Around The League Thread | Let the Games Begin

[Bourne Endeavor]

It's the thing I was most cautious about. Every time I watched him play, he was like a 4th forward when it came to zone reads. Dynamic and creative with the puck on his stick but has a lot to learn about defending and transitioning at the NHL level.

I've only seen a few highlights but he reminds of rookie/sophomore Hughes, albeit with less overall skill. The kid seems to have genuine talent and while I like MSL giving him a long leash to figure things out, they definitely need to calm the kid down.

Montreal's top priority by next season should be finding a Tanev type and gluing him to Hutson.

I think the Oilers completely cooked their chances at a cup with an offseason that saw them get rid of a strength (speed in general, but hard on the forecheck) and turn it into a weakness. They really screwed up that Blues offersheet and destroyed their defence and middle/bottom six.

Why their fans are hating the stars when it's their management that did them dirty.

I love how much Oiler fans instantly turned on Broberg when he's exactly what they need. Even losing Holloway wasn't great but you can forgive that. He's not a hard player to replace. And yet they still messed that up thinking Pod would do the job.

I had a feeling the Cup loss would hang over them. It did for us in 2012. I didn't think they'd be this bad though.

 

[Diversification]

Lane Hutson is getting absolutely cooked defensively. -8 in his last 3 games.

Who could have foreseen...

 

[strattonius]

I know Hyman will level out here a bit he's a good player but it's just funny watching his unsustainable sh% and PDO, blah blah blah from last year completely crater to start the season when a bunch of those insufferable idiots kept telling us our entire team would regress this year.

 

[Diversification]

It's the thing I was most cautious about. Every time I watched him play, he was like a 4th forward when it came to zone reads. Dynamic and creative with the puck on his stick but has a lot to learn about defending and transitioning at the NHL level.

He clearly has outstanding hockey sense and there's the hope that he can channel it towards at least treading water defensively. But sometimes it just doesn't work out that way for some players. Doesn't help that he's undersized and just a so-so skater.

 

[Ernie]

Montréal needs to shelter the kid a bit more like Vancouver did with Tanev, so he can learn the game the right way and not get giga punished for his deficiencies.

I don't know how a Tanev type player is going to teach Hutson not to make massive turnovers and blow coverage

I get that Montreal is a high profile team and any prospect is going to get a lot of press, but this guy thinks he's a star already and is acting like it on the ice. Martin St Louis is doing him no favours by playing him 23 minutes a night. Maybe the guy figures it out but he's going to have to learn that the stuff he could pull off in college isnt going to work in the NHL and he needs to go back to basics.

 

[Jerry the great]

I've only seen a few highlights but he reminds of rookie/sophomore Hughes, albeit with less overall skill. The kid seems to have genuine talent and while I like MSL giving him a long leash to figure things out, they definitely need to calm the kid down.

In his rookie season, Hughes had a massively positive shot differential (+151), good for 21st league wide (defensemen). sophomore was another story and Hughes' only negative season (-37) which was still best on the team (excluding low GP guys) . Hutson this season is already at -52 which is good for 2nd worst in the league....only Chiarot is worse. I'm not sure there is a bigger liability on the ice than he is right now.

 

[NailsHoglander]

The Oilers have 8 regulars with 0 points and two of them in the top 6 playing with the best Duo in the NHL. Not sure how that is even possible lol

 

[SeawaterOnIce]

The Oilers have 8 regulars with 0 points and two of them in the top 6 playing with the best Duo in the NHL. Not sure how that is even possible lol

Unknown if this is some terrible slow start or a regression due to a loss of good two-way depth over the off-season.

There's also the element of a post-cup run hangover which can lead to an underwhelming start. Guys like Perry, Ryan, Ekholm, Hyman, and Henrique aren't really young, and have played an insane amount of hockey over the years.

 

[StreetHawk]

I've only seen a few highlights but he reminds of rookie/sophomore Hughes, albeit with less overall skill. The kid seems to have genuine talent and while I like MSL giving him a long leash to figure things out, they definitely need to calm the kid down.

Montreal's top priority by next season should be finding a Tanev type and gluing him to Hutson.

Habs only Vets were Matheson and Savard then it drops off experience wise to Guhle's 114 games going into this season. Did Gorton and Hughes really believe that was good enough with a raw rookie Hutson, plus 3 others with between 34-94 NHL games under their belt in Barron, X, and Struble on the roster as well? Needed to sacrifice one of that final trio to add a veteran in that spot. Just too young on the backend.

 

[Vector]

 

[MS]

Hutson has some Hughes/Fox traits offensively but isn't even on the same planet defensively as those two guys, even at the same age. 20 y/o Hughes was mediocre and needed a babysitter to play mid-leverage. 20 y/o Hutson is legit terrible and needs to be hidden in the softest minutes possible to not be a defensive liability.

 

[Vector]

 

[HelloCookie]

Oooff Utah, that's another season without playoffs now

 

[Jerry the great]

Hutson has some Hughes/Fox traits offensively but isn't even on the same planet defensively as those two guys, even at the same age. 20 y/o Hughes was mediocre and needed a babysitter to play mid-leverage. 20 y/o Hutson is legit terrible and needs to be hidden in the softest minutes possible to not be a defensive liability.

Instead they're playing him 23 minutes+.

 

[sandwichbird2023]

Habs only Vets were Matheson and Savard then it drops off experience wise to Guhle's 114 games going into this season. Did Gorton and Hughes really believe that was good enough with a raw rookie Hutson, plus 3 others with between 34-94 NHL games under their belt in Barron, X, and Struble on the roster as well? Needed to sacrifice one of that final trio to add a veteran in that spot. Just too young on the backend.

I think they actually dressed Milloux last night over X. Milloux had 2 NHL games experience coming into yesterday.

I thought the Ducks were inexperience on D, but Montreal is a whole other level. Dailyfaceoff has Hutson paired with Milloux, that can't be accurate, can it?

 

[StreetHawk]

I think they actually dressed Milloux last night over X. Milloux had 2 NHL games experience coming into yesterday.

I thought the Ducks were inexperience on D, but Montreal is a whole other level. Dailyfaceoff has Hutson paired with Milloux, that can't be accurate, can it?

Both MTL and Ana are playing with like half kids.

Ana is Fowler, Gudas, and Dumallon as veterans with 2nd year in Mintyukov and Lacombe (who's been a scratch in favor of a rookie), Zelleweger played like 27 games last year only, and a rookie in Luneau.

Guhle and X were out last night for Montreal. So, it was Matheson, Savard, Barron, Struble, Hutson and Mailloux on Defence. The last 4 with like 94, 34, 2, and 2 NHL games going into this season or something like that. Should have looked to sign a veteran Dman in the offseason vs all of that Zegras talk.

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

The Oilers have 8 regulars with 0 points and two of them in the top 6 playing with the best Duo in the NHL. Not sure how that is even possible lol

Yeah, I'm kind of flabbergasted at that. They'll figure it out, but oof, what a rough start.

 

[sandwichbird2023]

Both MTL and Ana are playing with like half kids.

Ana is Fowler, Gudas, and Dumallon as veterans with 2nd year in Mintyukov and Lacombe (who's been a scratch in favor of a rookie), Zelleweger played like 27 games last year only, and a rookie in Luneau.

Guhle and X were out last night for Montreal. So, it was Matheson, Savard, Barron, Struble, Hutson and Mailloux on Defence. The last 4 with like 94, 34, 2, and 2 NHL games going into this season or something like that. Should have looked to sign a veteran Dman in the offseason vs all of that Zegras talk.

And apparently they are potentially trading Matheson and/or Savard some time this season (likely deadline). That blueline is going to be super inexperienced. Seems like a horrible way to develop defensemen/prospect.

They also have Reinbacher coming back some time this season, that is not going to help. I get working in a rookie or maybe even 2 at a time on the blueline, but there is no way to shelter that many kids.

 

[krutovsdonut]

barrie or karlsson is a better comparison for hutson than hughes. hutson is trying to outscore his defensive shortcomings by freelancing non-stop like so many waterbug dmen before him.

hughes has never been a reckless buccaneer out there. from the start he's been figuring out how to play his game and still actually be a defenceman, and he stays within the bubble of what works and works on expanding the bubble incrementally. i don't see that watching hutson.

 

[StreetHawk]

And apparently they are potentially trading Matheson and/or Savard some time this season (likely deadline). That blueline is going to be super inexperienced. Seems like a horrible way to develop defensemen/prospect.

They also have Reinbacher coming back some time this season, that is not going to help. I get working in a rookie or maybe even 2 at a time on the blueline, but there is no way to shelter that many kids.

Reinbacher would likely play in the AHL to get back up to speed after a long layoff. Savard is due to be a UFA so he's going to be moved by the TDL. Matheson another year left, so wait and see on the offers.
But, they can't just replace them with more rookies like Mailloux and Reinbacher. Need some veterans to help them.

Habs don't really want to move off the unproven kids yet. Still hoping that they hit. Certain qualities that they want, like X's size and meanness. Barron is a RHD. Struble is a solidly built LHD at 6 feet but over 200 lbs. But, only so many spots in the lineup before you have too many inexperienced dman in the lineup at one time.

 

[bossram]

Brutal news for Utah. They made some big moved to upgrade their blueline, and saw them evaporate 2 weeks into the season.

Basically ends his Team Canada chances (he should be on the team!)

 

[StreetHawk]

Some brutal injury news for teams in that PO bubble group. Blues lose their best F (I value C over Buch at Wing), and Utah lost 2 RHD. All long term.

 

[supercanuck]

Brutal news for Utah. They made some big moved to upgrade their blueline, and saw them evaporate 2 weeks into the season.


Basically ends his Team Canada chances (he should be on the team!)

Usually I am super hyped for these "best on best" tournaments, but I totally forgot it was going on this season until you mentioned it!