Pre-Game Talk: Countdown thread to 24-25 Season (T - 6 hours)

[Tyson]

And Hughes went out and did absolutely nothing to upgrade the mindset, toughness of that forward groups. Big fail.

Yep you can be big but soft as butter. Habs need to address team toughness quickly.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

To further add to my Jenik comment, the sens are likely to waive him(Jenik) and MacEwen.

Yeah, not the best, but both have some skill, aren't terrible players and can add some physicality.

Jenik fought Imama. He lost, but didn't get dummied. Later got kicked out because he took a little shot, or said something to Crosby.

You know, players who don't just sit and hope the game ends

 

[Rapala]

And Hughes went out and did absolutely nothing to upgrade the mindset, toughness of that forward groups. Big fail.

It's really been decades since we stood up to all comers.
Like I said I've witnessed a great number of momentum changes over the years when teams goaded us into losing our cool.
I think anyone who has ever played hockey at a competitive level knows this will happen particularly when a team is flat and dead in the water.
The good teams always had a guy or two you could send out there to get a message across.
Starting with a heavy check and high(ish) elbows or ending with a punch in the chops gloves on.
Actually I loved the fact that Arber didn't drop the gloves maybe hoping for a double minor at worse.

 

[The Real Timo]

And Hughes went out and did absolutely nothing to upgrade the mindset, toughness of that forward groups. Big fail.

agreed

 

[rabbit4949]

For the love of God why are people so obsessed with fighting? It's so utterly f***ing worthless. You want Slav to break his hand on some scrubs face? Is it too much to ask to just get everyone to finish checks and punish opponents along the boards? Let's get some open ice hits, put one guy through the glass and the whole team will be panic passing for the rest of the game.

Agreed. Fighting as retaliation or retribution for cheap shots against skill players is beyond foolish. Career AHL'ers and 4th line scrubs are not going to be deterred by taking a beatdown from guys like AX. To me the answer is relentless pursuit of the other team's skill players. They should not enjoy a single moment of icetime when they are not physically punished. If you have to endure a few PP goals against then so be it. Fighting should be reserved for in the heat of the moment disagreements not staged sideshows.

 

[HomaridII]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1840752654714073330

 

[The Real Timo]

Yep you can be big but soft as butter. Habs need to address team toughness quickly.

Unfortuntely I don't think Hughes and his boss see it as any kind of necessary. Unless Nick and Co go to them and demand. But I honestly doubt players would do that.

 

[HomaridII]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1840750340678865226

 

[The Real Timo]

It's really been decades since we stood up to all comers.
Like I said I've witnessed a great number of momentum changes over the years when teams goaded us into losing our cool.
I think anyone who has ever played hockey at a competitive level knows this will happen particularly when a team is flat and dead in the water.
The good teams always had a guy or two you could send out there to get a message across.
Starting with a heavy check and high(ish) elbows or ending with a punch in the chops gloves on.
Actually I loved the fact that Arber didn't drop the gloves maybe hoping for a double minor at worse.

The good team have overall team toughness... meaning players who are considered "scorers" or star players also playing physical and mixing it up. Not just one or 2 guys. Habs have 1 guys. And it's apparently easy to get him tossed because refs are leafs homers. So once Arber is tossed, this team is soft as butter. Overall team toughness needs to be improved with mean SOBs who don't always care about the rules or the codes.

 

[Rapala]

Tells you how soft this organisation truly is. And when Xhekaj is doing something about it, MSL the great coach is grounding him. LOL

Pathetic soft mentality.

I seriously did not get that vibe from Marty in this case. Like at all.
He basically told the media to get stuffed when they tried to make it an issue.

 

[Deebs]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1840752654714073330

Love seeing the GabaGuhle back on the squad

 

[PavelBrendl]

With Heineman, ABB and Kapanen being the only players left who weren't with the Habs last year, I think you gotta slot Heineman in to replace Laine. He's shown at every level that he can score and forecheck like a menace and didn't get a great opportunity with the Habs yet. Kapanen is a C. I think the best situation for him is playing big minutes as a top C in Sweden this year. Next year he replaces DVO.

 

[Paddyjack]

With Heineman, ABB and Kapanen being the only players left who weren't with the Habs last year, I think you gotta slot Heineman in to replace Laine. He's shown at every level that he can score and forecheck like a menace and didn't get a great opportunity with the Habs yet. Kapanen is a C. I think the best situation for him is playing big minutes as a top C in Sweden this year. Next year he replaces DVO.

Given the lack of depth on C, I would rather keep Kapanen here on the wing so if an injury occur he can step up.

And guess what, injuries will occur. We are cursed.

 

[PavelBrendl]

Given the lack of depth on C, I would rather keep Kapanen here on the wing so if an injury occur he can step up.

And guess what, injuries will occur. We are cursed.

hard to argue with that.

 

[HomaridII]

Guhle practicing with a non contact jersey.
Kapanen practicing with the team.

Slaf in a dark blue jersey at morning skate. Everyone else in red and white.....

Its Guhle with the Dark Blue shirt, its the no contact jersey.

 

[Habby4Life]

The good team have overall team toughness... meaning players who are considered "scorers" or star players also playing physical and mixing it up. Not just one or 2 guys. Habs have 1 guys. And it's apparently easy to get him tossed because refs are leafs homers. So once Arber is tossed, this team is soft as butter. Overall team toughness needs to be improved with mean SOBs who don't always care about the rules or the codes.

AKA Florida, toughness from line 1 right down to line 4.

 

[Habsfan18]

Guhle practicing with a non contact jersey.
Kapanen practicing with the team.


Its Guhle with the Dark Blue shirt, its the no contact jersey.

Yes, I deleted. Engels deleted and corrected his original tweet.

 

[HomaridII]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1840760019211485662

 

[dinodebino]

As I get older.. things like the Laine injury just bother me on a personal level rather than make me irrationally angry and want revenge. I feel so bad for someone who went through everything he did and finally got a chance only to have his knee blown up by a plug.

And then the Reinbacher injury, another major injury to a key piece of our future, which immediately gets used as a strike against him by people here who only want him to fail because he wasn't who they wanted at the draft.

Excitement for the season dwindled very quickly and with the second point, an extreme limitation to be placed on my time here because it's not worth the same level of investment here to see those noxious flames find another pocket of oxygen to explode and engulf the discourse for another season.

Same

 

[Tyson]

The pack mentality has to become the way they play.
I am not sure why management seems to frown on this concept. This team is too soft. If Anderson won't help in this regarding he becomes completely useless to this team.

 

[le_sean]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1840760019211485662

Did his nuts shrink so much that he had to go get them checked?

 

[Tyson]

Did his nuts shrink so much that he had to go get them checked?

f***ing Bergevin handing him a 7 year contract...idiot

 

[Rapala]

The pack mentality has to become the way they play.
I am not sure why management seems to frown on this concept. This team is too soft. If Anderson won't help in this regarding he become completely useless to this team.

The minute you try to get in Anderson's head to teach him skills he's lost his identity.
I'd much rather have someone working with him teaching him how to fore check what angles to take and how to hit hard yet maintain perfect control.
He doesn't HIT FFS he doesn't finish his checks and he's still useless in the Dzone.

I laugh because watching him play defense I'm saying to myself "I wish he could create that much space for himself at the other end"
At this point I prefer Heineman and Tuch who will engage at both end and who possess the same talent quotient at the very least.

 

[Andy]

Last three years the team has had long term injuries with the following players: Dach, Slaf, Caufield, Guhle, Matheson, Newhook, and now possible Laine and Reinbacher. Basically, if you’re expected to be a top player for this time, you will sustain a significant injury.

 

[Tyson]

The minute you try to get in Anderson's head to teach him skills he's lost his identity.
I'd much rather have someone working with him teaching him how to fore check what angles to take and how to hit hard yet maintain perfect control.
He doesn't HIT FFS he doesn't finish his checks and he's still useless in the Dzone.

I laugh because watching him play I'm saying to myself "I wish he could create that much space for himself at the other end"
At this point I prefer Heineman and Tuch who will engage at both end and who possess the same talent quotient at the very least.

This