Around the NHL — Episode XLXVII

[flyingfingers]

Don’t worry this fan base would be grateful of a participation ribbon hanging from the rafters. High fives all around for being the 16th best team in the league.

I’m honestly wondering what you expected this team to do in the playoffs? Did you really think we were going to win this series, let alone make a run at the cup?

Everyone recognizes that this franchise wasted 7 years under a terrible owner, dumbo GM, and beer league coach.

But all of those guys are gone. We have new management, a new coach, and a bunch of new players.

Considering what they took over, getting the team into the playoffs this year is, in fact, something to be happy about and a promising building block.

We can move on from the dark days.

 

[Mr Hat]

I’m honestly wondering what you expected this team to do in the playoffs? Did you really think we were going to win this series, let alone make a run at the cup?

Everyone recognizes that this franchise wasted 7 years under a terrible owner, dumbo GM, and beer league coach.

But all of those guys are gone. We have new management, a new coach, and a bunch of new players.

Considering what they took over, getting the team into the playoffs this year is, in fact, something to be happy about and a promising building block.

We can move on from the dark days.

Dark days haven’t even started yet. This team has a mid roster, mid core, and minimal prospects or picks. Teams that re-tool effectively use picks for short term gain. We can’t do that. We can’t sign FA because nobody wants to chose Ottawa over any US market. High taxes and a boring city. Likely getting into playoffs yet sweeped by the Leafs is one of the highlights of this core.

Not even their fault, it’s Melnyk / Dorion / DJ that put us into a perpetual rebuild without gaining any assets.

The question becomes who can we trade now and acquire picks and prospects for future, or we roll with this core who will never win a cup and go into a rebuild scorched earth.

So yeah I was expecting to not get swept and get a few victories before the team goes back to rebuild mode before 2030.

 

[DueDiligence]

lmao we’re going to be the only playoff team to not win a game, aren’t we?

Who cares? Would you rather lose in OT in game 7? That sort of loss would sting more a month from now.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

Who cares? Would you rather lose in OT in game 7? That sort of loss would sting more a month from now.

I think a lot of us care. I think if you told everyone before the series that we’d be the only team to not win a game and it would be the Leafs sweeping us reactions would be different.

Should we view losing in the first round and losing in the third round the same because you don’t win a Cup wither way?

 

[flyingfingers]

Dark days haven’t even started yet. This team has a mid roster, mid core, and minimal prospects or picks. Teams that re-tool effectively use picks for short term gain. We can’t do that. We can’t sign FA because nobody wants to chose Ottawa over any US market. High taxes and a boring city. Likely getting into playoffs yet sweeped by the Leafs is one of the highlights of this core.

Not even their fault, it’s Melnyk / Dorion / DJ that put us into a perpetual rebuild without gaining any assets.

The question becomes who can we trade now and acquire picks and prospects for future, or we roll with this core who will never win a cup and go into a rebuild scorched earth.

So yeah I was expecting to not get swept and get a few victories before the team goes back to rebuild mode before 2030.

This is an insane viewpoint. Do you think the NHL players aren’t assets? Or that you can only trade NHL players for picks and prospects?

Staios will have all sorts of ways to change the makeup of this team as he sees fit. He has tons of assets that can be traded, if he so chooses: Tkachuk, Stützle, Sanderson, Pinto, Greig, Kleven, Batherson, etc.

As trade assets, all of those players have a ton of value. We could easily rejig this entire roster, if that’s what needs to happen.

Let me give you an example. Let’s say Alexander Nikishin does actually ask for a trade before playing a game for the Canes. Not many teams would be in a better position to acquire him then we’d be, if we wanted to.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

I don’t get it, how are the Habs scoring without toe drags?

 

[Icelevel]

Mtl is better than we are confirmed.

 

[flyingfingers]

I think a lot of us care. I think if you told everyone before the series that we’d be the only team to not win a game and it would be the Leafs sweeping us reactions would be different.

Should we view losing in the first round and losing in the third round the same because you don’t win a Cup wither way?

You’re having an emotional reaction because it’s the Leafs (which is fine, the nature of fandom is emotional), not a rational reaction.

If we got swept by the Panthers but took them to OT twice (or 3 times, let’s see what happens tomorrow), nobody would be apoplectic. Disappointed? Sure. But the majority would still view the overall season positively.

Staios will look at this rationally. He doesn’t have the baggage of being a Sens fan in 2001.

 

[Ouroboros]

Domination by the Habs.

Doubled on the shot and hit count, winning the faceoff battle. Got a series here.

 

[The Waffler]

This Habs-Wash game is one of the best games I’ve watched this year

 

[Hotsam Batcho]

Stromes face after injuring Thompson

 

[PlayOn]

This is an insane viewpoint. Do you think the NHL players aren’t assets? Or that you can only trade NHL players for picks and prospects?

Staios will have all sorts of ways to change the makeup of this team as he sees fit. He has tons of assets that can be traded, if he so chooses: Tkachuk, Stützle, Sanderson, Pinto, Greig, Kleven, Batherson, etc.

As trade assets, all of those players have a ton of value. We could easily rejig this entire roster, if that’s what needs to happen.

Let me give you an example. Let’s say Alexander Nikishin does actually ask for a trade before playing a game for the Canes. Not many teams would be in a better position to acquire him then we’d be, if we wanted to.

Especially in a time where the vast majority of the league is trying to compete and get better, I think you can do more with good roster players than you can with pick/prospects for the most part.

It’s why we were the team that got Cozens. No one else had a top 6 C to offer.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

Stromes face after injuring Thompson

View attachment 1022877

Lmao oh Habs are winning this series now.

Lindgren is ass.

 

[Hotsam Batcho]

Lmao oh Habs are winning this series now.

Lindgren is ass.

We'll see. Montembaut also left the game.

 

[Agent Zub]

As long as we have Stutzle and Sanderson the franchise has hope.

 

[bicboi64]

F*** MTL for putting up more of a fight than we have

And F*** Dorion for handicapping us so hard.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

As long as we have Stutzle and Sanderson the franchise has hope.

Yes but we can’t let it pass. At one point we had Spezza (1C), Karlsson (1D), and Anderson (1G) and did nothing to capitalize on it. Murray was likely handicapped by Melnyk but it was frustrating.

Never forget Ceci for Hall getting nixed by Eugene.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

Habs are doing better than I thought. I figured those munchkins would fold completely in a heavier playoff games. They'll still lose the series but they're pretty competitive.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

Yes but we can’t let it pass. At one point we had Spezza (1C), Karlsson (1D), and Anderson (1G) and did nothing to capitalize on it. Murray was likely handicapped by Melnyk but it was frustrating.

Never forget Ceci for Hall getting nixed by Eugene.

Dorion is the biggest blunder. He had prime Karlsson, Stone, Ryan, and other assets to use in a scorched earth rebuild, and his biggest win was lucking into Timmy. If we had a good GM (and owner) back in 2016 things would be so much different right now.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

Dorion is the biggest blunder. He had prime Karlsson, Stone, Ryan, and other assets to use in a scorched earth rebuild, and his biggest win was lucking into Timmy. If we had a good GM (and owner) back in 2016 things would be so much different right now.

Ryan had negative value with that contract. Karlsson return turned out great.

The Stone trade was just bad. The Duchene fiasco (both trades) also sucked.

 

[PlayOn]

Some of you guys are way too stuck on Dorion. Virtually every team that won botched picks, made dumb moves and many were just as grossly mismanaged as we were. He didn’t put a death sentence on this franchise, Staios proved that this year.

 

[Burrowsaurus]

Montreal had a guy in the opposing teams bench to close a period and then stormed in the third.

A. None of our players would do that. If one did we would turtle so hard in the third

 

[bicboi64]

Some of you guys are way too stuck on Dorion. Virtually every team that won botched picks, made dumb moves and many were just as grossly mismanaged as we were. He didn’t put a death sentence on this franchise, Staios proved that this year.

There is not a single cup winner in recent who made as many piss poor trades and sucked at trades as much as Dorion.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

oh man...I really don't know if that Edmonton goal should count

 

[Senscore]

Hab fans still incredibly insecure confirmed