Are we heading in the right direction? 2025 Version

[Andrei79]

Every GM makes mistakes.
The biggest issue now is, we have a direction, we have a plan....it's a process, that unfortunately takes a little more time, then most have patience for. Development takes time.

Our Philosophy as an organization has changed from a very flawed GM to an organized effort by 2 individuals who are building something.

Mistakes can be made.........but the plan can always move forward.

I'd add something. I'm sure plenty of posters would have been pissed losing a better Kotkaniemi for a 13th pick in a weak draft (many were pissed about the OS). Or trading Mailloux and a 2nd for Luostarinen. The trades were market value, if not better than market value. The premise of getting young players with draft pedigree, size, skill, skating and high value positions is sound.

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

The good thing is we have almost all the toughest gets all but covered.

Suzuki has all but cemented himself as not just a real #1C but arguably an elite one.

Hutson looks like a near generational talent on the blue line and just put up historical numbers.

Demidov is one of the finest raw talents U20 in the game and had himself a historic year in the K.

Guhle when healthy is arguably preeminent shut down D in only his 3rd year. I hope he stays healthy but you might be somewhat heartened by his games played in the last 3 years. Sneaky good ES production.

Caufield is one of the top scorers of his draft class and took a big leap as his production continues to climb like Suzuki’s. Near 40 goals at 24 as he grew the rest of his game.

Slaf is controversial but regardless of his draft rank he’s outperformed/produced CC and Suzuki at the same age. His baseline is still a complimentary winger on one of the best 1st lines in the league. He was arguably our best forward in the playoffs and shown even on off games he can still find a myriad of ways to contribute. If not a prototypical power forward he’s shown enough flashes of showing his enormous frame effectively. Don’t be shocked if he leaves his old self in the dust in the next couple years

Reinbacher’s knee is a tad concerning but people acting like he’s Dach are being hysterical. He’s exactly what we need on that right side and a potentially perfect compliment to Hutson. Hopefully he continues to grow his game this Spring and stays healthy.

Fowler and Dobes have showed incredible potential. Not like Monty’s a bum either.
The Russian kid seems to have similar upside.

Tons of other hopefuls to fill holes but that’s really the biggest holes filled right now or with very likely candidates. It’s extremely promising. 2 firsts. Tradeable assets. It’s a damn fine spot to be in

 

[ahmedou]

OP: Are we heading in the right direction? 2025 Version

Answer:

 

[Runner77]

Totally disagree. Dach was a fantastic move.

The biggest concern I had was the wrist. That's it. And they did their dilligence and turned out to be right. The wrist wasn't an issue. Unfortunately you can't predict other injuries and his knee gettting wrecked in game two was not something foreseeable.

That was a great trade, it just didn't work out.

Could it be there was an attitude/ work ethic issue that the Hawks knew about and the wrist was just a convenient excuse to move him?

I’m looking at how he showed up out of shape and was lazy at camp and over the first half of the season last year. This was a critical juncture for him as he had to earn back the confidence of the coaching staff.

Fast forward to HuGo’s post season’s presser where Dach’s lack of effort did not go unnoticed. Hughes’ comments about Dach suggested to me and others in here, that he’s on a short leash. And that doesn’t appear to be a function of his latest injury.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Could it be there was an attitude/ work ethic issue that the Hawks knew about and the wrist was just a convenient excuse to move him?

I don’t think so. The Hawks badly mismanaged that wrist injury.

I’m looking at how he showed up out of shape and was lazy at camp and over the first half of the season last year. This was a critical juncture for him as he had to earn back the confidence of the coaching staff.

Fast forward to HuGo’s post season’s presser where Dach’s lack of effort did not go unnoticed. Hughes’ comments about Dach suggested to me and others in here, that he’s on a short leash. And that doesn’t appear to be a function of his latest injury.

I’m very hesitant to call players who are coming back from injury- lazy. They’re hurt. It doesn’t mean they don’t care. How many times did Gallagher come back looking like a ghost only to improve as he got healthier?

The nature of that injury and its recovery is ugly. I’m sure it’s hard to rehab and get in shape at the same time.

 

[Canadienna]

I ran into an older guy with Habs gear on today (not common in my area). Gave him a Go Habs Go and he went off for like 5 minutes about how they're building something special and how excited he is for the future.

So random BC guy approves. I think the vibes are very high on this rebuild.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I ran into an older guy with Habs gear on today (not common in my area). Gave him a Go Habs Go and he went off for like 5 minutes about how they're building something special and how excited he is for the future.

So random BC guy approves. I think the vibes are very high on this rebuild.

Was that you? It was a pleasure to meet you.

 

[Runner77]

I don’t think so. The Hawks badly mismanaged that wrist injury.

I’m very hesitant to call players who are coming back from injury- lazy. They’re hurt. It doesn’t mean they don’t care. How many times did Gallagher come back looking like a ghost only to improve as he got healthier?

The nature of that injury and its recovery is ugly. I’m sure it’s hard to rehab and get in shape at the same time.

I’m extremely mindful of the challenges faced by any athlete when rehabbing from a major injury. I constantly posted upon his return and over his first half of the season that he needed time to recover his form while several questioned his failure to show up better prepared.

I am now only trying to figure out why Hughes would have commented on Dach’s situation the way he did. He’s certainly not blaming the player for his injuries.

 

[BaseballCoach]

The good thing is we have almost all the toughest gets all but covered.

Suzuki has all but cemented himself as not just a real #1C but arguably an elite one.

Hutson looks like a near generational talent on the blue line and just put up historical numbers.

Demidov is one of the finest raw talents U20 in the game and had himself a historic year in the K.

Guhle when healthy is arguably preeminent shut down D in only his 3rd year. I hope he stays healthy but you might be somewhat heartened by his games played in the last 3 years. Sneaky good ES production.

Caufield is one of the top scorers of his draft class and took a big leap as his production continues to climb like Suzuki’s. Near 40 goals at 24 as he grew the rest of his game.

Slaf is controversial but regardless of his draft rank he’s outperformed/produced CC and Suzuki at the same age. His baseline is still a complimentary winger on one of the best 1st lines in the league. He was arguably our best forward in the playoffs and shown even on off games he can still find a myriad of ways to contribute. If not a prototypical power forward he’s shown enough flashes of showing his enormous frame effectively. Don’t be shocked if he leaves his old self in the dust in the next couple years

Reinbacher’s knee is a tad concerning but people acting like he’s Dach are being hysterical. He’s exactly what we need on that right side and a potentially perfect compliment to Hutson. Hopefully he continues to grow his game this Spring and stays healthy.

Fowler and Dobes have showed incredible potential. Not like Monty’s a bum either.
The Russian kid seems to have similar upside.

Tons of other hopefuls to fill holes but that’s really the biggest holes filled right now or with very likely candidates. It’s extremely promising. 2 firsts. Tradeable assets. It’s a damn fine spot to be in

And Dach could still turn out to be a good enough 2C even if he is no longer seen as potentially better than Suzuki as he was in his first year with us.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I’m extremely mindful of the challenges faced by any athlete when rehabbing from a major injury. I constantly posted upon his return and over his first half of the season that he needed time to recover his form while several questioned his failure to show up better prepared.

I am now only trying to figure out why Hughes would have commented on Dach’s situation the way he did. He’s certainly not blaming the player for his injuries.

What comments are you referring to? I don't remember him questioning his effort.

The reality is that Hughes has bent over backwards to give Dach a shot. Unfortunately health just hasn't worked out and we can't rely on him in a key role anymore. Sad but true.

 

[Quatre Vingt Treize]

Such as?

Missed his center, shows real bad judgement. Going to cost him a core piece now. If he can find a center. I doubt he can. We will find out in next 2-3 months. Choosing Dach over Strome massive mistake. Dubois to lesser degree. But both were free. Should have known Dach his draft year he couldn't score. If a so-so junior league. At the draft, Other than career year I had Dach a 45 point guy.

Habs will get about as far as Rangers. Conference finals, a year maybe ywo. He should have stayed down another year and got his star center. It's going to comeback to bite him.

 

[Runner77]

We are heading in the right direction. The question is the speed at which he move in that direction.

1C - (Suzuki)
scoring winger - (Caufield)
powerforward - (Slaf)
young superstar winger - (Demidov)
1D - (Hutson)
2D -
3D - (Guhle)
Blue Chip Defensive prospect - (Reinbacher)
2C -
Effective bottom 6 -
1G -
young stud goalie prospect - (Fowler)
Blue Chip Centre prospect (Hage)

Current glaring holes - 2C and 2D and 1G

Fowler could be 1G
Reinbacher could be 2D
Hage could be 2C

They are 3-4 years away from entering true effectiveness.

We need something in the short term.

Good list but I don’t see Heineman mentioned individually (you have him as part of your effective bottom 6) and am wondering if he might develop into more than just a complementary player.

Basically, can he eventually earn one of those @waitin425 stylized checkmarks?

 

[Runner77]

What comments are you referring to? I don't remember him questioning his effort.

The reality is that Hughes has bent over backwards to give Dach a shot. Unfortunately health just hasn't worked out and we can't rely on him in a key role anymore. Sad but true.

Hughes didn’t say it explicitly but there was a caveat in this quote that suggests they are not happy with something.

 

[waitin425]

Good list but I don’t see Heineman mentioned individually (you have him as part of your effective bottom 6) and am wondering if he might develop into more than just a complementary player.

Basically, can he eventually earn one of those @waitin425 stylized checkmarks?

Love Heinemen. Hope he is a part of our 3rd line for years to vome. Wicked shot. Not an essential piece though. Therefore, no individually checkmark for the Heine.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Missed his center, shows real bad judgement.

If you trade for Sidney Crosby and he gets hit by a bus afterwards, does that mean you had bad judgement?

Going to cost him a core piece now. If he can find a center. I doubt he can. We will find out in next 2-3 months. Choosing Dach over Strome massive mistake. Dubois to lesser degree. But both were free. Should have known Dach his draft year he couldn't score. If a so-so junior league. At the draft, Other than career year I had Dach a 45 point guy.

Dach was the right play. We weren't contenders and he went for young talent with potential. Right move for a team with direction. Dach had size and skill. Guess what we need now? A big player with skill - exactly what Dach was. And I have no doubt that Dach would've developed into a strong player if he'd been healthy. If we'd signed Strome and he got hurt here, you'd be telling us he should've gone for Dach instead.

Dubois absolutely sucked in LA. And he had a big contract attached to him. Makes no sense to go after big contract players when you you're rebuilding. So no, I don't agree with you at all on this. Dubois is making 8.5 mil a year. He put up 40 points with LA and 66 in a 'bounceback' year this season. No way we should've done that.

Habs will get about as far as Rangers. Conference finals, a year maybe ywo. He should have stayed down another year and got his star center. It's going to comeback to bite him.

Star centers aren't easy to get. When a team has one, they won't let him go. That's why he went for Dach - a guy with star center potential. The knee injuries have done him in but there's no way to predict that. It easily could've happened to Strome or Dubois if we'd gotten either of them.

That's not a mistake it's bad luck.

If you want to point to an actual mistake, I'd say Kovacevic is probably the best example. I don't blame Hughes for letting him go (we got him off waivers to begin with) but he's turned into a pretty solid RD elsewhere. An RD with size... exactly what we need. That's one he'd want back.

 

[BenchBrawl]

Yeah.

Lane Hutson's progression was a major step forward because we now have an elite gamer on the blueline, something we didn't have and didn't know whether we'd have. We could have easily build perfectly and still lack that magical element 7 years from now. They don't grow on trees.

The god-like luck of getting Demidov at 5th overall was another major step forward; decidedly, the gods are finally warming up to us again after a few decades.

I hope everyone realize how improbable getting those two elements was given the position we were in.

Then you add in Suzuki emerging as a top all-around center in the league, Caufield maintaining his play, our goalies situation though imperfect being somewhat good and looking bright, and then Slafkovsky who is almost guaranteed to at least be a little better and more physically dominant in a couple years, if not himself blow up as a star.

I don't see how this is anything but going in the right direction, even if I know people will whine and complain next year since we're not ready and the fans will want us to win now. In 4 years is when we start winning cups.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Hughes didn’t say it explicitly but there was a caveat in this quote that suggests they are not happy with something.

I don't think there's anything there that questions his work ethic. I mean it's very simple, he's been hurt so much that the team can't stick with him anymore. It's sink or swim for him now. He's basically saying to Kirby that this is it. Buckle down and go or else you're done here.

 

[BenchBrawl]

Dach could still blow up as a great 2C but we can't count on it.

I see it like having a free lottery ticket for next year that we might win our 2C if we're really lucky and he emerges. Otherwise, he is gone or used as an injury-prone winger, which is OK. Nothing to lose on that anymore so who cares.

 

[Runner77]

I don't think there's anything there that questions his work ethic. I mean it's very simple, he's been hurt so much that the team can't stick with him anymore. It's sink or swim for him now. He's basically saying to Kirby that this is it. Buckle down and go or else you're done here.

Could it be the Habs should have monitored him more closely during his rehab? I thought the reply by the rando user below is interesting but couldn’t find a legit source saying that this is how it really played out:

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Could it be the Habs should have monitored him more closely during his rehab? I thought the reply by the rando user below is interesting but couldn’t find a legit source saying that this is how it really played out:

It’s possible. And re-reading that quote again it’s possible they’re not happy with how he trained. I don’t know.

I’d give him the benefit of the doubt but even if I do, I think this is his last chance one way or another and Hughes is saying so.

 

[calder candidate]

it all hinges on KH making to correct moves, Reinbacher, Demidov, Dach and Laine.

If Reinbacher isn’t a legit above avg top 4, the D probably isn’t strong enough or acquiring the missing piece will be too expensive.

Demidov, need to be a impact player to strengthen the top 6.

Dach chance is are we can no longer hope he surpasses Suzuki but if he able to be a 2C or elite 3rd liner that would still be a pretty win

Laine if he can get back to ppg form it would be pretty miracle but even if he only give us what he gave us last year with a little more consistency. That would be a big help even if it is just short term

Even if CC Suzuki Slaf Hutson Improve, I have a hard time thinking they can be pull the team more than they they already did…
we are still min 2 players away and KH will have a lot of pressure a fill to hole quickly but I think this is where we have to be even more patient even team is waiting for him and we made the playoff but we could very easily not make them next year.

 

[CzarDemidov]

Could it be the Habs should have monitored him more closely during his rehab? I thought the reply by the rando user below is interesting but couldn’t find a legit source saying that this is how it really played out:

You can’t force someone to train over summer. You can’t force them to stay in Montreal.

They knew the risks with Dach when they traded for him, they should’ve known his history and why he fell out with CHI management and coaching.

 

[WeThreeKings]

It’s possible. And re-reading that quote again it’s possible they’re not happy with how he trained. I don’t know.

I’d give him the benefit of the doubt but even if I do, I think this is his last chance one way or another and Hughes is saying so.

Dach himself admitted he didn't train the right way/right things last off-season. So it's hardly a secret. The good news is he already openly accepted that fact, but that was before the other major knee injury.. so the question will be, does that new major knee injury completely break his will/spirit or does it motivate him to attack his summer with a level of dedication and desire that pushes him back closer to the player we thought he could become.

Regardless, the team is not putting Dach in pen anywhere. He can find his game but get injured again. He's a luxury piece that we hope hits at this point but the off-season strategy and approach won't be built around Dach being 2C anymore, he will have to come in and grab that himself.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Dach himself admitted he didn't train the right way/right things last off-season. So it's hardly a secret. The good news is he already openly accepted that fact, but that was before the other major knee injury.. so the question will be, does that new major knee injury completely break his will/spirit or does it motivate him to attack his summer with a level of dedication and desire that pushes him back closer to the player we thought he could become.

Regardless, the team is not putting Dach in pen anywhere. He can find his game but get injured again. He's a luxury piece that we hope hits at this point but the off-season strategy and approach won't be built around Dach being 2C anymore, he will have to come in and grab that himself.

People jump to 'he's lazy though'... maybe he didn't train the right way or maybe he couldn't. But that doesn't mean he's lazy.

Regardless, I think we all agree he wasn't ready for the season and his career with us hangs by a thread. I'd love to see him succeed but I'm of the opinion that this will be his last year with us. Sucks, because I think he was the perfect solution for 2C.

 

[yianik]

Mistakes happen but a flawed approach or philosophy is deadly.

Maybe trading for Dach was a mistake. But recognizing we need a 2C now and the scouts identifying an opportunity to get a 2C is a sound approach. Hughes identified Hage as a BPA C that would go before our pick so he moved up. Excellent. MB did nothing proactive to get top 6Cs until he demanded a C in the return for Patches.