Are we heading in the right direction? 2025 Version

[Lafleurs Guy]

Washington's coach heaping praise on our first line and Hutson.

Capitals Coach Gushes over Hutson, Suzuki Line, ‘And They’re So Young’

 

[rahad]

Yes and no. We will become a playoff team for the next 10 years. I don't know if we are going to be a Stanley cup winning team. I'm little bit worry with Dach And Reinbacher injury. We really needed a 2C and RHD. I has hoping Dach take the next step and become our 50+ pts 2C center.

We will see what Kent does this summer.

 

[Quatre Vingt Treize]

I asked this a couple of years ago. Are We Headed in the Right Direction?

How do you feel today? Are we on the right track? Do you feel differently now than you did before? Discuss.

We'll see
We were headed in right direction under Gainey. With Price, Subban, McDonagh, Plekanec were the Suzuki, Caufield, Hutson and Slafkovskys. Kovalev, Markov, Koivu, Souray were the veterans. Then it all fell apart.

 

[HabzSauce]

 

[Legend123]

Sure, but the opposite it's generally more true. Hedman, Weber, Ekholm, Forsling, Heiskanen, Pietrangelo. We just dont have that and I am confident it's a necessary piece to achieve success.

Because makar hughes hutson fox are quite rare and almost impossible to find. There's a reason there's only 4 of them

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

We were close last 2 mgmt teams but couldn’t find the missing pieces and windows closed, remains to be seen if Hughes can - track record shows he’s trying more than others but he needs to hit a home run this offseason IMO

 

[Habssince89]

We were close last 2 mgmt teams but couldn’t find the missing pieces and windows closed, remains to be seen if Hughes can - track record shows he’s trying more than others but he needs to hit a home run this offseason IMO

Hughes has done a better job in general and he's done it way faster than his predecessors. He's given himself a wider window than any other Habs gm has had in a while. There's no doubt he'll keep adding to this roster in a sustainable way

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

Hughes has done a better job in general and he's done it way faster than his predecessors. He's given himself a wider window than any other Habs gm has had in a while. There's no doubt he'll keep adding to this roster in a sustainable way

True, to be fair he's the only one that was given a rebuild mandate where the other's stayed in the half pregnant lane but now it's time to flip the script which is magnitudes harder than just picking high and selling off. 2C & Top 4 RHD are must adds this offseason, 2W would be nice but can see if anyone steps up or trade for in season, should not be as hard to find.

 

[CzarDemidov]

I never understood sports fans who felt like they also have to be personal fans of the GM/management.

Who cares if we're heading in the right direction? Every team can claim that. Some NY Rangers fans think the Rangers are back on the right track with Mike Sullivan in as coach.

What matters is getting there. Until we get there, we're not there. The rest is fluff to make yourself feel good and productive.

To wit: I felt like the Bergevin Habs were strange from the moment he signed Michel Therrien and acquired Francois Bouillon. But alongside a vast majority of the fanbase, I felt we were going in the right direction on account of the youth and talent on the roster. What happened? Year after year and more questions than answers. More bizarre decisions, more bizarre non-decisions.

To the very last day and for long after that, a huge contingent of fans still felt the Bergevin Habs were doing things in the right direction.

It's meaningless pablum.

Until we win playoff series years in a row and see a higher level of performance and expectations, we won't be able to say that we got there.

 

[Habssince89]

True, to be fair he's the only one that was given a rebuild mandate where the other's stayed in the half pregnant lane but now it's time to flip the script which is magnitudes harder than just picking high and selling off. 2C & Top 4 RHD are must adds this offseason, 2W would be nice but can see if anyone steps up or trade for in season, should not be as hard to find.

Bergevin cheaped out like the stingy bastard he is every time he had the chance. Hughes has a different mandate but he's clearly better at managing a hockey team.

 

[Kaiden Ghoul]

I love him but I highly doubt a team can with the Stanley Cup playing a 5'9' dman 25 minutes a night. If I'm wrong I'll gladly eat crow, the Avalanche won with Makar playing a big role -- but he is, yes, bigger, better defensively, better supporting cast. There is no Devon Toews playing along Hutson neither.

So IMO the most important change is to bring Bowen Byram, Noah Dobson or a guy like them who can take the most of the minutes and let Hutson do his things.

Boyle did it with TB and they did not have a great D overall either

I like your idea of Byram but it will cost more since the inter division and Dobson with Hutson would make us lose our hair. Would rather aim for Pulock if I'm dealing with NYI