Habs are the worst defensive team in the league

[Oneiro]

5-6 more years and they'll be in the mix. They need 2-3 more blue chip guys then add the glue depth.

As long as fans realize that (most won't), this will be fun to watch.

 

[Joe n]

and he's tied with Matthews and Mitch " I'm like a God" Marner.

Players on the team that has only given up 7 goals in 4 games and and 4 at 5 v 5?

 

[Jeune Poulet]

There has to be an acceptance from the team and fans that a better roster also means adding veterans and not just dropping all of your prospects into the NHL. That may very well mean replacing Savard with another veteran if they don't see the progression they hoped with most of their young blueline vs just add Mailloux/Reinbacher in Savard's spot. Might mean moving off any or all of X/Struble/Barron if they don't show enough this season and letting those 2 kids take their spots.

I don't really disagree with what you said. They do seem to target young-ish established players (guys in their mid 20s) and reclamation projects, though. And Hughes seems more obsessed with winning individual hockey trades than improving the team by giving it purpose and direction.

Laine was the move at forward. In a vacuum, the price to acquire him is great and I am behind this move. But it's still adding an injury prone, mentally fragile player to a young team that's had major issues with players missing significant chunks of time.

I completely agree with you as far as the defence is concerned. We wouldn't be in this mess if Hughes hadn't played it cute. Instead of drafting Slafkovsky's BBF and that depressing-looking mosquito Newhook, we could have shopped these assets (one first round pick and two 2nd round picks), for actual help on the right side. Even adding a LHD in the trade.

Instead, Hughes squandered those assets and tried to improve RHD by ignoring Michkov and drafting a guy who is a long term project to fix a short term problem.

 

[Breakers]

Suzuki is getting manhandled at 5v5

 

[Sasha Orlov]

Suzuki is getting manhandled at 5v5

That line has been bad

 

[PaulD]

Players on the team that has only given up 7 goals in 4 games and and 4 at 5 v 5?

leaders are so sensitive

Players on the team that has only given up 7 goals in 4 games and and 4 at 5 v 5?

Players on the team that has only given up 7 goals in 4 games and and 4 at 5 v 5?

against who ? Have they played a team that made the plsy offs last year yet? ha!

 

[Breakers]

That line has been bad

it's pretty evident.
You can live with crazy scoring chances against if you're creating your own to even it out.

but he is being out chanced (Just suzuki) at greater than a 3-1 margin in HD scoring chances which is absurd

 

[HockeyVirus]

Suzuki is getting manhandled at 5v5

He's a #2C who is good all around but not elite with non elite linemates and not much behind him. Kind of like asking Kadri to be your #1C or whatever. He can do it for stretches but he is not good enough to be the guy, but quite valuable down your lineup

 

[bossram]

MSL brought some optimism to the Habs, but they probably should have thought more carefully about hiring a guy who only coached PeeWee.

They're not going anywhere and aren't going to take the next step with MSL.

 

[John Mandalorian]

Deleted.

 

[FerrisRox]

He's a #2C who is good all around but not elite with non elite linemates and not much behind him. Kind of like asking Kadri to be your #1C or whatever. He can do it for stretches but he is not good enough to be the guy, but quite valuable down your lineup

Only 13 centres in the entire league had more points than Nick Suzuki last year, but you says he's a #2 centre.

How does that work?

How you determine who is and isn't a first line centre, because it appears production has nothing to do with it, so I'd love to know what criteria you are using.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

leaders are so sensitive



against who ? Have they played a team that made the plsy offs last year yet? ha!

The Devils are a good team this year.

 

[SoundwaveIsCharisma]

Part of me really wants to see Georgiev behind that team, we could see some records eclipsed

 

[kerrabria]

Mike Matheson is their 1D.
I like their long term outlook at forward enough, but they really need one guy in their pipeline to develop into a guy who can lead a top pair defensively.

 

[Ezpz]

Mike Matheson is their 1D.
I like their long term outlook at forward enough, but they really need one of Reinbacher or Mailloux to develop into a guy who can lead a top pair defensively.

Mailloux is the most offensive only oriented d we have. Guhle is the defensive beast but it's hard to play d with four youngsters when Matheson sucks defensively and Savard looks absolutely brutal this year.

 

[PaulD]

The Devils are a good team this year.

Best non play off team in the east.

 

[Suntouchable13]

MSL brought some optimism to the Habs, but they probably should have thought more carefully about hiring a guy who only coached PeeWee.

They're not going anywhere and aren't going to take the next step with MSL.

Options are really limited because of the French speaker requirement. Hey, I understand why the requirement is there but it is a real handicap.

 

[kerrabria]

Mailloux is the most offensive only oriented d we have. Guhle is the defensive beast but it's hard to play d with four youngsters when Matheson sucks defensively and Savard looks absolutely brutal this year.

Funny I literally just edited my post bc I thought back to how on 2012 draft night, the Penguins took Pouliot 8th OA, Maatta 22nd OA, and acquired Brian Doumolin in a trade. When they won the cup, Dumo was on the top pair, Maatta on the bottom, and Pouliot was a bust.

TL;DR I remembered that it won’t just be the first round picks

 

[HockeyVirus]

Only 13 centres in the entire league had more points than Nick Suzuki last year, but you says he's a #2 centre.

How does that work?

How you determine who is and isn't a first line centre, because it appears production has nothing to do with it, so I'd love to know what criteria you are using.

We see players put up points on bad teams all the time, especially ones that don't ask their players to be accountable defensively. Suzuki wasn't great defensively last year, and it seems the lesson he took was to push more in that direction to try and score more.

 

[StreetHawk]

Mailloux is the most offensive only oriented d we have. Guhle is the defensive beast but it's hard to play d with four youngsters when Matheson sucks defensively and Savard looks absolutely brutal this year.

Savard has also missed 20 games a season for the 3 he's been with Montreal.
To develop young D, you need a solid partner for them, otherwise, it's kids playing with other kids.

So, clearly a mistake on the Habs GM for not having a solid enough veteran Prescence to help the kids develop. Being another year old with 70 more games to their name won't do the Habs young D much if they are not getting better from game 1 to game 82 this season. Not with more young D being inserted onto the roster next season.

Looking back, too many roster moves to try to upgrade up front, with Newhook/Laine and all of that Zegras talk, and clearly overlooking what they needed on the backend to develop that group.

 

[frontsfan67]

But Hutson is the next Makar...this doesn't make sense...

Hahaha exactly. Makar always plays defence

 

[PaulD]

Options are really limited because of the French speaker requirement. Hey, I understand why the requirement is there but it is a real handicap.

Yup.
Therrien two stints ! That's a joke

 

[bossram]

Options are really limited because of the French speaker requirement. Hey, I understand why the requirement is there but it is a real handicap.

Why is it a requirement? That they have a requirement is dumb.

Get the coach a translator.

 

[Romang67]

Why is it a requirement? That they have a requirement is dumb.

Get the coach a translator.

Thanks for that setup. I'm taking the rest of the weekend off.

 

[Sasha Orlov]

Options are really limited because of the French speaker requirement. Hey, I understand why the requirement is there but it is a real handicap.

See I don’t understand why the requirement is there. It’s stupid and objectively bad for competitiveness.