Line Combos: Early look at the 23-24 Habs

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

The real interesting thing will be what Hughes will do about Price?


3 options

1. LTIR before opening day and we maximize his cap ($83.5 & $10.5m). Is the worst option as it kills our cap space on day 1, and we can't open up or accrue space.

2. Don't use LTIR at all unless we need to do it due to injury. That means he's only on IR not LTIR to start season. Doing it this way means we get the full use of his $10.5m during the season if we need it. It also allows us to accrue cap space if we don't. However, it gives us a $73m cap for rest of team if we do it this way.

3. Do what we did last year with Byron. Maximize Price's LTIR before opening day then put another player on LTIR on opening day to use as cap space. We do not accrue space doing this either, but might still be best option. We would need to trade for a short-term LTIR player. Someone like Jake Muzzin from Toronto if Toronto doesn’t want to use LTIR and instead accrue cap space.

Me:

Yes.

 

[Skip Bayless]

Caufield-Suzuki-RHP
Newhook-Dach-Anderson
Slaf-Monahan-Gallagher
Heineman-Evans-Yolonen
Hoffman,Armia

Matheson-Savard
Guhle-Barron
Xhekaj-Harris
Kovacevic

Montembeault
Allen

 

[MarkovsKnee]

Me:

Yes.

It sounds like they're going with option #2. Don't put Price on LTIR (so he's included in the $83.5m cap) before season opener, go a bit over that cap prior to opening day (no more than $3m) send RHP, Xhekaj, etc down day before opening day to get to $83.5m. On Opening Day, put Price on LTIR - voila $10.5m in cap space. Recall players that were sent down.

 

[HabzSauce]

Caufield-Suzuki-RHP
Newhook-Dach-Anderson
Slaf-Monahan-Gallagher
Heineman-Evans-Yolonen
Hoffman,Armia

Matheson-Savard
Guhle-Barron
Xhekaj-Harris
Kovacevic

Montembeault
Allen

Not a bad team at all

 

[Miller Time]

CC - Suzuki - Newhook
RHP - Dach - Anderson
Slaf - Dvo - Monahan
Armia - Evans - Gally
Ylonen, Pez, Pitlick
(Hoffman in A or traded)

Matheson - Savard
Guhle - Barron
Xhekaj - Harris
Kovacevic

Monty
Allen

 

[Scriptor]

Caufield-Suzuki-RHP
Newhook-Dach-Anderson
Slaf-Monahan-Gallagher
Heineman-Evans-Yolonen
Hoffman,Armia

Matheson-Savard
Guhle-Barron
Xhekaj-Harris
Kovacevic

Montembeault
Allen

Seriously, this is not happening:

Caufield-Suzuki-RHP

 

[Belial]

CC - Suzuki - Newhook
RHP - Dach - Anderson
Slaf - Dvo - Monahan
Armia - Evans - Gally
Ylonen, Pez, Pitlick
(Hoffman in A or traded)

Matheson - Savard
Guhle - Barron
Xhekaj - Harris
Kovacevic

Monty
Allen

That first line is too small IMO.

They should put Monahan there with the kids.

 

[Notabaguette]

Caufield Suzuki Newhook
Slafkovsky Dach Monahan
RHP Dvorak Anderson
Hoffman/Armia Evans Gallagher

It should be better then last year if we stay healthy.

 

[calder candidate]

CC Suzuki Anderson
Slaf Dach Monahan
Newhook Dvorak Gallagher
RHP Evans Armia

Matheson Baron
Ghule Savard
Xhekaj Harris
Kovacevic

 

[the]

Yeah but Toews is a 3 time cup winning captain. Monahan is a...guy.

Toews will be remembered as the Captain who didn’t stand up for his team mate and turned a blind eye to the Kyle Beach sexual assault. He’s no leader please don’t compare him to Sean Monahan.

 

[CAUFIELD]

CC-Dach-Newhook
RHP-Suzuki-Anderson
Slafkovsky-Monahan-Armia
Heineman-Evans-Gallagher
Pezzeta-Ylonen

Matheson-Savard
Ghule-Barron
Xhekaj-Harris

Montambault
Allen

LTIRvorak
Sent to minors: Pitlick, Wideman, hoffman

 

[Habs13]

Caufield - Suzuki - Monahan
Slafkovsky - Dach - Anderson
Newhook - Dvorak - Spinach
Pezzetta - Evans - Ylonen

Guhle - Matheson
Savard - Barron
Xhekaj - Harris

Montembault
Primeau

 

[Hope Of Glory]

It sounds like they're going with option #2. Don't put Price on LTIR (so he's included in the $83.5m cap) before season opener, go a bit over that cap prior to opening day (no more than $3m) send RHP, Xhekaj, etc down day before opening day to get to $83.5m. On Opening Day, put Price on LTIR - voila $10.5m in cap space. Recall players that were sent down.

Last step with the freed 6-9M$: trade for a bad contract (short term) in exchange for a compensation maybe?

 

[MarkovsKnee]

Last step with the freed 6-9M$: trade for a bad contract (short term) in exchange for a compensation maybe?

Too late to do that immediately probably. Everyone has to be cap compliant by opening day, but it's possible to do that a bit later.

Florida for instance will use LTIR for Ekblad to begin the season whether or not they'll have cap room to take him off is another question.

I don't expect Montreal to do a Monahan trade this year. Reason we were able to do that last year was because Byron was put on LTIR the day of opening day, and Price was put on pre-season LTIR.

Monahan was essentially added to fill the Price LTIR space then Byron's LTIR was used as our season cap space, but we were running out by mid-season, and put Monahan on LTIR to help out.

Price's LTIR should carry us through the season just fine, and probably help at TDL too.

 

[sbhatt]

I feel sick seeing that 6.5 million dollar boat anchor Gallagher flipping between 3rd and 4th lines, knowing that we're stuck with him as long as the cap raises remain flat. It really hurt this offseason, seeing the UFA talent that was available at a deep discount on short term deals, but knowing that the Habs were handcuffed with Gallgher/Armia/Hoffman eating up a massive chunk of cap while bringing very little.

 

[EveryDay]

Newhook-Suzuki-Ylonen
Slafkovski-Dach-Caufield
RHP-Monahan-Anderson
Hoffman-Evans-Gallagher
Armia-Pezzetta

AHL: Pitlick
IR: Dvorak

 

[Beer and Chips]

Caufield-Suzuki-RHP
Newhook-Dach-Anderson
Slaf-Monahan-Gallagher
Heineman-Evans-Yolonen
Hoffman,Armia

Matheson-Savard
Guhle-Barron
Xhekaj-Harris
Kovacevic

Montembeault
Allen

RHP and Newhook could switch but that's your top six. I like Gallagher with Slaf and Monahan at the start because he is going to be at his healthiest and you might as well take advantage of it, when he slows down someone can be promoted. The absence of Dvorak I'm not sure, if there is an injury at C, which is likely does Newhook move to 3C ?. At least one extra forward.

 

[Skip Bayless]

RHP and Newhook could switch but that's your top six. I like Gallagher with Slaf and Monahan at the start because he is going to be at his healthiest and you might as well take advantage of it, when he slows down someone can be promoted. The absence of Dvorak I'm not sure, if there is an injury at C, which is likely does Newhook move to 3C ?. At least one extra forward.

I didn't put Dvorak because it's been reported he'll most likely start the year on the IL. But yeah, once he'll comes back, he'll probably take someone's spot.

Hughes has to find a way to get rid of some deadwood in the next 3 months.

 

[Hickflyer]

RHP and Newhook could switch but that's your top six. I like Gallagher with Slaf and Monahan at the start because he is going to be at his healthiest and you might as well take advantage of it, when he slows down someone can be promoted. The absence of Dvorak I'm not sure, if there is an injury at C, which is likely does Newhook move to 3C ?. At least one extra forward.

I really like the top two lines. Hope it happends.

 

[Belial]

Newhook-Suzuki-Ylonen
Slafkovski-Dach-Caufield
RHP-Monahan-Anderson
Hoffman-Evans-Gallagher
Armia-Pezzetta

AHL: Pitlick
IR: Dvorak

What did Suzuki do to you to deserve this?

 

[TomKosto]

Lottery pick here we go!!

 

[Sherwoo9]

Roster in 3+ years. Premature but fun to try to project.

Caufield / Suzuki / Dach
Slaf / Dubois / Michkov
Roy / Beck / Anderson
* RHP, Farrell, Ylonen, Kidney, Davidson, Tuch

Guhle / Mailloux
Matheson / Xhekaj
Hutson / Engstrom

Monty, Dobes
* Got to keep searching for goalies

(Barron, Mesar, Harris, Dvorak traded for Dubois). We retain the Panthers 1st and draft a goalie or RD.

Been a hard 2 weeks for that prediction

 

[WG]

I feel sick seeing that 6.5 million dollar boat anchor Gallagher flipping between 3rd and 4th lines, knowing that we're stuck with him as long as the cap raises remain flat. It really hurt this offseason, seeing the UFA talent that was available at a deep discount on short term deals, but knowing that the Habs were handcuffed with Gallgher/Armia/Hoffman eating up a massive chunk of cap while bringing very little.

If you ever happen to run into Bergevin give him a big thumbs up for a job well done. We could have given a Bruins fan the reins for a day and they scarcely could have hamstrung the team worse than this. On the plus side, this offseason the team cleared $9M in his ill-advised contracts to Byron and Drouin so we just need a little more patience.

 

[Habs]

Pez deserves a spot on this team next year, I think we will need his forecheck a bit and size. Evans seems like he's on the way out

 

[Mister Hab]

Would love to see Dach as a CENTER (no? yes? we need at least one big/tall center for crying out loud!).


Caufield - Suzuki - Anderson
Pinard/Slaf - Dach/Monahan - Monahan/Dach
Slaf/Pinard - Newhook - Gallagher
Pezzetta/Hoffman - Evans - Armia

Dvorak (injured?)
Ylonen




Guhle - Savard
Matheson - Barron
Xhekaj - Kovacevic

Harris
Wideman
Struble (10-15 games+...?)