player in any situation, a stud you can trust. Give me a second Plekanec, I could accept. We need better than an upgrade on a bad player, we need a good player, period.

Newhook is a speedy player who’s shown he can produce. The team is crap all around right now. He’s a Lekhonen type guy who’s got some skill and can provide secondary scoring. But he’s not going to do it until. The team can sort itself out.

Personally I think adding Joshua Roy would help.

 

[Habs]

Okay… so then what are you talking about then?

This isn’t a team of goons but it doesn’t take shit either. It’s the second youngest team in the league. It’s going to take time for them to mature.

The team has taken nothing but shit all year until Anderson gave notice that it was over with. If X isn’t playing nobody was dropping the mits , and Slaf’s hair pulling incident doesn’t count. Hutson got smashed there was no response. The last time we had a response was when Laine was knee’d

We are always backing up and can’t establish a cycle because we play small. I though Dach would help , it has not. Maybe Laine will be the missing piece.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

The team has taken nothing but shit all year until Anderson gave notice that it was over with. If X isn’t playing nobody was dropping the mits , and Slaf’s hair pulling incident doesn’t count. Hutson got smashed there was no response. The last time we had a response was when Laine was knee’d

We are always backing up and can’t establish a cycle because we play small. I though Dach would help , it has not. Maybe Laine will be the missing piece.

The team’s a mess right now. Nobody disagrees. But that doesn’t make them a team of roody poohs.