Kent Hughes & Jeff Gorton General Discussion Thread - The Honeymoon Is Over

[BenchBrawl]

Honeymoon is not over for me!

For me neither. Loved the draft and the Dach trade.

If things go well we just added two 6'4'' players to our future Top 6.

Will be easy to insert Roy, Farrell or any other kind of player to the existing core.

 

[BigDaddyLurch]

For me neither. Loved the draft and the Dach trade.

If things go well we just added two 6'4'' players to our future Top 6.

Will be easy to insert Roy, Farrell or any other kind of player to the existing core.

...it worries me that I mostly agree (I wanted Wright but the more I think on it, and especially with the Dach trade, I'm OK with it) with you here...as it should worry you that I agree with most of your thoughts here...perhaps we both should be worried...

 

[durojean]

I have a hard time believing Slafkovsky won’t make an impact in the NHL. The size and hands are too good. What type of upside remains, but he’s not Yakupov.

Wright could easily bust too in Montreal. We just have to wait. Too many people are saying he lacks compete and can be a floater.

I also prefered Wright (only because he's the consensus #1) but Slaf is a big body with nastiness in his game. A true PF. The more I read about him, the more this pick makes sense especially in a market like Montreal.

Give him a chance.

I’m sorry and I don’t want to rub you the wrong way. There is no nastiness in Slaf games. He could actually hit more.

He’s got somewhat good hands and some speed for his size and is a really good puck protector.

 

[durojean]

I was willing to take a chance but worried about Wright's mental health playing in MTL. Dealing with the pressure in his draft year is nothing compared to not scoring points in MTL for a week.
Slaf looks like he thrives under pressure and of the top picks, I think he tops the list for the type of personality that can survive/thrive in this market.

Stop it with the thriving under pressure, he never had any. We don’t know how he’ll react to that.

You don’t have pressure when you are the underdog until the finish line. It actually help raise the adrenaline level because you have nothing to lose.

He did make the most of his chance and shown enough flashes to impress a lot of people.

 

[sampollock]

I’m sorry and I don’t want to rub you the wrong way. There is no nastiness in Slaf games. He could actually hit more.

He’s got somewhat good hands and some speed for his size and is a really good puck protector.

Slaf will need soild performance coaching

 

[BenchBrawl]

...it worries me that I mostly agree (I wanted Wright but the more I think on it, and especially with the Dach trade, I'm OK with it) with you here...as it should worry you that I agree with most of your thoughts here...perhaps we both should be worried...

Why is that? Have we been disagreeing that much before?

 

[Sugi21]

Suzuki, Dvorak, Dach and Evans down the middle gives Hab’s some depth at centre since forever! Hoping St Louis can work some magic on Dach get his game back on track

 

[durojean]

Slaf will need soild performance coaching

My worry is IQ. I feel like he will need to read the game instead of reacting to it.

The gamble the direction made is that they can show him how to do that. I feel like teaching reading the game is the hardest thing.

He’s got most of the tools and is real good when the puck is on his stick.

I feel like without the puck in the offensive and defensive zone, is where most of the work is. Like I said, right now, he’s reacting instead of reading and the plays will only get faster at the nhl level.

 

[Mandala]

Wrist injury can be career ending. Drouin never recovered from this type of injury and is left with passing only options. I am scared from Dach injury. Call it PTSD.

 

[No More Subban]

I’m sorry and I don’t want to rub you the wrong way. There is no nastiness in Slaf games. He could actually hit more.

He’s got somewhat good hands and some speed for his size and is a really good puck protector.

Nastiness in a good way, like he plays mean but not dirty.

 

[BigDaddyLurch]

Why is that? Have we been disagreeing that much before?

...our "analysis" of players/management has differed on occasion...and it was just a joke, apparently one that failed miserably...so thanks...

 

[BenchBrawl]

.

 

[durojean]

Nastiness in a good way, like he plays mean but not dirty.

I just don’t understand how you play mean when he’s actually avoiding contact. ( i mean hitting and corners )

Mean because he is dangerous with the puck on his stick ?

 

[Heffyhoof]

Good lord, the amount of times I've seen paragraphs of people starting to dissect Hughes talk about why he picked Slaf is silly.

Maybe the emphasis on interviews and compete level is being discussed because it's common sense that a professional hockey team takes into account play, scouting, combine results, etc. It'd be disingenuous to pretend otherwise, but I suppose that's the point.

 

[HabsCowboysOwn]

I'm feeling better than yesterday, had to let the dust settle for a bit. What's done is done so I chose not to drive myself crazy over it, we'll see what happens in the next few years.

I still trust HuGo and I'll give them long enough to prove me wrong about the Slaf and Dach moves but if they both bust and Wright becomes a superstar in Seattle, I'll never let it go and will despise them until the end of time.

I hope it won't come to that and they'll be great players for us.

 

[No More Subban]

I just don’t understand how you play mean when he’s actually avoiding contact. ( i mean hitting and corners )

Mean because he is dangerous with the puck on his stick ?

People described him as nasty and I just took it as a good thing.

Are you saying that he avoids contact? Because that can't be good.

 

[BigDaddyLurch]

People described him as nasty and I just took it as a good thing.

Are you saying that he avoids contact? Because that can't be good.

...he doesn't "hammer the crap out of people"; he uses his size and strength to muscle his way into possession and keep it...he "could" be a Rantanen-type as his game defines and grows...

 

[durojean]

People described him as nasty and I just took it as a good thing.

Are you saying that he avoids contact? Because that can't be good.

He does not avoid them, the term was too strong. He just does not go find them. He is really good at using his body to protect the puck and goes into traffic but he is not really a F1 that goes find the puck.

 

[McGees]

Stop it with the thriving under pressure, he never had any. We don’t know how he’ll react to that.

You don’t have pressure when you are the underdog until the finish line. It actually help raise the adrenaline level because you have nothing to lose.

He did make the most of his chance and shown enough flashes to impress a lot of people.

Disagree, big stage, Big games are pressure, underdog or not and he seems like the type that thrives in those situations.

 

[26Mats]

Good lord, the amount of times I've seen paragraphs of people starting to dissect Hughes talk about why he picked Slaf is silly.

Maybe the emphasis on interviews and compete level is being discussed because it's common sense that a professional hockey team takes into account play, scouting, combine results, etc. It'd be disingenuous to pretend otherwise, but I suppose that's the point.

We just have heard very little about the on ice side: what are his strengths, who is a comparable they project him to be at the NHL level, etc...

 

[durojean]

Disagree, big stage, Big games are pressure, underdog or not and he seems like the type that thrives in those situations.

Let’s agree to disagree, I feel like he actually had nothing to lose and high on adrenaline with everyone complimenting his play.

His team was the underdog in all of those game and not expected to win.

Have you ever played in those situation ? Those kind of situation actually lift you up and make you play without worries.

 

[Scriptor]

Slafkovsky thrives under pressure and actually looks for it. When questioned right before he was selected by Montreal he stated that his favorite hockey moments are when the score is 4-3, either with a lead to protect or a deficit to erase. that's what allegedly sealed the deal for Montreal because that is exactly what they saw when they scouted Slafkovsky.

Oh, by the way, a C-line of Suzuki - Dach - Dvorak - Evans is deep enough to make a legitimate pitch for Dubois

Offer Dvorak and Dach to WIN for Dubois, but have them take Hoffman along in the deal. That's 10M off the payroll, before the new deal for Dach is negotiated. Plenty to re-sign Dubois long term and add a depth player to replace Dvorak.

Drouin - Dubois - Anderson (reunite Dubois and Anderson)
Slafkovsky - Suzuki - Caufield
Dadonov - Poehling - Gallagher
Armia - Evans - Ylonen

 

[salbutera]

Slafkovsky thrives under pressure and actually looks for it. When questioned right before he was selected by Montreal he stated that his favorite hockey moments are when the score is 4-3, either with a lead to protect or a deficit to erase. that's what allegedly sealed the deal for Montreal because that is exactly what they saw when they scouted Slafkovsky.

Oh, by the way, a C-line of Suzuki - Dach - Dvorak - Evans is deep enough to make a legitimate pitch for Dubois

Offer Dvorak and Dach to WIN for Dubois, but have them take Hoffman along in the deal. That's 10M off the payroll, before the new deal for Dach is negotiated. Plenty to re-sign Dubois long term and add a depth player to replace Dvorak.

Drouin - Dubois - Anderson (reunite Dubois and Anderson)
Slafkovsky - Suzuki - Caufield
Dadonov - Poehling - Gallagher
Armia - Evans - Ylonen

Patrick Kane entering his UFA season - think he wouldn’t mind playing in MSLs concept?

 

[BLONG7]

Slafkovsky thrives under pressure and actually looks for it. When questioned right before he was selected by Montreal he stated that his favorite hockey moments are when the score is 4-3, either with a lead to protect or a deficit to erase. that's what allegedly sealed the deal for Montreal because that is exactly what they saw when they scouted Slafkovsky.

Oh, by the way, a C-line of Suzuki - Dach - Dvorak - Evans is deep enough to make a legitimate pitch for Dubois

Offer Dvorak and Dach to WIN for Dubois, but have them take Hoffman along in the deal. That's 10M off the payroll, before the new deal for Dach is negotiated. Plenty to re-sign Dubois long term and add a depth player to replace Dvorak.

Drouin - Dubois - Anderson (reunite Dubois and Anderson)
Slafkovsky - Suzuki - Caufield
Dadonov - Poehling - Gallagher
Armia - Evans - Ylonen

Wait it out for PLD..............he is free in 2 years. By then, we should be a decent team again.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Wrist injury can be career ending. Drouin never recovered from this type of injury and is left with passing only options. I am scared from Dach injury. Call it PTSD.

Drouin sucked long before the wrist injury.