Speculation: Habs finish 28th and bottom 5 in 24-25 season

[Goal Caufield50]

After a good draft and FA period I see a bottom five finish. Utah is better. Upgrades there. Columbus is better. Detroit, Buffalo and Ottawa goaltender upgrade are better. It is your organic growth vrs others organic growth and upgrades. We add a Kirby Dach. I can not see a bubble playoff year. New Jersey has goaltending . Washington upgraded. Hughes needs to add in the summer and use cap space to avoid a 4th year of bottom 5 finishes.

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[Kosseca]

dude... summer aint over yet. much can happen still.

 

[26Mats]

After a good draft and FA period I see a bottom five finish. Utah is better. Upgrades there. Columbus is better. Detroit, Buffalo and Ottawa goaltender upgrade are better. It is your organic growth vrs others organic growth and upgrades. We add a Kirby Dach. I can not see a bubble playoff year. New Jersey has goaltending . Washington upgraded. Hughes needs to add in the summer and use cap space to avoid a 4th year of bottom 5 finishes.

I'd be happy with a bottom 5 finish if it means we can add another Demidov/Reinbacher level prospect to the potential future core.

But I think we will be better. I'm not sure who will be worse. There are always teams that suck. But we will be better if we are healthy by all the kids being a year older and a year more experienced. And Dach is a big part of the team.

 

[Captain Mountain]

It would not be surprising, there's a reason Montreal's Cup odds are 5th worst.

I think they will be improved with continued development, but I still expect a bottom 10 finish, and likely closer to 5 than 10.

Offseason isn't over yet, even though I expect management to err on long term over short.

 

[WeThreeKings]

I think Buffalo and New Jersey will push out the Islanders and Capitals. We will finish ahead of Columbus, Philadelphia, Detroit, Ottawa and Washington.

Pittsburgh and Islanders will finish ahead of us but miss the playoffs.

 

[junyab]

I have us in the bottom 7 with Chicago, Anaheim, San Jose, Calgary, Columbus and Philly.

 

[Goal Caufield50]

dude... summer aint over yet. much can happen still.

Everything matters. Time is precious. Blink and summer is over. The team is bad for three years. In strategy, you have to be better than the competition and better than the market. The market has outpaced them and so is the competition.

 

[Habs]

they will be bottom 3 which is awesome, next draft is going to be sweet.

 

[Leon Lucius Black]

I think the major reason I don't see us finishing bottom five would be due to special teams. We weren't bad at even strength last year, but our PP continued to suck ass and our PK was dreadful the first 4-5 months of last year and near dead last.

The PK greatly improved near the end of the year and was top 6 in last 1/4 of the season so it seems like they figured things out there, then there is also potential for the PP to improve when adding guys like Dach, Hutson and a new PP coach.

 

[Goal Caufield50]

I have us in the bottom 7 with Chicago, Anaheim, San Jose, Calgary, Columbus and Philly.

I agree. Philly and Columbus will be ahead of us

 

[Andy]

Maybe. For me, the wild card is the defense. A strong d-core can prop up a weak forward group.

They don't all have to hit their potential, but any combo of Guhle, Hutson, Reinbacher, Struble, Barron, Harris, Xhekaj taking the next step in their development could change a lot for the club.

 

[Goal Caufield50]

they will be bottom 3 which is awesome, next draft is going to be sweet.

and 82 pain full games

 

[squashmaple]

Jackets fan dropping in. We’re having the exact same conversation right now over on our board, so seeing this thread made me laugh. With no obviously tanking teams and everyone marginally better keeping pace with improvements, I don’t know how anyone predicts either of our teams finishes better than bottom five again next season. Sure, you can make the argument about injuries and young players taking steps, but you can make that argument ahout literally every team in the bottom ten. I wouldn’t be surprised if Columbus finished 32nd next year, with Montreal 28th again. Who’s clearly worse? Even San Jose improved a bunch.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

I have no problem being bottom 5 again , in fact I would love it

 

[BLONG7]

Too early to have this thread.....................Wait until October.
All things considered, changes are still to be made................I have us in the 21st spot.....picking 11 or 12 next draft.

 

[Goal Caufield50]

Jackets fan dropping in. We’re having the exact same conversation right now over on our board, so seeing this thread made me laugh. With no obviously tanking teams and everyone marginally better keeping pace with improvements, I don’t know how anyone predicts either of our teams finishes better than bottom five again next season. Sure, you can make the argument about injuries and young players taking steps, but you can make that argument ahout literally every team in the bottom ten. I wouldn’t be surprised if Columbus finished 32nd next year, with Montreal 28th again. Who’s clearly worse? Even San Jose improved a bunch.

on paper many teams improved. Every team has injuries. Montreal has not improved. They will have Dach back and organic growth opportunity. Bottom 5 team

 

[Jaynki]

Some teams have to sign player to stay relevant because their core is aging and declining.

I think TB and Bos did good job rejuvenating themselves. Toronto short term its good but after next year is a mystery.

Many of our growth will come from within and we can only speculate as to how good we will be.

Dach, Slafkovsky, Caufield, Hutson, Reinbacher and/or Mailloux all holds the key to next season.

If Mailloux is a top 4D and Hutson and Dach are as good as they ve shown in two f***ing game, we are absolutely not finishing bottom 5.

Honestly, we aren't that far from teams like the Islanders, Washington and these are teams that made the playoff. I would even argue we are on the verge of surpassing them. Even Carolina.

Washington is all of new faces but what they did is f***ing mid. They acquired mid talent/other teams garbage with a bit of upside but there is no upper tier talent anymore in this team, yet some would argue they dodged an inevitable rebuild. IMO, they only prolonged their midness for another mid term.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

and 82 pain full games

I've had more fun watching this rebuilding team than any rendition of Paciorrety/DD era we had lmao no offence, but the *good old days* where we made the playoffs or fought for them , we were icing a bottom 10 lineup in the league with a bottom 3 on ice entertainment product with Minnesota and Arizona.

Watching Slaf and Suzuki every game is quite exciting

 

[MarkovsKnee]

Jackets fan dropping in. We’re having the exact same conversation right now over on our board, so seeing this thread made me laugh. With no obviously tanking teams and everyone marginally better keeping pace with improvements, I don’t know how anyone predicts either of our teams finishes better than bottom five again next season. Sure, you can make the argument about injuries and young players taking steps, but you can make that argument ahout literally every team in the bottom ten. I wouldn’t be surprised if Columbus finished 32nd next year, with Montreal 28th again. Who’s clearly worse? Even San Jose improved a bunch.

Yeah, but San Jose was so bad last year that improving a bunch still leaves them bottom 3.

Calgary is definitely tanking, but they seem to be the only ones - so far. It's an excellent draft year, so as soon as teams start to falter, we'll see teams start to tank.

Metro is a tough read. Carolina didn't get better, but should still be good. New Jersey got a lot better as did Washington. NYI's stayed the same. Ditto Pittsburgh, really.

Monahan is a good signing for you guys, but your D & goaltending was so bad last year. I think Philadelphia sucks next year. Zero goaltending, D is below average & no quality centers.

Philadelphia is a bottom 5 team next season, along with San Jose and probably Calgary.

 

[Captain Mountain]

Jackets fan dropping in. We’re having the exact same conversation right now over on our board, so seeing this thread made me laugh. With no obviously tanking teams and everyone marginally better keeping pace with improvements, I don’t know how anyone predicts either of our teams finishes better than bottom five again next season. Sure, you can make the argument about injuries and young players taking steps, but you can make that argument ahout literally every team in the bottom ten. I wouldn’t be surprised if Columbus finished 32nd next year, with Montreal 28th again. Who’s clearly worse? Even San Jose improved a bunch.

Just stop drafting ahead of Montreal and taking centers, lol. Habs wanted Demidov this year, but I think you guys are set at C and it would be nice for Montreal to add some insurance in case Dach, Newhook, Beck and Hage don't establish themselves at C.

 

[CHarlie]

Another top 5 draft pick!!!!! Bring it on.....and Calgarys 11th overall pick....hell yeah.

 

[squashmaple]

Yeah, but San Jose was so bad last year that improving a bunch still leaves them bottom 3.

Calgary is definitely tanking, but they seem to be the only ones - so far. It's an excellent draft year, so as soon as teams start to falter, we'll see teams start to tank.

Metro is a tough read. Carolina didn't get better, but should still be good. New Jersey got a lot better as did Washington. NYI's stayed the same. Ditto Pittsburgh, really.

Monahan is a good signing for you guys, but your D & goaltending was so bad last year. I think Philadelphia sucks next year. Zero goaltending, D is below average & no quality centers.

Philadelphia is a bottom 5 team next season, along with San Jose and probably Calgary.

I’ve been a Jackets fan long enough that I just expect the worst and am occasionally pleasantly surprised. But the two major areas that needed to be improved (defense, goalie) were not and are arguably even worse now. New coach adjustment, too. Torts and Michkov will drag Philly up the standings on their own. Pittsburgh still has at least another year in them (25-26 is when they falter so they can get McKenna to keep the Stark in Winterfell generational player in the Steel City). Washington and the Islanders did enough to stay mid. Jersey’ll probably win the division now that they have health and a goalie, Rangers an empty calorie second, Carolina third because of Brind’Amour. Both wild cards from the Atlantic. Which is an actual bloodbath. All the top teams faded a bit but I think that leaves six teams who are legit playoff contenders, and even Ottawa slightly on the outside of that is better. Montreal and Columbus might both have 10-15 more points next year and still each finish eighth in their divisions.

Agree on Calgary, though. Didn’t think of them earlier. San Jose and Calgary will probably be the bottom two.

 

[Goal Caufield50]

I've had more fun watching this rebuilding team than any rendition of Paciorrety/DD era we had lmao no offence, but the *good old days* where we made the playoffs or fought for them , we were icing a bottom 10 lineup in the league with a bottom 3 on ice entertainment product with Minnesota and Arizona.

Watching Slaf and Suzuki every game is quite exciting

I look at Dach replicating the pace of Monahan who had a 26 goal 60 point season. Montreal has no upgrades; only the prospect of organic growth. Three teams who tried not to win in San Jose, Chicago and Anaheim. Only Columbus has a lesser season than Montreal . They need to add a couple of forwards in top 9 to improve.

 

[HabsWhiteKnightLOL]

Bottom 8 with average injuries
Bottom 5 if Suzuki ended up injured or even Bottom 3 depending for how long.


(from today's roster)

 

[jaffy27]

I have no problem being bottom 5 again , in fact I would love it

Same, as long as Suzuki, Caufield, Slaf and Monty are all out on LTIR