Post-Game Talk: Habs lose 2 of 2 in Alberta

[ChesterNimitz]

Wouldn't mind seeing them give Slafkovsky an opportunity to lead the 2nd line while Laine is out. Heineman can play Slaf's role. Might be a good short-term adjustment.

I'd also call up Mallioux and Roy. Waive Pezz if necessary.

Caufield-Suzuki-Heineman
Slafkovsky-Beck-Roy/Newhook
Roy/Newhook-Evans-Armia
Gallagher-Dvorak-Anderson

Matheson-Carrier
Hutson-Mallioux
Xhekaj-Savard

Call up Mailloux and he will be exposed and will lose what ever remaining market value this player has. Regrettably, Mailloux, of today, has provided no indication that he can be an effective, everyday, NHL level defenceman. Not even close.

With that proposed defensive corps comprised of three players ( Savard, Xhekaj, Mailloux) who possess limited mobility, the Canadiens would be spending most of the game pinned in their zone in distress mode. We need more mobility, not less.

That projected defence would be the ultimate wet dream for the many unending tankers here.

 

[viceroy]

Feel like we shoulda won, Wolf was brilliant.

We had like 7 shots on target by midway in the game.

We need more than just offensive help, which is why he stood pat.

So since we need a lot of work, let's not start?

What about the fact that Wolf simply outplayed adobes?

Wolf was very good but the Habs were also not very good.

Newhook suck my god. Hughes took major L with Dach and Newhook. He needs to get better on hockey trade.

Hughes ain't trading Newhook or Struble for that matter. They were some of his clients back when he was still an agent. A Dubas Soo-type situation.

Beck belongs in Laval, he’s not remotely close to be an NHLr - not the worst of our problems but as easy one to fix.

Beck didn't look too bad.

Two bas trades by Hughes, let’s hope for better this summer.

He needs to realize he's not more clever than everyone else sometimes. There's a reason people stayed away from Dach and Newhook.

Dach and Laine need to go

So we shouldn't have a 2nd line at all? Let's just roll with 9 forwards and 9 d-men. LOL

The fact that the GM didn't get any help ... It looks like a veiled message to his captain.

Suzuki whinged on in public about not wanting any trades... Kent gave him what he wanted. If the Habs flame out I'm guessing Nick will keep his trap shut next season.

I really hope they put Demidov with Suzuki...

So move Caufield to the 2nd line? You need someone to do the heavy lifting on the 1st, Slafkovsky.

Gallagher will struggle to keep a roster spot next year...

Gallagher isn't why we lost.

Yes, a lefty center would be perfect in my humble opinion.

Demidov shoots left right?

Instead they may lose among family and friends. Stanley cups in a multi-billion dollar NHL are won by professionals first, friends second and definitely not families.

Case in point, Vegas.

Are you really that desperate to watch this team get swept by Florida?

I just don't see the value in 4 or even 6 extra games at the end of the season...

A taste of the playoffs is a great bit of seasoning for the kids. Slafkovsky, Heineman, Hutson, Guhle and Xhekaj could all get to learn what the next part of their development should be.

I'd also call up Mallioux and Roy.

Beck and Roy know one another from Laval...

Nope, not that guy. He was a huge disappointment and deserves to cool his heels in the A for a whole season. I'd rather bring in Florian for a taste for all his hard work. He'd also gain an inkling on what it takes to play in the big show.

where's struble?

I guess as a #7. I don't know why that kid gets the Rolls Royce treatment. Gets that NHL money... Who am I kidding, I know why. Criminy, Struble used to live with Kent's family as a kid.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Yep, so predictable.

The fact that the GM didn't get any help ... It looks like a veiled message to his captain.

Hughes split the difference here between buyer and seller. I think he’d have preferred to be a seller but given his captain’s desire for competing he refrained. Essentially Savard, Armia etc… are rentals for us.

 

[Benstheman]

Mailloux will be traded this summer and Reinbacher makes the team next October.

We just need to replace Matheson with a RHD with mobility who provides more defensive stability.

Did you guys watched the game?? I couldn't. How was R.Andersson defensively?

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

I can't believe we didn't sell honnestly

 

[Miller Time]

Wolf was very good but the Habs were also not very good.

It was a good road game by the group as a whole.

Hughes ain't trading Newhook or Struble for that matter. They were some of his clients back when he was still an agent. A Dubas Soo-type situation.

Nonsense take.
Did you even watch the game?
Newhook and Strubble were two of our better players last night.

He needs to realize he's not more clever than everyone else sometimes. There's a reason people stayed away from Dach and Newhook.

More nonsense. Both were drafted high. Avs has nothing but positives to say about Newhook.
No one "stayed away" from either player.

Suzuki whinged on in public about not wanting any trades... Kent gave him what he wanted. If the Habs flame out I'm guessing Nick will keep his trap shut next season.

More nonsense. This post is full of whining. Suzuki is competitive. Don't conflate the two lol

So move Caufield to the 2nd line? You need someone to do the heavy lifting on the 1st, Slafkovsky.

Gallagher isn't why we lost.

No one said that.

But your complaints seem to ignore the simple reality that the roster KH & MSL are working with is still bloated with terrible value vets signed to bad contracts by the previous regime.

Gally, Anderson & Dvorak all played about as well as we can expect from them last night... And far far below the 17M in cap they take up.

A big part of the reason our roster lacks a 2nd line is that were still stuck with those bargainbin hangovers.

Habs likely win the game with a 1/2 decent 2nd line, or even 1-2 players able to create the same kind of offensive pressure the first line did. 17M$ goes along way to solving that problem

Nope, not that guy. He was a huge disappointment and deserves to cool his heels in the A for a whole season. I'd rather bring in Florian for a taste for all his hard work. He'd also gain an inkling on what it takes to play in the big show.

Anything more than a 1-2 game call up would be brutal for both Florian and the Habs at this point.

I guess as a #7. I don't know why that kid gets the Rolls Royce treatment. Gets that NHL money... Who am I kidding, I know why. Criminy, Struble used to live with Kent's family as a kid.

More nonsense.

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

I can't believe we didn't sell honnestly

It was guaranteed once Evans signed.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

It was guaranteed once Evans signed.

Power of friendship with no second line nice

 

[ChesterNimitz]

Very well said as always Chester. With regards to Beck, I see things a little differently. Yes he has shown moments where he does look like he belongs. I've also seen moments where he seems a little unsure of himself. Nothing major, and nothing that can't be worked on. With the coaching staff on average giving him 10 mins per game. I'd much rather see him in Laval playing 1st line plus PP mins.

I 100% though. The future does look very promising for Beck. At first I saw him as 3rd line center at best. He's shown me in his brief time with the Habs, that he could be more than that.

I have followed Beck’s progression closely since we drafted him. I have always thought that his characterization as a bottom 6, defensive orientated forward, was off the mark. This kid can skate, he sees the ice well, he has excellent hand skills and possesses a very underrated shot particularly off the rush.

You are starting to see Beck's top level skills slowly emerge each and every game. The one play that really caught my eye last night was a rush Beck made with the puck where he looked like he was shot out of canon. I remember asking myself: who the heck was that? On watching a replay of the game (I do that sort of thing) I saw that it was Beck and quickly realized that Beck has now arrived. After a somewhat tentative start, Beck now realizes that he can skate with (and even outskate) NHL players. That increased growing confidence has gone right to Beck's feet. That confidence was recognized by the coaching staff who allowed Beck to play a regular shift in the third period, and more significantly, including playing with less than 5 minutes remaining when Montreal desperately needed offence. That confidence in Beck shows that Montreal's coaching staff agrees with this writer: Beck has arrived.

He will only get better. Much better.

 

[Habssince89]

Call up Mailloux and he will be exposed and will lose what ever remaining market value this player has. Regrettably, Mailloux, of today, has provided no indication that he can be an effective, everyday, NHL level defenceman. Not even close.

With that proposed defensive corps comprised of three players ( Savard, Xhekaj, Mailloux) who possess limited mobility, the Canadiens would be spending most of the game pinned in their zone in distress mode. We need more mobility, not less.

That projected defence would be the ultimate wet dream for the many unending tankers here.

Your point is well taken but I thought Mailloux could skate. I know his defence is suspect but he is mobile, no?

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Problem is if Dach doesnt bring top 6 offense, he doesn't bring much of anything else.

I just don’t get get how people can write this kind of thing. He’s physical, goes to the net… losing him absolutely sucks for us.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Just by Dach being a 2C still?

What if we get better at other positions? Like defense?

Dach was exactly what we needed. But he hasn’t been able to stay healthy. He’s done. Anything he gives us is a bonus.

We cannot go into next season without a solution at 2nd line. Hage isn’t ready so that means UFA or trade. We can’t rely on one line and we have young talented players developing. It’s a necessity to bring someone in.

Whatever Dach gives us is a bonus. I’m not counting on him for anything. He’s just trying to salvage his career at this point.

 

[Natey]

Matheson-Carrier

Hutson-Mallioux

Xhekaj-Savard

I'm still so mad at letting Kovacevic go for nothing. Could have probably locked him up long term for $2M last year. Would have been sorted a solid #4/#5 for years. And been an absolute bargain in a year or two.

At least we changed Barron into Carrier. Because Barron for Lehkonen was also a trash trade.

 

[Whitesnake]

Who was traded for a fair price, that could’ve helped the Habs, that you would’ve acquired?

Okay so none of the moves I'll mention would have made the Habs a top team for the Cup. None. Was never my point. So bear that in mind. Everything I will mention would still have helped the Habs to a certain degree. Note that we have playing Slaf and Armia on the PP. And Gallagher. Note that we are playing Pezzetta 4 minutes a game. Note that we are playing Beck on C. So with that being said...

Zetterlund. Jankowski. Glass. Aubé-Kubel. Kunin. Veleno. Beauvillier. Brazeau. Sturm.

All those names are OBVIOUSLY better than Pezz. Zetterlund could have even be able to replace Slaf on PP. Geez, you might even have Beauvillier on PP2. All those names would have make Beck go back to Laval. All those names would be serviceable enough to be there in case of injuries, most of them CLEARY being able to play more than 10 minutes each reducing the minutes you have to ask Suzuki and Cie to do.

And that's disregarding every other option we could have made with a deal of our own.

He missed the boat if he wanted to HELP his team. He didn't miss it if he wanted to show his group that we CLEARLY need more help than the group in place.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Yes, a lefty center would be perfect in my humble opinion.

Sam Bennett.

 

[Sasha Orlov]

So we shouldn't have a 2nd line at all? Let's just roll with 9 forwards and 9 d-men. LOL

Yeah that’s right, we’ll get rid of them and not replace them

What a stupid post

 

[ChesterNimitz]

Your point is well taken but I thought Mailloux could skate. I know his defence is suspect but he is mobile, no?

Mailloux lacks initial first step quickness and is unable to generate the acceleration that allows him to successfully evade forecheckers. And that's at the AHL level. He would, as he showed in his brief call up with Canadiens, be a disaster at the NHL level.

Mailloux has many skills: he has excellent offensive vision and play making ability. He is easily the most accomplished passer among of the Canadiens' defencemen (including Hutson) in the organization. While he has a good shot, over the years I found that Mailloux's shot is somewhat overrated.

He's got size, reach and a good compete level. But he lacks the required quickness to play defence effectively at the NHL level. I had hoped that as he filled out and made up for the those key development years he missed due to suspension, COVID and injury, he would be able to gain that missing step of acceleration. Now, 22 years old, I think that such a hope is unrealistic.

I have said it for two years now: Mailloux's future success at the NHL level is as a forward. If you have the ability to watch a tape of the recent AHL All- Star Game, where Both Mailloux and Beck played, you were able to see Mailloux's potential as a forward. Mailloux has to be given the puck in full-flight to unlock his full potential. He simply can't generate the necessary speed from the standstill. The kid has great potential. Just not as a defenceman. And certainly not at the NHL level. And if Hughes and Co. can't see that, they are, as I have previously noted: blind.

 

[Rapala]

I can't believe people expect a 20 year old raw rookie to come in and strap a nonexistent 2nd line on to his back. Did he make a mistake yes he did. Did it cost our team no it didn't. Got sat for a shift or two and then came back as one of our best forwards and one of the very few able to generate chances in this playoff type game. Where the hell are the veterans like Newhook and Armia not to mention Dvorak who was horrid with his three and probably more giveaways. Personally I think Beck has been the best player on his line two games running and maybe just maybe that is where the problems reside. I'm not a fan of some of our strategic deployments Armia was useless on the PP. Also while using Hutson and Carrier paired with Suzuki's line it is imperative that someone gains net front and screens properly. Does Slaf get reminded of this every opportunity we get because he should. That is his job on that line and none elses.

 

[Team_Spirit]

This team needs Condotta.

 

[Rapala]

This team needs Condotta.

As a replacement for Dvorak???
Do you not recall how Condotta looked when he was called up earlier.
He was no better than Beck defensively and nowhere near as dynamic as Beck offensively.
This team needs better healthier top 6 forwards end of story.

 

[TomKosto]

Mailloux will be traded this summer and Reinbacher makes the team next October.

We just need to replace Matheson with a RHD with mobility who provides more defensive stability.

Did you guys watched the game?? I couldn't. How was R.Andersson defensively?

I don't think we need to trade Mailloux unless the return is good which I doubt..

 

[sampollock]

Thanks Nick
love the player, but to ask KH not to sell was dumb
and dumber was KH to listen

 

[Sasha Orlov]

Thanks Nick
love the player, but to ask KH not to sell was dumb
and dumber was KH to listen

Real

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Thanks Nick
love the player, but to ask KH not to sell was dumb
and dumber was KH to listen

Nah. I don't blame Hughes. The team actually does have a shot at a playoff spot. Your captain has come to you saying he wants help. Hughes split the difference and kept things as is. I don't have a problem with that.

 

[vokiel]

This team needs Condotta.

They need fanatics sacrificing their first unborn child for a successful playoff race, that's what they need!