Confirmed with Link: Canadiens Will Pick 5th (Hughes Presser in OP) NO POLITICS

[Habaddict]

Apple and oranges. Wanting to defect and become a US or Canadian citizen is not the same as allowing Russian citizens to participate in sporting events.

this is true!

 

[Milhouse40]

Don’t know if this was posted already but FWIW, if reliable, we won’t need to be too concerned about Michkov falling to us:



Again, pre-draft comments always to be consumed responsibly.

And posted the very same day, the complete opposite....saying SKA could blackmailed him to stay at least another 2 years after his actual contract, something that has been used multiple time in the past.



And that's the biggest problem for us fans and for the GM and scouting team themselves......it's really hard right now to have the full picture as 3 years from now is an eternity and nobody can pretend to know what will happens after and whishful thinking or negativism shouldn't be part of the equation.

 

[Mad]

How good is Reinbacher?

He’s really good.

I wouldn’t entertain that idea if Michkov, Carlsson or Fantilli were available at 5th, but if it’s Smith, I could understand a debate in between them.

Smith’s vision, hands and passing are all elite, but he isn’t always engaged in the play. It sometimes feels like he lacks motor. To have real success in the NHL he will need to be strong on the boards so he can create some space to do what he does best. Getting stronger will take care of some of that, but the rest will have to come from sustained involvement in those area.

Reinbacher is a great skater, great in transition and can easily get the puck out of the defensive zone. It’s rare to see a kid this age show a reaction time that quick while facing constant pressure on the puck.

He’s shown good athleticism and explosion while skating. He won’t be that playmaking D or Makar with the puck on his stick, but he’s shown a good understanding how he can generate offense with his tools. He’s got good power on his shots, but the best part about them is that he can get them to the net.

It might not always be flashy, as simple as his offense is, it’s quite effective.

Someone posted how Reinbacher has a lot of secondary assists, but I’ve seen him take the puck behind his net, pass three players to create a chance that ends up in the net. Even if he got the last assist, his play made that goal happen.

It’s definitely a safe option, really high floor and top pairing potential. Yes, Smith could be an offensive dynamo but he has areas to work on if he wants to achieve that, there’s no guarantee.

They’ll have a tough decision to make, but either way you get a lot of potential at that rank.

 

[Habaddict]

Perhaps.....

The guy we should take, if we do not want Michkov...

Is Ryan Leonard.....

Big, strong, fast, sniper, power forward... and good hockey IQ.

Yeah, but he could go around #8. Do we try to get something
for going backwards? I mean some people with the habs can
go backwards. Maybe not all of are D prospects.

 

[sampollock]

I figure Smith drops to 5

Kent grabs him

 

[Mad]

Yeah, but he could go around #8. Do we try to get something
for going backwards? I mean some people with the habs can
go backwards. Maybe not all of are D prospects.

Problem is in that range, anyone could go there. Trading down is an option only if they feel comfortable with several prospects.

Realistically, it won’t happen. They’ll pick the guy they like at 5th even if it’s a bit higher. That high in the draft, you want your guy not the 5th/8th option on your list.

Unless the deal is too good to pass.

 

[Habaddict]

Problem is in that range, anyone could go there. Trading down is an option only if they feel comfortable with several prospects.

Realistically, it won’t happen. They’ll pick the guy they like at 5th even if it’s a bit higher. That high in the draft, you want your guy not the 5th/8th option on your list.

Unless the deal is too good to pass.

Yeah, it's mostly about what you think of players in that range.
But in this draft, that part of the range is thick and heavy. So if
someone really wants (say smith ), and they have #8 ? What would
you take to go backward.

 

[JohnTheBaptist]

He’s really good.

I wouldn’t entertain that idea if Michkov, Carlsson or Fantilli were available at 5th, but if it’s Smith, I could understand a debate in between them.

Smith’s vision, hands and passing are all elite, but he isn’t always engaged in the play. It sometimes feels like he lacks motor. To have real success in the NHL he will need to be strong on the boards so he can create some space to do what he does best. Getting stronger will take care of some of that, but the rest will have to come from sustained involvement in those area.

Reinbacher is a great skater, great in transition and can easily get the puck out of the defensive zone. It’s rare to see a kid this age show a reaction time that quick while facing constant pressure on the puck.

He’s shown good athleticism and explosion while skating. He won’t be that playmaking D or Makar with the puck on his stick, but he’s shown a good understanding how he can generate offense with his tools. He’s got good power on his shots, but the best part about them is that he can get them to the net.

It might not always be flashy, as simple as his offense is, it’s quite effective.

Someone posted how Reinbacher has a lot of secondary assists, but I’ve seen him take the puck behind his net, pass three players to create a chance that ends up in the net. Even if he got the last assist, his play made that goal happen.

It’s definitely a safe option, really high floor and top pairing potential. Yes, Smith could be an offensive dynamo but he has areas to work on if he wants to achieve that, there’s no guarantee.

They’ll have a tough decision to make, but either way you get a lot of potential at that rank.

I see him ranked 12th to 14th though... if that's the case maybe we should move down a few spots if Michkov is gone at 5..

 

[BJCOLLINS]

I know it’s a stretch but could we interest Arizona in a trade for Logan Cooley? He stated that he’s going back to Minnesota this year but is there any indication he’s unhappy with the Coyotes ?

Where’s Sammy Pollock when you need him, lol.

 

[HomaridII]

I know it’s a stretch but could we interest Arizona in a trade for Logan Cooley? He stated that he’s going back to Minnesota this year but is there any indication he’s unhappy with the Coyotes ?

Where’s Sammy Pollock when you need him, lol.

Everyone is unhappy with the Coyotes. The top 10 AHL attendance are all higher than the Coyotes 2022 average. And they will play there for a while now that it doesn't look like the NHL will entertain relocation. Even if they get an arena deal elsewhere in Arizona, which is doubtful, they will be playing 2-3 year minimum where they are now.

 

[Mad]

Yeah, it's mostly about what you think of players in that range.
But in this draft, that part of the range is thick and heavy. So if
someone really wants (say smith ), and they have #8 ? What would
you take to go backward.

In theory, if they like someone more and they are willing to trade down, teams would have to pay a premium for it.

At 8th, it’s the Capitals. They have no other 1st rounder this year, and a pretty slim prospect pool. If they would include their 8th + unprotected 1st next year you could think about it.

But not sure they’ll take that gamble with Metro and the Atlantic looking this strong.

In terms of picks, Arizona, Detroit and St-Louis could offer multiple ones.

There’s always charts that goes over projected value of draft picks, here’s one of them from three years ago.

Obviously teams won’t always follow charts like these, even tho they all have their own variations, everything depends on how much they like a player.

 

[Runner77]

And posted the very same day, the complete opposite....saying SKA could blackmailed him to stay at least another 2 years after his actual contract, something that has been used multiple time in the past.



And that's the biggest problem for us fans and for the GM and scouting team themselves......it's really hard right now to have the full picture as 3 years from now is an eternity and nobody can pretend to know what will happens after and whishful thinking or negativism shouldn't be part of the equation.

It’s a good thing that none of us has the job of cutting through the quagmire. If Bobrov can’t figure it out, no one else can.

 

[Habaddict]

In theory, if they like someone more and they are willing to trade down, teams would have to pay a premium for it.

At 8th, it’s the Capitals. They have no other 1st rounder this year, and a pretty slim prospect pool. If they would include their 8th + unprotected 1st next year you could think about it.

But not sure they’ll take that gamble with Metro and the Atlantic looking this strong.

In terms of picks, Arizona, Detroit and St-Louis could offer multiple ones.

There’s always charts that goes over projected value of draft picks, here’s one of them from three years ago.

Obviously teams won’t always follow charts like these, even tho they all have their own variations, everything depends on how much they like a player.

View attachment 710828

Yeah, you punched the button that matters. What would the
include to trade up? But to me, between 5 and 9 or 10. It's not
big. It's a bit unusual this draft.

 

[HabsWhiteKnightLOL]

It’s a good thing that none of us has the job of cutting through the quagmire. If Bobrov can’t figure it out, no one else can.

He can figure it out easily pick the BPA which will be Michkov or Smith

Simple as that. If it flops then atleast we would have picked BPA.
If we go the ''karakter'' pick and it goes to another 30 points soft winger then this is a failure from the scouts.

 

[Runner77]

He can figure it out easily pick the BPA which will be Michkov or Smith

Simple as that. If it flops then atleast we would have picked BPA.
If we go the ''karakter'' pick and it goes to another 30 points soft winger then this is a failure from the scouts.

Michkov’s talent is unquestioned. It’s all the noise that it’s surrounded with. Will he be here in 3 years? 5 years? More?

If it were just a matter of selecting a BPA, he wouldn’t even be available at our drafting slot. And might not even be, it’s murky at this point as some have him going at 4 or even slipping to the 6-10 drafting slots. What a quagmire.

 

[No More Subban]

He’s really good.

I wouldn’t entertain that idea if Michkov, Carlsson or Fantilli were available at 5th, but if it’s Smith, I could understand a debate in between them.

Smith’s vision, hands and passing are all elite, but he isn’t always engaged in the play. It sometimes feels like he lacks motor. To have real success in the NHL he will need to be strong on the boards so he can create some space to do what he does best. Getting stronger will take care of some of that, but the rest will have to come from sustained involvement in those area.

Reinbacher is a great skater, great in transition and can easily get the puck out of the defensive zone. It’s rare to see a kid this age show a reaction time that quick while facing constant pressure on the puck.

He’s shown good athleticism and explosion while skating. He won’t be that playmaking D or Makar with the puck on his stick, but he’s shown a good understanding how he can generate offense with his tools. He’s got good power on his shots, but the best part about them is that he can get them to the net.

It might not always be flashy, as simple as his offense is, it’s quite effective.

Someone posted how Reinbacher has a lot of secondary assists, but I’ve seen him take the puck behind his net, pass three players to create a chance that ends up in the net. Even if he got the last assist, his play made that goal happen.

It’s definitely a safe option, really high floor and top pairing potential. Yes, Smith could be an offensive dynamo but he has areas to work on if he wants to achieve that, there’s no guarantee.

They’ll have a tough decision to make, but either way you get a lot of potential at that rank.

This is why I want Benson. I keep seeing comments like these not only here but in youtube and reddit. It's everywhere.

 

[HabsWhiteKnightLOL]

Michkov’s talent is unquestioned. It’s all the noise that it’s surrounded with. Will he be here in 3 years? 5 years? More?

If it were just a matter of selecting a BPA, he wouldn’t even be available at our drafting slot. And might not even be, it’s murky at this point as some have him going at 4 or even slipping to the 6-10 drafting slots. What a quagmire.

I mean at what point he's not a risk? Second round?
This is not the first time a player will not be joining in the first 3 years before getting drafted.
I don't want to touch politics but who knows what will happen in the next months in this area.

If I saw correctly , Michkov will not be at combine but he will be Present at draft. Pretty much confirms someone will pick him in the first round. There is no way Michkov is not picked in the top 10.

Let's say Slaf was in the american college and he would have to wait 3 years until he joins us. Would you be guys scared that he might not join us? I know it's not the same as what's happening in Russia but Michkov gotta finish his contract that he signed unless both parties say they part away before 3 years.


We'll see , but we heard alot of GMs lately that wouldnt mind wait 3 years.
Anyways our team is like 2-3 years to be somewhat relevant to begin with.

It's not like we are 1 Michkov away to be a great team.

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

How good is Reinbacher?

I think he's fantastic. #1 potential imo. He ticks every box except PP1 QB. Doesn't quite have the vision/creativity from what I've seen.

He looks like a more polished right handed Guhle sort of. Guhle seemed to have a bit more snap to his game; more aggressiveness. But Guhle was more raw in his draft year.

Reinbacher makes great decisions with the puck. Tons of poise. Really good shot. Solid hands but he's not a dangler. He can rush the puck really well. Strong, can skate. Physical, good positioning. A lot of people will piss and moan if we pick him draft day but when you have him and Guhle patrolling the blue line come playoff time, no one will be upset.

I think passing on him would be a big mistake. Our blue line would be outstanding going forward. Gotta feeling Hughes is going to pick him which I might go into further detail about in a future post.

Cliff notes is that Hughes is a needs guy (though he seems to be cautious about saying it now) and he's gonna see that top pairing right hand spot as a big gaping hole that he wouldn't feel too comfortable about Mailloux or Barron fixing. Reinbacher's his man.

 

[Runner77]

I mean at what point he's not a risk? Second round?
This is not the first time a player will not be joining in the first 3 years before getting drafted.
I don't want to touch politics but who knows what will happen in the next months in this area.

If I saw correctly , Michkov will not be at combine but he will be Present at draft. Pretty much confirms someone will pick him in the first round. There is no way Michkov is not picked in the top 10.

Let's say Slaf was in the american college and he would have to wait 3 years until he joins us. Would you be guys scared that he might not join us? I know it's not the same as what's happening in Russia but Michkov gotta finish his contract that he signed unless both parties say they part away before 3 years.


We'll see , but we heard alot of GMs lately that wouldnt mind wait 3 years.
Anyways our team is like 2-3 years to be somewhat relevant to begin with.

It's not like we are 1 Michkov away to be a great team.

I haven’t seen anyone say that he’d slip past the 10th slot but I don’t know that past situations of draftees not being clearly available are a fair comparable. This is a very unique geopolitical situation that is ongoing and unpredictable. Add to that the player’s contractual commitment in the KHL, whose length and conditions have not been ascertained.

Hence my comment about Bobrov being in the best position to ascertain the risk and make recommendations on whether and how it could be managed.

 

[jrom]

Unbelievable, missing out on a prospect of this caliber by 1 spot just to win a few extra meaningless games.

What a f***ing joke of an organization.

"You can't lose in Montreal"

"gotta protect the winning culture"

Yeah, right.

From dreaming about Lafleur’s mystique coming back to whining about hockey players (who don’t care about the draft) winning games.

Had we won the lottery half this board would spend their summer threatening to renounce the Habs if they didn’t pick Bedard.

 

[Mad]

Yeah, you punched the button that matters. What would the
include to trade up? But to me, between 5 and 9 or 10. It's not
big. It's a bit unusual this draft.

Where last year things could have gone in all different places in top 5, this year it’s harder to imagine not seeing a certain order. Talent is really high and even if there’s a drop after it, the next group could all be stars in that 6 to 12 range. They also all come with questions marks, but I can see the argument, if you like someone in that range moving down could be the answer.

This is why I want Benson. I keep seeing comments like these not only here but in youtube and reddit. It's everywhere.

It’s a shame becomes Smith has elite skills. The second you give him open space he’s deadly, but he needs to be consistent in his effort. He has the biggest bust factor in that top 5.

Benson hasn’t looked as comfortable after his injury. But yeah great motor, he’s the driver on must plays, but at this point he might be under Reinbacher and Leonard. It’s a shame he doesn’t have great skating because he would a safe bet in terms of ceiling and floor.

I think he's fantastic. #1 potential imo. He ticks every box except PP1 QB. Doesn't quite have the vision/creativity from what I've seen.

He looks like a more polished right handed Guhle sort of. Guhle seemed to have a bit more snap to his game; more aggressiveness. But Guhle was more raw in his draft year.

Reinbacher makes great decisions with the puck. Tons of poise. Really good shot. Solid hands but he's not a dangler. He can rush the puck really well. Strong, can skate. Physical, good positioning. A lot of people will piss and moan if we pick him draft day but when you have him and Guhle patrolling the blue line come playoff time, no one will be upset.

I think passing on him would be a big mistake. Our blue line would be outstanding going forward. Gotta feeling Hughes is going to pick him which I might go into further detail about in a future post.

Cliff notes is that Hughes is a needs guy (though he seems to be cautious about saying it now) and he's gonna see that top pairing right hand spot as a big gaping hole that he wouldn't feel too comfortable about Mailloux or Barron fixing. Reinbacher's his man.

I’m with you on everything here.

Guhle wasn’t as good as Reinbacher at the same age, but his progression curve was great.

They look similar because both are always in movement, which isn’t a trait you’ll find in every defenseman.

Guhle is scrappy, he talks a lot on the ice and isn’t afraid to send messages with sneaky slashes and crosschecks, which isn’t Reinbacher’s game.

I wish he would take the body more, but in terms of using his physical attributes to protect the puck he’s great.

Rare to see a young defenseman take good decision this quickly. Decision making for me is superior compared to Jiricek, better skater and on zone entries.

You hit right, he knows how to process the game with his own tools. He’ll look less flashy than Hughes and won’t go through 2-3 players with his hands, but he’ll do it while skating and protecting the puck or by putting the puck on the net.

Habs don’t need a superstar d-man if they have 4-5 really good defensemen who can skate and help transition. It would be like what the Hurricanes have built throughout the years.

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

Where last year things could have gone in all different places in top 5, this year it’s harder to imagine not seeing a certain order. Talent is really high and even if there’s a drop after it, the next group could all be stars in that 6 to 12 range. They also all come with questions marks, but I can see the argument, if you like someone in that range moving down could be the answer.



It’s a shame becomes Smith has elite skills. The second you give him open space he’s deadly, but he needs to be consistent in his effort. He has the biggest bust factor in that top 5.

Benson hasn’t looked as comfortable after his injury. But yeah great motor, he’s the driver on must plays, but at this point he might be under Reinbacher and Leonard. It’s a shame he doesn’t have great skating because he would a safe bet in terms of ceiling and floor.




I’m with you on everything here.

Guhle wasn’t as good as Reinbacher at the same age, but his progression curve was great.

They look similar because both are always in movement, which isn’t a trait you’ll find in every defenseman.

Guhle is scrappy, he talks a lot on the ice and isn’t afraid to send messages with sneaky slashes and crosschecks, which isn’t Reinbacher’s game.

I wish he would take the body more, but in terms of using his physical attributes to protect the puck he’s great.

Rare to see a young defenseman take good decision this quickly. Decision making for me is superior compared to Jiricek, better skater and on zone entries.

You hit right, he knows how to process the game with his own tools. He’ll look less flashy than Hughes and won’t go through 2-3 players with his hands, but he’ll do it while skating and protecting the puck or by putting the puck on the net.

Habs don’t need a superstar d-man if they have 4-5 really good defensemen who can skate and help transition. It would be like what the Hurricanes have built throughout the years.

It's the one thing that's kind of hard to judge Reinbacher's upside is his polish. Does that mean he has LESS room to grow? Or because he's playing against men there's a bit of restraint there where maybe he can push his offensive game a bit more. These are things I wonder about.

But all in all he's just a high ceiling/high floor guy. Players like this project so well to me with little risk. He's safe but he can also be a huge part of your team going forward. I think he's a no brainer pick for me.

 

[Rapala]

Exactly, my dog watches a ton of hockey as well but I don't think his opinion is worth much lol.

Do you speak dog he/she could be a lot smarter than you think you are.

 

[SlafySZN]

 

[Kudo Shinichi]

And posted the very same day, the complete opposite....saying SKA could blackmailed him to stay at least another 2 years after his actual contract, something that has been used multiple time in the past.



And that's the biggest problem for us fans and for the GM and scouting team themselves......it's really hard right now to have the full picture as 3 years from now is an eternity and nobody can pretend to know what will happens after and whishful thinking or negativism shouldn't be part of the equation.

The points mentioned don't make sense.

-It says SKA could seduce him with a huge sum of money. However, what they would offer him would be less than what Michkov could get from his ELC.

According to the article, The top paid players in the KHL and what they make, the highest-paid KHL player is making 90 million rubles, which is equivalent to 1.12 M USD.

On an ELC, Michkov would be making 950K + performance bonus. If he hits 4 of these targets (which should be easy for Michkov), he gets 1 M in performance bonus 'A'.

In addition to that, he could also receive a 2 M performance bonus 'B' if he hits one of these targets

So at a minimum, Michkov would be making 950 K USD and at maximum, he could be making nearly 4.5 M USD on his ELC.

That's a lot more than what he would get in the KHL.

-The second point mentioned is that they could scratch him in the last year of his contract. This too makes no sense. At that point, Michkov is likely to be one of the top khl players and one of the most entertaining players to watch. Scratching Michkov could massively affect SKA in both team performance and revenue. It's very unlikely that they would do that.