Post-Game Talk: Habs lose to Toronto

[Runner77]

And has been a glass body. Can't be adding 5 mil more dead cap if he gets hurt. Already got Anderson for years and Dvorak and Armia for this year.


They have Suzuki, Hage, Beck, Kapanen and Evans. Another scoring line centre would solidify things though.

Hage is not NHL-tested and Beck projects more as a bottom 6, as does Kapanen. Evans is perfect as a 4th liner but the whole point of my post was about top 6 Cs.

On a winning team, Suzuki is a 2nd line C. Habs need a greater focus on adding Cs, with one of them good enough to relegate Suzuki to the 2nd line.

 

[Chili]

If anyone is interested in average ages of teams, I post a list on December 1st each year on a thread I have kept in the Numbers forum. Also will have average height & weight and looks at country of origin of the players who have played in the league to that date. So I plan to prepare that at the end of this month.

I did run average age of the opening rosters this season, the youngest teams were:

Buf 24.9
Mtl 25.4
Phil 26.2
Uta 26.6
Ana 26.75
Bos 26.8

Oldest:

Edm 29.8
Pit 29.3
Nas 29.1
NYI 28.8
Tor 28.8
TB 28.7
Was 28.7
Det 28.6

League Avg 27.7

 

[Runner77]

Yeah but we were able to win or tie a handful of games leading up to that draft.
Inexperienced tankers compared to the experts.

Culture did us in cause without it, we were going to end up like the Sabres, apparently.

Very important to impart culture on a group leading up to the 2023 draft, where over half of them were not in the plans for when the team will be in contention.

 

[GlassesJacketShirt]

Culture did us in cause without it, we were going to end up like the Sabres, apparently.

Very important to impart culture on a group leading up to the 2023 draft, where over half of them were not in the plans for when the team will be in contention.

That culture was in full swing today as we saw from the likes of Nick and Cole. Fought to the ver y end.

 

[Habby4Life]

That culture was in full swing today as we saw from the likes of Nick and Cole. Fought to the ver y end.

i know people are on NS but he can’t carry 15 slugs night after night every year. Team is absolute trash around him.

This mess is a 100% Hugo.

 

[The Real Timo]

i know people are on NS but he can’t carry 15 slugs night after night every year. Team is absolute trash around him.

This mess is a 100% Hugo.

Yeah, he is getting off pretty much blame free and he should be getting the brunt of it. He is the one that hired a peewee coach. The one that doesn't have anyone with experience for him. The one that traded any decent vet we had on the team and replaced them with nothing. MEdia is giving him a pass - it's shameful.

 

[Trabdy2]

Hard to watch the games when they play like this. I wonder how many more Ls we need before any change.

 

[HuGort]

I'm just glad I don't pay to watch this team

 

[CanadienShark]

I watched maybe 10 min of the game. It's just not enjoyable hockey. I can find the game enjoyable even if we lose, but this isn't it.

 

[Pazucha]

Besides his -1 and 1 shot, he's got zeros across the board. I didn't even realize he was playing until he was with Suzuki.

He played only 12 mins only Condotta and Heinemen played less. MSL benched him for few shifts after the leafs scored the shorthanded goal.

 

[Runner77]

That culture was in full swing today as we saw from the likes of Nick and Cole. Fought to the ver y end.

That invaluable culture cost us a shot at one of the top 4 centers from the 2023 draft.

How is it paying off today?

 

[Runner77]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1855446304618401973

The kid in the back is trying harder to dig out his booger than Caufield is, on a back check.

 

[MadMslm]

Maybe they should call Connor Hughes and put him in the net.

It won’t fix everything, and we might end up with end up with the same result, but it’s worth a try. Team confidence is at an all time low, and compared to last year when they lost they aren’t as competitive in those losses.

He’s been having good performances, and maybe he does a few saves that end up in some wins.

 

[Runner77]

HuGo taking urgent remedial measures by bringing in Officer GigaChad, to mete out all the punishment that Marty is loathe to do.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1855360257330966721

One degree removed from Dale Weise, a descendant of the Habsburg dynasty:

https://x.com/i/web/status/1855438453405577671

 

[Kimota]

The center line is just way too weak. Last year we had Monahan till the TDL and we were in the games most nights. This year they gambled Dach would do the job as the 2nd line center and he obviously cant, he is struggling big time, even on the wing.

A center line made of Suzuki, Evans, Dvorak and Condotta just cant succeed, they all are in the wrong chair, Suzuki is a 2nd line center on a good team, Evans is a fourth line center lacking size, Dvorak is an AHLer, so is Condotta. People just cant expect better results unless Dach comes out of nowhere and turn the switch on, what I dont think will happen at this point.

This team needs another high pick anyway, preferably a top 2 or top 3 in the next draft, Im resigned to the fact we are still in the middle of the process and that next year might be tough as well, even with Demidov on the team... 2026-2027 season is where I expect this young team to reach the next level.

Hughes completely misjudged this line-up and how losing some of the players would affect the team. Trading Kovacevic was another mistake. And I knew it at the time too.

 

[Tyson]

Hughes completely misjudged this line-up and how losing some of the players would affect the team. Trading Kovacevic was another mistake. And I knew it at the time too.

The perfect 7th D who has become an integral player on the Devils D...not a smart decision to give him away.

 

[Runner77]

This shit's becoming borderline unwatchable.

The show must go on.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1855428351646654888

 

[Kimota]

The perfect 7th D who has become an integral player on the Devils D...not a smart decision to give him away.

I remember when we went to the cup, we had a bunch of big tough Ds which while none of them were necesseraly killers(except Chiarot), putting them all together, made us hard to play against. You can never have less big, tough physical Ds or less big guys that can play hockey in your line-up. You lose one....then you lose another...and then you turn around and realise that there's just one guy(Jack) and he's not playing all the time. And then the other teams are doing what the Hell they want in our zone.

 

[SOLR]

This just might be the softest Habs team I've ever watched. Xhekaj in his first season was hitting everything and now he looks nothing like that player anymore.

Suzuki the past 2 or 3 games looks uninterested and like he doesn't give a flying f*** out there at all. Add to that Caufield, Slaf and Dach look awful too and if these guys aren't doing much offensively this team will not win games. Where the hell did the Slaf from the 2nd half of last season go?

Woll stopped 20 shots or so tonight but it looked like about half of these shots were crap wrist shots from the point and easy saves.

Slaf is a great accessory player, he's to a play driver but he's awesome with a great play driver. What we don't have are real core players.

Suzuki can be it for 40 games a season. But he's the only player upfront right now.
Luckily Demidov is on his way and hopefully we can draft Hagens (at this rate). Cause we need em.

 

[nhlfan9191]

Slaf is a great accessory player, he's to a play driver but he's awesome with a great play driver. What we don't have are real core players.

Suzuki can be it for 40 games a season. But he's the only player upfront right now.
Luckily Demidov is on his way and hopefully we can draft Hagens (at this rate). Cause we need em.

I consider Slafkovsky a core player. He can’t drive a line right now but I think he eventually will. Caufield is a great goal scorer but he’s more complimentary because of how one dimensional he is. I see people put Hutson into the core category but I view him as complimentary as well. I agree we need more core players. We have a lot of question marks with a lot of our prospects and the rebuild can go rotten real quick if none of these guys start taking massive steps forward. Laval has had a great start so that’s a positive.

 

[SOLR]

I consider Slafkovsky a core player. He can’t drive a line right now but I think he eventually will. Caufield is a great goal scorer but he’s more complimentary because of how one dimensional he is. I see people put Hutson into the core category but I view him as complimentary as well. I agree we need more core players. We have a lot of question marks with a lot of our prospects and the rebuild can go rotten real quick if none of these guys start taking massive steps forward. Laval has had a great start so that’s a positive.

I've been following Slaf since he's 15, he's never driven a line.
He's more the player you pair Demidov with.

 

[beowulf]

Turning into a sad sack season which sucks....

 

[Tuggy]

Officially tied for last in the league! Well done!

 

[waitin425]

My lord we suck. I am ashamed for having my hopes up.

 

[ReHabs]

I've been following Slaf since he's 15, he's never driven a line.
He's more the player you pair Demidov with.

I was genuinely impressed by his parabolic production growth in the second half of last season. Since you've followed him closely, what do you make of his trajectory so far?