Do we already have a potential future Stanley Cup core with Nick & Cole? + Poll Question

[Habs Halifax]

No. We're not even close to having a core capable of doing so, and rather than focusing on a rebuild, we're riding high on unsustainable shooting percentages and goaltending that's wasting the season and leading us to yet another decade of mediocrity.

If Suzuki is your first line center, you're not winning a cup unless he's also your fourth best player at most, and that's not taking anything away from Suzuki; he's just a low-end first line center.

The correct answer is no but I dislike your exaggeration.

 

[Matthew McConaughay]

Yes, they are, but they are part of a bigger picture, that is not there yet.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Yes, they are, but they are part of a bigger picture, that is not there yet.

It's difficult to know cause we don't know how good some of that youth is yet. We all agree we need a star or two added but what we have now is a solid foundation.

 

[Kriss E]

It's difficult to know cause we don't know how good some of that youth is yet. We all agree we need a star or two added but what we have now is a solid foundation.

Isn't a foundation the same as a core? Lol..semantics I guess, as you said, we need more guys.
Typical Mtl reaction though...play for .500 when expected to suck and discussions about potential cup teams come up..lol

 

[BaseballCoach]

Isn't a foundation the same as a core? Lol..semantics I guess, as you said, we need more guys.
Typical Mtl reaction though...play for .500 when expected to suck and discussions about potential cup teams come up..lol

Of course we are not there yet, but compared to a month ago, we can now see Dach as an extra star player gong forward.

This has caused me to tweak my plan of October 20th, which can be seen here:

Do we already have a potential future Stanley Cup core with Nick & Cole? + Poll Question

I voted no, this current core isn’t winning a cup, but that doesn’t mean we’ll never win a cup with Suzuki/Caufield, it just means we still need to fill key roles, we are 1 year into a rebuild, most of the players won’t reach there full potential, lets pump the brakes a bit. The club still has...

forums.hfboards.com

It's easy to criticize other people, but at least I am willing to put my plan out there.

To compete in 2024-2025, with realistic expectation of making playoffs and maybe winning a round or two if things go very well:

GOAL 1A/1B
4.500 Starter (maybe Montembeault)
3.850 Allen (if not traded due to another goalie being ready)

DEFENCE
0.863 Guhle
3.600 Barron
4.875 Matheson
0.897 Mailloux
2.500 Xhekaj
1.500 Harris
0.767 Kovacevic
1.750 Savard (post-trade 50% retention)

LINE 1
7.875 Suzuki
7.500 Caufield
0.950 Slafkovsky

LINE 2
5.000 Monahan (2nd year of three)
3.363 Dach
0.874 Farrell

LINE 3
0.917 Beck
0.950 Mesar
0.898 Heineman

LINE 4
1.700 Evans
6.500 Gallagher
0.857 Roy or other

Extra Forwards
1.100 Pitlick or Ylonen or RHP or other 13th F
0.775 Pezzetta or other 14th F
1.700 Armia (post-trade 50% retention)

Top Additional prospects developing in AHL, Junior, College or Europe
23 yo Jakub Dobes
23 yo Frederik Dichow
21 yo Riley Kidney
20 yo Lane Hutson
20 yo Vinzenz Rohrer
20 yo Cedrick Guindon
19 yo 2023 Montreal 1st (possibly already on team)
19 yo 2023 Florida 1st
19 yo 2023 additional late 1st from trading Edmundson at 2023 TDL
18 yo 2024 Montreal 1st
18 yo 2024 Calgary 1st (likely year that works out to)
18 yo 2024 additional 1st from trading Anderson at or just before the 2024 draft
18 yo 2024 additional 1st from trading Dvorak at or just before the 2024 draft

Additional B prospects (one or two might pleasantly surprise us)
20 yo Adam Engstrom
21 yo Oliver Kapanen
21 yo Daniil Sobolev
22 yo Luke Tuch
22 yo William Trudeau
22 yo Jan Mysak
22 yo Jared Davidson
23 yo Jayden Struble
23 yo Frederik Dichow
23 yo Xavier Simoneau

CAP HIT OF THIS TEAM = $66.060M excluding Price
EXPECTED CAP 2024-25 = $86.800M
CAP ROOM to fill holes if some prospects do not pan out = $20.740M

I'm even more sure now that there is no reason this team cannot compete in 2024-25 given the cap space they will have. In addition, the SEVEN first round picks in the next two drafts should ensure that the compete window is very long.

 

[Tetragrammaton]

Of course we are not there yet, but compared to a month ago, we can now see Dach as an extra star player gong forward.

This has caused me to tweak my plan of October 20th, which can be seen here:

Do we already have a potential future Stanley Cup core with Nick & Cole? + Poll Question

I voted no, this current core isn’t winning a cup, but that doesn’t mean we’ll never win a cup with Suzuki/Caufield, it just means we still need to fill key roles, we are 1 year into a rebuild, most of the players won’t reach there full potential, lets pump the brakes a bit. The club still has...

forums.hfboards.com

It's easy to criticize other people, but at least I am willing to put my plan out there.

To compete in 2024-2025, with realistic expectation of making playoffs and maybe winning a round or two if things go very well:

GOAL 1A/1B
4.500 Starter (maybe Montembeault)
3.850 Allen (if not traded due to another goalie being ready)

DEFENCE
0.863 Guhle
3.600 Barron
4.875 Matheson
0.897 Mailloux
2.500 Xhekaj
1.500 Harris
0.767 Kovacevic
1.750 Savard (post-trade 50% retention)

LINE 1
7.875 Suzuki
7.500 Caufield
0.950 Slafkovsky

LINE 2
5.000 Monahan (2nd year of three)
3.363 Dach
0.874 Farrell

LINE 3
0.917 Beck
0.950 Mesar
0.898 Heineman

LINE 4
1.700 Evans
6.500 Gallagher
0.857 Roy or other

Extra Forwards
1.100 Pitlick or Ylonen or RHP or other 13th F
0.775 Pezzetta or other 14th F
1.700 Armia (post-trade 50% retention)

Top Additional prospects developing in AHL, Junior, College or Europe
23 yo Jakub Dobes
23 yo Frederik Dichow
21 yo Riley Kidney
20 yo Lane Hutson
20 yo Vinzenz Rohrer
20 yo Cedrick Guindon
19 yo 2023 Montreal 1st (possibly already on team)
19 yo 2023 Florida 1st
19 yo 2023 additional late 1st from trading Edmundson at 2023 TDL
18 yo 2024 Montreal 1st
18 yo 2024 Calgary 1st (likely year that works out to)
18 yo 2024 additional 1st from trading Anderson at or just before the 2024 draft
18 yo 2024 additional 1st from trading Dvorak at or just before the 2024 draft

Additional B prospects (one or two might pleasantly surprise us)
20 yo Adam Engstrom
21 yo Oliver Kapanen
21 yo Daniil Sobolev
22 yo Luke Tuch
22 yo William Trudeau
22 yo Jan Mysak
22 yo Jared Davidson
23 yo Jayden Struble
23 yo Frederik Dichow
23 yo Xavier Simoneau

CAP HIT OF THIS TEAM = $66.060M excluding Price
EXPECTED CAP 2024-25 = $86.800M
CAP ROOM to fill holes if some prospects do not pan out = $20.740M

I'm even more sure now that there is no reason this team cannot compete in 2024-25 given the cap space they will have. In addition, the SEVEN first round picks in the next two drafts should ensure that the compete window is very long.

Nice work