Recalled/Assigned: Arber Xhekaj Assigned to Laval (Taken Off IR)

[WeThreeKings]

Struble or Xhekaj will most probably have to learn the right side if they are to stay long term.

If Hutson makes it, there's a log jam ahead of them

Guhle
Matheson
Hutson
Xhekaj
Struble

We will see how it shakes out but long term I see Guhle-Hutson-Xhekaj down the left side. Reinbacher, one of Barron/Mailloux, and Engstrom down the right (plays right consistently in the SHL).

 

[26Mats]

We will see how it shakes out but long term I see Guhle-Hutson-Xhekaj down the left side. Reinbacher, one of Barron/Mailloux, and Engstrom down the right (plays right consistently in the SHL).

Those 7, along with Matheson, are my top 8 on the depth chart.

But Romanov was in my top 6 on the depth chart and he was sacrificed to help the forward corps. We'll see if it's Matheson and one of Barron/Mailloux that are used as trade bait to improve the forward corps or get a goalie.

 

[DAChampion]

We will see how it shakes out but long term I see Guhle-Hutson-Xhekaj down the left side. Reinbacher, one of Barron/Mailloux, and Engstrom down the right (plays right consistently in the SHL).

I'll be surprised if both of Matheson and Savard are gone so quickly.

 

[WeThreeKings]

I'll be surprised if both of Matheson and Savard are gone so quickly.

Savard either this year or next.

Matheson I can see 3-4 years but eventually the salary and opportunity needs to go.

 

[Kosseca]

Struble or Xhekaj will most probably have to learn the right side if they are to stay long term.

If Hutson makes it, there's a log jam ahead of them

Guhle
Matheson
Hutson
Xhekaj
Struble

Long term (2+ seasons) Matheson is gone.
this year and next, Struble, Hutson and WIFI can all play in Laval.

LD will be (I think) in 2 years
Guhle
Hutson
Xhekaj

i'm more concerns with RD

 

[Treb]

I don't care how he left or what happened to that regimes GM, he's been gone for a few years now so obviously the staff since have done quite a bit for the development of our young players that have gone through Laval.

But who did what part of the development?

 

[Deebs]

But who did what part of the development?

Sure, but who finished it?

 

[Hannibal]

Matheson-Savard
Guhle-Barron
Xhekaj-Struble
Kova

Lindstrom waived or traded.

This should be our defence.

 

[Mrb1p]

Matheson-Savard
Guhle-Barron
Xhekaj-Struble
Kova

Lindstrom waived or traded.

This should be our defence.

Just trade Matheson for a young forward. The Habs clearly have outgrown him.

How much worse can we be if we trade Matheson, lol ?

 

[Tyson]

Just trade Matheson for a young forward. The Habs clearly have outgrown him.

How much worse can we be if we trade Matheson, lol ?

You probably get a solid return for him.

If Gretzky can be traded....

 

[Mrb1p]

You probably get a solid return for him.

If Gretzky can be traded....

Precisely.

I look at playoff teams like Toronto, Philly, Florida, Detroit and Winnipeg and I think they could all use a LD in some capacity.

 

[JRichard]

Precisely.

I look at playoff teams like Toronto, Philly, Florida, Detroit and Winnipeg and I think they could all use a LD in some capacity.

Philly will not making playoffs this year.
Tortorella has 2 ld playing together on first pair, 2 rd together on second pair and it works, so far.
Matheson to Philly makes no sense.
And they for sure are not giving away a first, the usual asking price.
Toronto, more likely get at least 1 d soon.

 

[bonneaug]

Long term (2+ seasons) Matheson is gone.
this year and next, Struble, Hutson and WIFI can all play in Laval.

LD will be (I think) in 2 years
Guhle
Hutson
Xhekaj

i'm more concerns with RD

We just drafted, to most discontent, a future 1RD candidate. If we only need to fix 2nd or 3rd pair RD because Barron/Engstrom/Mailloux don’t pan out (unlikely we don’t get something out of those), we’re pretty dead set for the future.

Xhekaj’s ceiling as a Habs is third pair, occasionally second with injuries. Such is the reality of our LD prospect pool. It’s a tough and humbling experience to go back to the AHL, but he’s gonna need to rely on better defensive ability if he wants to be a mainstay on the big club third pair in the future. Something he can definitely work on with the Rocket. If he can provide a little production with his wrister and some good outlet passes, that’s awesome, but the offensive D etiquette is not what’s in the cards for him for the Habs brass at the moment, simple as that.

 

[Runner77]

Xhekaj can go to Laval without waivers and can use the development time.

How confident should we be about the type of development that the Laval coaching staff can afford to Xhekaj? Is Houle who we want to handle such an important facet?

 

[Runner77]

You probably get a solid return for him.

If Gretzky can be traded....

Gretzky was sold more than he was traded as it was nothing more than a cash grab to help Peter Pocklington stave off bankruptcy and the lax rules of those days plus a complicit commissioner allowed it to happen. Hardly a precedent IMHO.

 

[Rapala]

Savard either this year or next.

Matheson I can see 3-4 years but eventually the salary and opportunity needs to go.

Matheson will only go in a can't refuse deal like the "Shea Weber" dossier.
They didn't give him an "A" if they planned to move him.

Philly will not making playoffs this year.
Tortorella has 2 ld playing together on first pair, 2 rd together on second pair and it works, so far.
Matheson to Philly makes no sense.
And they for sure are not giving away a first, the usual asking price.
Toronto, more likely get at least 1 d soon.

Matheson would be in Torterella's dog house 3 shifts in.

 

[Treb]

Sure, but who finished it?

My point is that it's hard to know who was the biggest contributing factor so attributing it to one but not the other is iffy at best.

 

[Deebs]

How confident should we be about the type of development that the Laval coaching staff can afford to Xhekaj? Is Houle who we want to handle such an important facet?

So far they haven't shown they can't help develop our younger players.

My point is that it's hard to know who was the biggest contributing factor so attributing it to one but not the other is iffy at best.

Then why did you do it by saying it was more Bouchard from a few years ago? I get what you're saying but if this current group has put a few players into the NHL, then they must be doing something right.

 

[Scriptor]

Long term (2+ seasons) Matheson is gone.
this year and next, Struble, Hutson and WIFI can all play in Laval.

LD will be (I think) in 2 years
Guhle
Hutson
Xhekaj

i'm more concerns with RD

The concern with RD is, "Who will play with Hutson?"

If the right side ends up being filled with Reinbacher, Barron and Mailloux, there is problem, even if those aren't necessarily bad Ds.

If you use Reinbacher to shield Hutson, you still should not play them as the first pairing because of Hutson's issues on the D-side of the game.

Something with Guhle-Mailloux, because of Mailloux's issues on the D side of the game.

Barron is no better option to play on the first pairing because of his own issues, defensively.

Ideally, the first pairing should be Guhle - Reinbacher as a shutdown pairing with offensive upside to face-off against the opponents' top lines.

In the system, right now, Engstrom appears to be the best option to shield Hutson, especially since he is a left-handed RHD and can easily adapt to playing the left side as Hutson switches positions in the O-zone while he carries the puck for extended lengths of time.

Still, there are no real guarantees anyone will pan out ideally on the depth chart, or at the NHL level, period.

I believe we have a pairing with Guhle-Reinbacher. At worst, Reinbacher's offensive upside doesn't pan out, but his elite defensive game enables Guhle to take more offensive chances.

Montreal may well end up reaching into the UFA pool to find the ideal pairing partner for Hutson. A defensive 2nd pairing D is neither rare, nor especially expensive on the UFA market. I'm confident that Hughes can entice one to sign for a chance to play alongside Hutson.

That leaves a third pairing of either Xhekaj-Mailloux, Xhekaj- Barron, or Xhekaj-Engstrom, if not Xhekaj-Konyushkin down the line?

Does Montreal use Mailloux, Barron, Engstrom, or Konyushkin as part of a package to land an impact forward?

Any of those third pairings would be good pairings, honestly. Mailloux andBarron both bring offensive upside for a PP wave and both Engstrom and Konyushkin bring shutdown abilities.

All four have good first passes and are, nonetheless, puck-moving Ds.

With a top-four as described above, including a UFA pairing partner for Hutson, I'd sacrifice any of the four potential 3rd pairing Ds, including Mailloux, if it means getting a genuine top-6, impact forward.

 

[Rapala]

My point is that it's hard to know who was the biggest contributing factor so attributing it to one but not the other is iffy at best.

I think we can look at how consistent a kid is from day one to help determine some of it. For me they didn't develop Struble who hit the ground running and never looked back. A guy like Joshua Roy for example is definitely being developed specifically with regards to becoming more consistent. The lines get a little blurry for me when we talk about a guy like Heineman. He has all the characteristics of a polished player but doesn't have the smaller ice experience so he's probably being developed at that level.

 

[Deebs]

I think we can look at how consistent a kid is from day one to help determine some of it. For me they didn't develop Struble who hit the ground running and never looked back. A guy like Joshua Roy for example is definitely being developed specifically with regards to becoming more consistent. The lines get a little blurry for me when we talk about a guy like Heineman. He has all the characteristics of a polished player but doesn't have the smaller ice experience so he's probably being developed at that level.

They are all (younger players) being developed at that level otherwise they'd be in the NHL.

 

[Rapala]

They are all (younger players) being developed at that level otherwise they'd be in the NHL.

Unless their is a glut which is definitely the case on LD in particular and D in general.

 

[Deebs]

Unless their is a glut which is definitely the case on LD in particular and D in general.

And I think what they're doing now is finding out who they want to move forward with back there and then address an area of need via trade.

 

[Rapala]

And I think what they're doing now is finding out who they want to move forward with back there and then address an area of need via trade.

Yes they are.
I watched Xhekaj in his last game and he was far more freer with his play than he's been in a while with fewer mistakes.
Exactly what he needs IMO.
As Hughes said in that interview yesterday we want our players to get better at the things we drafted them for in the first place.
That is a complete 180 on the previous regime who took the opposite approach.

 

[Treb]

So far they haven't shown they can't help develop our younger players.


Then why did you do it by saying it was more Bouchard from a few years ago? I get what you're saying but if this current group has put a few players into the NHL, then they must be doing something right.

Where did I say that? I said they were also developed by Bouchard, which is true.