Armia at least has some nifty hands that he will show off every now and then, so I don't qualify him as "vanilla"
Captain vanilla on this squad has to be dvorak by a country mile.
Habs win in Philly by the skin of their teeth
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Armia at least has some nifty hands that he will show off every now and then, so I don't qualify him as "vanilla"
Captain vanilla on this squad has to be dvorak by a country mile.
Xhekaj... ouch.
Some people considers him on a 4th line forward... I'm starting to think it may not be a bad idea.
I think x has the tools to be an asset on defense.
I think he looks like a guy struggling with his identity right now. I think the team is also trying to tweak his mindset, so he has to adapt to that. I mean, just look at rhe game against Philly where somehow he gets the only penalty. That has to play on the mind.
I'm hoping he finds his niche, because then he can just focus less on the mental stuff and focus more on being a hockey player. Then we will see the things again that made us excited about him in the first place.
Yup, it's all about signs of progress. I missed most of the weekend games, but saw enough to breathe a little easier. Look at that... our guys CAN complete passes and CAN maintain o-zone possession. As long as that continues, the season will be fun to watch 'cause we'll have something to cheer for!
I disagree about Mailloux looking overwhelmed. He has played exactly 5 NHL games in his career.
He looks like a rookie D still getting adjusted to the NHL. I agree, that sometimes in his own zone, he looks a little lost but to be fair, that is half of our team. I mean, even ex-NHLer's have a hard time figuring out what MSL is trying to implement out there.
Mailloux in the offence zone looks pretty good. I'd like for management to give him a good run of games. I think he still has lots of room to grow. He spent a whole year in the AHL and did amazing. It's time to give him his chance in the NHL with a little bit of rope to learn and grow.
Thoughts after a night sleep.
It showed that the Flyers aren't very good. I expect them to be in the bottom 3 this season.
Habs executed much better in this game then against the Blues. Also, almost played a full 60 minutes in the back of back-to-back, someone must have spiked their pre-game meal.
2nd game in a row where they start with energy at puck drop. Lets this continue.
The 3rd was just a weird period. The Habs pulled a defensive clinic for about 13 minutes, but never bothered to counter attack, let the Flyers gain momentum and eventually things started to go off rails as the players got more tired. And they just stopped playing with 2-3 minutes left on the clock...
I don't think MSL coached the 3rd to win either. Looked like "lets use this to get some development opportunity" to me.
Dach is looking way more like he did 2 years ago already.
I can't wait for Slaf, Guhle and Barron to be back...
It showed that the Flyers aren't very good. I expect them to be in the bottom 3 this season.
Habs executed much better in this game then against the Blues. Also, almost played a full 60 minutes in the back of back-to-back, someone must have spiked their pre-game meal.
2nd game in a row where they start with energy at puck drop. Lets this continue.
The 3rd was just a weird period. The Habs pulled a defensive clinic for about 13 minutes, but never bothered to counter attack, let the Flyers gain momentum and eventually things started to go off rails as the players got more tired. And they just stopped playing with 2-3 minutes left on the clock...
I don't think MSL coached the 3rd to win either. Looked like "lets use this to get some development opportunity" to me.
Dach is looking way more like he did 2 years ago already.
I can't wait for Slaf, Guhle and Barron to be back...
I know people don't like to hear this, but I think Dach is best playing 1RW with Cole and Nick. He compliments them very well. Dach is a good winger.
I think Slaf should be put on the 2nd line waiting for Demidov to come join him. Newhook can keep the 2C seat warm for Kapanen/Hage in the meantime..
I think Slaf should be put on the 2nd line waiting for Demidov to come join him. Newhook can keep the 2C seat warm for Kapanen/Hage in the meantime..
Damn if we win one more game this month we'll be ahead of the 5-6 I predicted.
I just never expected how far down ugly street we would have to go to get those points.
I just never expected how far down ugly street we would have to go to get those points.
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I would leave him there for a while perhaps until he has regained full strength in that knee which should come towards the end of this season.
There is no reason to move him if that line is producing and he is having fun.
We finally won a couple games and looked like we deserved to win them!
I've given it to Dach hard lately but he was really good this weekend. He either may need to switch to wing full time or needs to be there now while he continues to get back into game shape. Slow progression.
I've given it to Dach hard lately but he was really good this weekend. He either may need to switch to wing full time or needs to be there now while he continues to get back into game shape. Slow progression.
I agree completely. Also, I feel he is just a really good winger.
I said it for a while now (even when Dach was looking good at center).... I think he is more of a power forward winger than a true type center.
Ideally, our roster looks like this next year: I would definitely try Demidov at center with Laine/Dach on his wing.
Caufield / Suzuki / Slaf
Laine / Demidov / Dach
Roy / Kapanen / Newhook
Armia / Evans / Gallagher
Pezzetta,
What do we do with Anderson? Not sure. I think it's between him, Armia, and hate to say it... Newhook. Newhook is hard to place in our line-up and I don't think he wins too many puck battles. Is he putting up enough production?
Is Demidov playing C in the KHL right now? I have seen a lot of people talking about him as a potential C. Would be amazing.
I don't believe he is but he is on record saying he prefers to play center because he is more engaged with the puck on his stick more. Maybe it's too premature to try him at center next year but if he is paired with Dach on the same line, it probably works.
Regardless of where Demidov plays for us next year, he's going to go through an adjustment
I would start him at wing at the NHL level or C in the AHL if that is the case. We would be throwing him to the wolves otherwise Still, pretty interesting.
He's not. And those people are basically saying that the Habs should put Slaf at center when he comes back so Dach can stay on the wing because Slaf can carry the puck, has good vision and backcheck.
Playmaking wingers are a thing and the Habs are playing 2-1-2 with no dedicated position anyway.
Slaf at C is a bad idea. Newhook can do a good job at 2C. He seems pretty comfortable in that spot.He's not. And those people are basically saying that the Habs should put Slaf at center when he comes back so Dach can stay on the wing because Slaf can carry the puck, has good vision and backcheck.
Playmaking wingers are a thing and the Habs are playing 2-1-2 with no dedicated position anyway.
He is a really good winger. I wasn't particularly pleased when we had to move him off this line the first time.
People look at his size and auto-salivate seeing a beast down the middle but he needs to play with talent at the same time.
If playing the wing is the key to keeping him healthy this year we have to seriously consider it.
I think it was a good thing to have him play C for a while so he himself can see how good he is at wing, and the opportunity that comes with it.
A lot of players prefer to play C so they can to up their value. Domi is an example.
IMO, if playing wing means I get to play with our best players on the top line, I would rather play there than be expected to anchor a 2nd line and shoulder the offence while playing such a hard position.
I just hope that if we keep him at wing, that he will be happy with it. He legit looks like he is having fun playing with Cole and Nick, but at the end of the day, he is thinking about his value, and his agent will be in his ear.
Has Slafkovsky ever played center at a high level? It’s a very hard position to convert too. It’s different if you have guys like a Giroux or a Dubois who were drafted as both a center and winger.He's not. And those people are basically saying that the Habs should put Slaf at center when he comes back so Dach can stay on the wing because Slaf can carry the puck, has good vision and backcheck.
Playmaking wingers are a thing and the Habs are playing 2-1-2 with no dedicated position anyway.
Slaf can play both wing positions, and that should be enough lol. People see size and they want to convert them to C all the damn time.
Slaf at C is the exact same idea as Demidov at C (or Laine at C that Columbus tried). It's trying to convert a guy who's been winger most his career into a center. And yes, it's a bad idea.
Newhook has only looked comfortable at center with Gallagher/Roy and Armia on his wing at the end of last season. He haven't looked good anywhere this season and he's been demoted to the 3rd line already.
I admit I am not so well-versed on Demidov to have much of an opinion on the matter. The player himself said he likes to play C. I don't think Slaf ever stated as such, nor do I think he ever would.
Newhook has had flashes at every position with us. Last year, he was essentially our secondary scoring playing C and W with a bunch of difference players. Newhook is who he is: a swiss army knife in our middle 6. Like I said, I don't mind him being 2C to keep the seat warm. I see him being a Lehkonen type player with us in the future. You need those kinds of guys. I think many expect too much from him.
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2x wins with dach not at C no Slaf in the 1st line. Team needs vet 1c or a real good 2c imo.
I woke up unsure if I caught the end of the game I have become numb. Def fell asleep on the 3rd.
