Pre-Game Talk: Game 1 Preseason Habs vs. Philadelphia (Monday Sept. 23 – 7PM ET) RDS

[Lafleurs Guy]

I’m sorry but Laine needs to shave that moustache. He looks 60 years old.

 

[Balthazar]

So to recap: half the people in this thread said that Barron sucked ass and was the worst player on the ice and the other half said that he was very good, kept things simple and joined the rush at the right time.

That's pretty confusing.

 

[Paddyjack]

So to recap: half the people in this thread say Baron sucked ass and was the worst player on the ice and the other half say he was very good, kept things simple and joined the rush at the right time.

That's pretty confusing.

It may be we look at different aspects of the game for one specific player. Like for me, joining the rush is not a critical aspect for a def. The way he stands in his zone and makes or breaks plays is more important

 

[Colezuki]

hope you put on some drakkar noir am I right fellas?

we need an update @Colezuki. Did you give her the ol' Rusty Laine?

Gentleman it’s still ongoing, Italian, thin and a booty what’s not to love

 

[McGees]

So to recap: half the people in this thread say Baron sucked ass and was the worst player on the ice and the other half say he was very good.

He was very good…
at sucking ass?

 

[Canadienna]

I’m sorry but Laine needs to shave that moustache. He looks 60 years old.

It's part of the aura.

So to recap: half the people in this thread say Baron sucked ass and was the worst player on the ice and the other half say he was very good, kept things simple and joined the rush at the right time.

That's pretty confusing.

Personally, I really don't see how someone can say he sucked ass, and I've been a Barron skeptic in the past. He did the less sexy things well, and though they got pressured a few times on the forecheck and had to scramble once or twice he was solid and recovered. He had a rush chance or two, no serious errors or mistakes that lead to a goal. Xhekaj too.

I guess you'll just have to watch the next game and see for yourself!

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

It's part of the aura.

It’s geriatric.

 

[the]

So to recap: half the people in this thread said that Barron sucked ass and was the worst player on the ice and the other half said that he was very good, kept things simple and joined the rush at the right time.

That's pretty confusing.

You can really tell a posters knowledge about hockey based on how they judge a defenseman.

I used to remember many posters who thought Markov wasn't good.

 

[Rapala]

Watched the third period again and the D pairing giving up the most chances was Savard Hutson.
Barron Xhekaj were remarkably clean again this period and the Dman who fumbled the puck most was Mailloux.
So I'm not sure how anyone can try to spin the Barron was Bad narrative.
Barron was good and his pairing supported the play at both ends of the rink giving up next to no scoring chances.

 

[HabsMD97]

What a cool game. Can't say anything too bad about anyone.

Xhekaj was really physical. God I'm glad he's back and healthy.

Dach's skating looked better than I expected. Was way more physical than I expected too. Some nice passes.

Newhook looks like he's continuing his upwards trend. A few of us commented how he improved his hockey IQ down the stretch and it seems he's still adding parts to his game.

Laine is super skilled. Damn.

Hutson had magical moments. His one big issue is getting beat by speed. He'll need to adapt his gap to his weaker straight away speed. He's relentless though. I really want him on PP1.

Mailloux needs to polish his game. It's still rough around the edges. He could work on his agility as well.

Roy is smart and has great puck skills, but man his skating is not where it should for a high end player. It speaks volume to his hockey IQ that he's able to produce without many of the skating skills most top 6 players have.

Looking forward to seeing how Tuch develops this year. Skating, strength, positioning are there. He'll be a good fit with all the big players on the team if he makes it.

Barron looked better than his usual tire fire self. A few bonehead mistakes but not as bad as previous years. Didn't shy from physical play, which is very important for him.

Anderson wasn't bad at all tbh.

Heineman has NHL upside but it's tough to know how high. The physical tools are there. He's a north south player with shot and physicality which I like quite a lot. He's not very smart offensively though which I think will limit him.

My coup de coeur was by far Kapanen though. Holy shit is he smart. High IQ and absolutely relentless. Beautiful punch turns as well used to great effect to create space for himself and others. If he plays more like these he needs to stay.

Easily the best training camp we've in like a decade up to now. Man I still remember the absolute disaster that was the 2021-2022 training camp. Were more at a point where management will have to make really tough decisions at every position.

It's so much more fun having many NHL caliber players. Also unlike past years, we have prospects who are exceeding expectations instead of underachieving and are NHL ready earlier that we thought they'd be. Like a year ago Kapanen was the "forgotten" prospect.

 

[BJCOLLINS]

Lots to like in preseason #1.
W is a bonus.

Different “feel” this year from last…..maybe bionic….bigger, stronger, faster.

 

[26Mats]

Thanks TT

View attachment 909126

He wasn't ready for the media, but he was really ready for that covid draft: 2021: Mailloux, Roy, Kapanen,

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

Fun game to watch, decent chemistry between some of the lines. Not worried about Laine/Newhook/Dach as they were getting chances just looked a little rustier than others which is understandable. Tenders played well.

I could see Lane giving old school coaches the fits, will be interesting to see how he progresses and if he can sort out his skating backwards/turning issue. Absolute wizard with the puck and not critical he fixes this overnight but will be nothing more than a stick waver as speedier forwards blow by him to the outside if he can't improve

 

[Kennerback]

Also not worried about Laine-Dach-Newhook. They looked fine. I wanted Laine to score but I was focusing more on the guys on the bubble.

 

[Rapala]

You can really tell a posters knowledge about hockey based on how they judge a defenseman.

I used to remember many posters who thought Markov wasn't good.

Different views on the same player is not a bad thing but making claims with no substance to back it up is just wrong.

 

[MXD]

Barron was actually very good tonight.

But Barron being good for a game was never the issue in the first place. Anyone with a basic understanding of the game knows this. The issue has mostly been consistency.

 

[yianik]

Man Poehling sucks. What a brutal draft pick that was. Dumb on the ice. Dumb off the ice. I can't believe some thought he could replace Plekanec like basically at the time of the draft.

Lol. I hated the pick , because I was so smart ? Not really. When you pick a guy in the first round whose ceiling, upside if the stars align is a good 2 way 3C , well hell. Not only was he a bunt attempt, it was bunting with a pencil.

 

[The Real Timo]

Ca sent da playoffs, sti!!!!

Josh Anderson is officially back, baby!!!!

 

[Rapala]

We have to give credit to Roy. Making a perfect pass so Anderson could score. That is the reference for a good pass, no?

He made one to Barron in the first also but it wasn't nearly as good it was in his skates he led Anderson perfectly.

 

[Rapala]

First draft with Lapointe in charge of scouts (replacing Churla).

Wait weren't we told Lapointe was a moron?
I somewhat believed it until I heard his discourse last season in that draft clip.
Funny enough the people who came off seeming the least intelligent to me weren't back this year.

 

[Rapala]

I think you can pretty much stop evaulating Hutson and pencil him in the lineup now

https://x.com/i/web/status/1838384061665984878

My favorite play all evening was when he got caught up ice and hustled back to pinch the puck like plucking grapes.
We will see how it progresses when the competition ramps up but there was a lot to like.
I've already said if we don't use him on PP 1 we don't deserve to win games.
Matheson can't touch that shit like at all. His zone entries alone are worth the price of admission.
I also liked the fact that when he did drop the puck we had TWO players supporting each other rushing the puck not one.

 

[themilosh]

I’m sorry but Laine needs to shave that moustache. He looks 60 years old.

I think he may have been born with a "minor" cleft lip? Surgeries are improving over the years, but there is always a visible scar (like Joquim Phoenix). Typically men will grow a moustache to cover it up as they get older..

 

[Rapala]

I actually never talk about Barron, but tonight for me he stood out in a bad way. But let's agree to disagree

I'm just glad we finally have something to talk about regardless of which side of the fence you are on.

 

[Pietrangelo]

2 expansion drafts in 4 or 5 years could really f*** this team out of really good players.

This is definitely something HuGo needs to keep in mind. I'm sure they're aware, but it scares me knowing that a lot of these guys wont be exempt in 4/5 years down the line. Last thing we want is to be put in a pinch for what to do with some of the young studs.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

You can really tell a posters knowledge about hockey based on how they judge a defenseman.

I used to remember many posters who thought Markov wasn't good.

This is very true.

The same applied for Danault when he was here, the people who constantly sh*t on him just outed themselves as having zero hockey IQ.