GDT: ISLES @ HABS | HOF vs HOF | Thurs. Jan. 25, 2024, 7PM ET -- TSN2, RDS

[Tabarouette]

Amazing how many people don’t get it, it’s not that complicated.
Unlike MSL defensive zone coverage

David Savard is trying to defend the net from the neutral zone bro I don't think MSL is telling him to do that, i'm not stepping inside that thread

 

[HabSgt]

I would be okay with as much camera time as possible devoted to Roy, it's like a relief of sorts. I wonder if Roy has any connection to Dan Petry?

Did you know Patrick Roy's father played for les Tigres de Balconville?

 

[teamfirst]

It’s pretty funny that people watched this team avoid rebuilding for decades only to get nowhere and are now upset that we’re losing games two years into an actual rebuild.

This is what it looks like folks.

And for those saying that we’re not making progress, have a look at CC, Slaf, Guehle, Hutson, Roy…. All players that are developing nicely here or in the minors. Half the prospects we’re developing that will likely be mainstays aren’t even with the team yet and we’ve got a boatload of picks coming in the next two drafts.

Yeah, losing sucks but we’ll probably wind up with another top pick this year too.

You should stop watching your phone and start watching the game, sure if you only watch replay of Habs goals you're seeing only the good , and sorry but i love Kayden Guhle but he as not progress att all, how can he in this system less kind of hockey, same for Arber, Barron and Harris, please leave Mailloux where he is

 

[salbutera]

You should stop watching your phone and start watching the game, sure if you only watch replay of Habs goals you're seeing only the good , and sorry but i love Kayden Guhle but he as not progress att all, how can he in this system less kind of hockey, same for Arber, Barron and Harris, please leave Mailloux where he is

By chance did you watch Hedman‘s “game” his first 3-NHL seasons or just highlights? Only add that was in a non hockey focused market..

Curious..

 

[Eegs]

These @Runner77 GDTs never disappoint and I'll never tire of pointing that out. Bravo, good sir!

 

[Habs 4 Life]

Not that much talk but rumors of perhaps Ruzicka getting claimed here. Yay or nay?

We have a great track record of claiming guys from Calgary!!!

 

[David Suzuki]

As NYY GM Brian Cashman said during the peak of Yankees draft & development era in late 90s:

“This market is not suited for drafting & developing prospects, demands of the marketplace simply overcome patience required to see the process through”

U can get away with a no rebuild strategy in MLB especially if you’re the Yankees…

well cashman is atrocious and has been for almost 15 years now and the brightest spot on the yankees is a player they drafted and developed so idk

 

[teamfirst]

By chance did you watch Hedman‘s “game” his first 3-NHL seasons or just highlights? Only add that was in a non hockey focused market..

Curious..

Most of it where highlights, ya probably some live games but not enough to be able to pass judgment on his progression.....so i didn't ......pass judgment i mean

 

[The Great Weal]

Not that much talk but rumors of perhaps Ruzicka getting claimed here. Yay or nay?

We have a great track record of claiming guys from Calgary!!!

We're already at a 23 man roster so we can't unless we send down Xhekaj or Struble. We decided to take Condotta away from Laval instead.

 

[Nicko999]

I’m sorry but this is nonsense.

He most certainly is. His underlying numbers are great despite the lack of goals. He had one goal in half a season under our chump coach and then under MSL he immediately score 48 goals in 82 games. He’s got the highest goal/ratio of any player in the league 23 and under.

A scoring drought where his shooting percentage was under seven for a while is not indicative of him not developing well. Come on man.

Guehle had 28 points in his first 82 games. Those are fantastic numbers. He’s being given more responsibility and tougher ice on a bad club. But he’s played extremely well for such a young player.

So again, I have no idea what you’re talking about here. Any team in the league would love to snag this guy.


Slaf is developing by leaps and bounds.

You pick what’s there. If Bedard were available we’d have taken him instead. Right now though, I think Slaf is looking like the best puck of his group - but it’s way too early to know.


He’s breaking records in the NCAA. He’s a few inches taller than when we drafted him. We got him in the 2nd round and he’d go top ten if a redraft were to happen today. There’s a very real possibility that we got the two best players in that draft.


2022 was probably the best draft we’ve had since 2007.

We will make mistakes on picks. Every team does. Michkov for example might be one. But overall I find it hard to see how you think we’ve done poorly .

I just don't think Caufield has another gear in him. Goal scorers tend to peak earlier in their careers. Just my personal opinion.

As for Ghule, comparing him this season vs last one. His production is worse this year and his play in general has not improved really. He is a bit overrated tbh, every team has a lot of players similar to Ghule. He is a second pair guy.

As for Slaf, I agree with you the draft was weak. However as unlucky as it is, it doesn't change the fact other rebuilding teams got players like Bedard, Fantilli, Carlsson while we were stuck with Slaf. That puts those teams in a MASSIVE advantage over us.

Saying the 2022 draft is the best since 2007 doesn't mean much as our drafting has been garbage. I would argue 2021 is trending much better than 2022 with Mailloux and Roy.

 

[admiralcadillac]

Again,I have no problem with the rebuild or the time it takes but effort doesn't require talent and I just don't see the effort which might mean the players are not happy with the coaching staff's lack of structure.Why is criticism of a rookie coaching staff so surprising ,I wish nothing but the best for Marty and no one is questioning his hockey IQ but if he can't get his players motivated sorry but that has everything to do with inexperiance.

The team is near .500 with a roster that rivals San Jose

Would you be blaming the coach of San Jose right now?

 

[salbutera]

Most of it where highlights, ya probably some live games but not enough to be able to pass judgment on his progression.....so i didn't ......pass judgment i mean

Let me help you - everyone was calling him a bust

 

[admiralcadillac]

I just don't think Caufield has another gear in him. Goal scorers tend to peak earlier in their careers. Just my personal opinion.

As for Ghule, comparing him this season vs last one. His production is worse this year and his play in general has not improved really. He is a bit overrated tbh, every team has a lot of players similar to Ghule. He is a second pair guy.

As for Slaf, I agree with you the draft was weak. However as unlucky as it is, it doesn't change the fact other rebuilding teams got players like Bedard, Fantilli, Carlsson while we were stuck with Slaf. That puts those teams in a MASSIVE advantage over us.

Saying the 2022 draft is the best since 2007 doesn't mean much as our drafting has been garbage. I would argue 2021 is trending much better than 2022 with Mailloux and Roy.

Name a goal scorer that peaked at 22-23, which is what you’re saying.

 

[dcyhabs]

I’m sorry but this is nonsense.

He most certainly is. His underlying numbers are great despite the lack of goals. He had one goal in half a season under our chump coach and then under MSL he immediately score 48 goals in 82 games. He’s got the highest goal/ratio of any player in the league 23 and under.

A scoring drought where his shooting percentage was under seven for a while is not indicative of him not developing well. Come on man.

Guehle had 28 points in his first 82 games. Those are fantastic numbers. He’s being given more responsibility and tougher ice on a bad club. But he’s played extremely well for such a young player.

So again, I have no idea what you’re talking about here. Any team in the league would love to snag this guy.


Slaf is developing by leaps and bounds.

You pick what’s there. If Bedard were available we’d have taken him instead. Right now though, I think Slaf is looking like the best puck of his group - but it’s way too early to know.


He’s breaking records in the NCAA. He’s a few inches taller than when we drafted him. We got him in the 2nd round and he’d go top ten if a redraft were to happen today. There’s a very real possibility that we got the two best players in that draft.


2022 was probably the best draft we’ve had since 2007.

We will make mistakes on picks. Every team does. Michkov for example might be one. But overall I find it hard to see how you think we’ve done poorly .

I can see the team not regretting Michkov even if he becomes a big star unless the team makeup changes a lot. The team doesn't have the size and meanness to compete in the playoffs. They need skill and scoring, but they probably can't afford to add smaller less physical players at this point. They already need to rebalance.

I tend to push skill over size, but in the playoffs, once refs forget what their whistles are for, with a bunch of consecutive games the smaller and less physical teams get worn down. The habs fragility is a problem there, too. If they get to the playoffs they'll be losing players every series.

 

[The Great Weal]

The team is near .500 with a roster that rivals San Jose

Would you be blaming the coach of San Jose right now?

Uh no our roster is vastly better than San Jose's. Not blaming the coaching staff, but some of the dumb things they do deserve to get criticism.

 

[Tyson]

The real Habs are upon us. The Tank is real.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I just don't think Caufield has another gear in him. Goal scorers tend to peak earlier in their careers. Just my personal opinion.

He’s coming off a five game goal streak, scored 8 in 12 and is currently on a 7 game point streak… that’s not another gear?

The only thing that has to change in his game is that his shooting percentage goes back to normal. That’s it. If he did last year’s number he’d be threatening for 50 goals this year.

His analytics are up. His assists are up. His defensive play is better. If his shooting percentage normalizes he’ll have a career year next season. He still has an outside shot at 40 goals this year.

As for Ghule, comparing him this season vs last one. His production is worse this year and his play in general has not improved really. He is a bit overrated tbh, every team has a lot of players similar to Ghule. He is a second pair guy.

A second pair guy now? Sure. In the future, I see him as a number one caliber.

And yes, he’s taking on harder minutes. They put him against MCDavid… it’s going to hurt his numbers but make him better in the long run.

As for Slaf, I agree with you the draft was weak. However as unlucky as it is, it doesn't change the fact other rebuilding teams got players like Bedard, Fantilli, Carlsson while we were stuck with Slaf. That puts those teams in a MASSIVE advantage over us.

You can’t blame mgmt for this. The draft is what it is. We can only take the best players available. And we can help to mitigate this by stockpiling picks which is exactly what we’re doing.

Mistakes WILL happen. We won’t always get the best player. Michkov may already be one. But overall we’re acquiring tons of talent.

Saying the 2022 draft is the best since 2007 doesn't mean much as our drafting has been garbage. I would argue 2021 is trending much better than 2022 with Mailloux and Roy.

Mailloux, Roy, Hutson, Slaf, Messar, Beck, RB, Engstrom…. These guys aren’t even in the lineup yet. We’ve got a high pick this year, two firsts next year…

We’re doing exactly what we’ve asked the team to do for years. Hire a good development coach, draft high, stockpile picks.

I was probably the most negative poster in this site for years. I screamed when we hired Therrien, traded away picks and prospects for guys like Gomez. THAT was something to be angry about.

From a high level standpoint the club’s doing everything we asked them to do. Now we have to deal with the rebuilding years. It’s rough but it’s so much better than wasting decades trying to get to 8th place.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I can see the team not regretting Michkov even if he becomes a big star unless the team makeup changes a lot. The team doesn't have the size and meanness to compete in the playoffs. They need skill and scoring, but they probably can't afford to add smaller less physical players at this point. They already need to rebalance.

I tend to push skill over size, but in the playoffs, once refs forget what their whistles are for, with a bunch of consecutive games the smaller and less physical teams get worn down. The habs fragility is a problem there, too. If they get to the playoffs they'll be losing players every series.

We’ll see. What matters is that RB pans out. If he turns into a great blueliner then it goes a long way to mitigate any mistakes.

 

[teamfirst]

Let me help you - everyone was calling him a bust

And....

Sorry but i'm not seeing in what this is helping me

 

[Redux91]

It's a cesspool.

Yet so is pretty much any thread here when it comes to the future. I've had the Slaf thread ignored since ever.

You should un-ignore it lol
The Super Slaf Haters have, get this, MYSTERIOUSLY disappeared all of a sudden..

And surprise surprise, the thread is no longer as active

 

[salbutera]

And....

Sorry but i'm not seeing in what this is helping me

Hedman was worse off at the same point vs Guhle who’s being asked to do much more on a team without Stamkos, Kucherov et al

 

[teamfirst]

Hedman was worse off at the same point vs Guhle who’s being asked to do much more on a team without Stamkos, Kucherov et al

Ah, so it means that you saw all the games Hedman played in his first 2 seasons like i did with Ghule....cool, thanks for the information.

By the way i'm far away of calling Ghule a bust, i even think that he's gonna be our best D in a near future, i'm just saying that the lack of strucure in our own zone is not helping our young D to reach their full potential.

In fact i also think that Ghule is probably the one that is gonna be the less impacted by this due to his high hockey IQ , not so sure about the others.

 

[Redux91]

The real Habs are upon us. The Tank is real.

Good
Even staying top 7ov is fine (but we'll obviously drop more, so even better), should be more D going early this draft

So where as the '4 best forwards' amazingly went ahead of our 5th pick last year, where we took D
This time the '4 best fowards' could stretch out to 7th ov pick which would, finally, make us luck out for a change with a top 5 pick
Only adding to the rebuild. Which is successfully well underway despite how many others feel about it

 

[The Great Weal]

Very surprised to see Horvat doing this well, I thought the Isles made a horrible mistake buying high on a player having an anomaly of a season.

 

[salbutera]

Very surprised to see Horvat doing this well, I thought the Isles made a horrible mistake buying high on a player having an anomaly of a season.

Horvat is the prototypical Uncle Lou type player

200-ft beast w strong defensive & physical game