GDT: Kent Hughes Mid-Season Presser (11:30AM ET)

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

Yes, Evans is getting signed 100%, there's just not a single doubt about that

It's just curious what they do with Armia
I only want to keep him if 1 of Gallagher or Anderson are shipped off finally

Bye bye Gally

 

[Andrei79]

Kovacevik is doing great, but there's a real case for arguing that he wouldn't be doing that with us. NJ has a fairly vet heavy D group. Only L Hughes has less experience then him, and as we've seen with our own D groups, getting to play with a veteran helps a lot.

But Hughes can't really give that answer in a press conference.

One interesting thing Gorton said when he acquired Carrier was that he would fit with what MSL wanted to do. Im not sure Kovacevic was that type of player. Well, we kind of know he wasn't as he was bottom pairing at best the last two years. He's a good fit in NJ though. His offense also dried up after about 2 weeks.

 

[Habs Halifax]

I don't see many Dach haters. Personnally, I was high on him when he was drafted, understood the Gamble of trading Romanov for him, yet there is no point denying he sucked for many games and while he has been improving, he is not playing great at this stage.

Not many haters but a fair amount of fans who are low on him being a 2C. I think this is a classic case of dwelling when times are rough and being too gullible when times are good.

I would easily trade Dach++ for an improvement but just because I would do that, it don't mean I am low on Dach. It means I want an improvement now and prefer not to wait another 2 years before Dach becomes a consistent 60+ center.

One interesting thing Gorton said when he acquired Carrier was that he would fit with what MSL wanted to do. Im not sure Kovacevic was that type of player. Well, we kind of know he wasn't as he was bottom pairing at best the last two years. He's a good fit in NJ though. His offense also dried up after about 2 weeks.

Very good point. Style of play is very different between Carrier and Kova

 

[morhilane]

About accumulating assets he said the more likely scenario is any picks they get now they push back beyond 2026 to then use them to go for the cup.

He said decisions on who is traded this year will be made after the next 20 games.

There is 22 games left before the deadline.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

They had to make room to give kids playing time in bigger roles to evaluate them, because they don't hold their rights forever. They are in a position to take these risks because of where they are at in the rebuild. They got a better idea of what they had and moved on. How is this hard at all to comprehend.

I just want to know who actually saw potential in Barron after last season

 

[Leto]

There's plenty of Dach haters and if we aren't acknowledging how well he's turned his game around, after incremental progress since the beginning of the year, then it's just not wanting to move off of some bad takes early in the year.

If Dach is anything to go by, god forbid any serious injuries (knock on wood) to our promising players, because this fan-base will jettison them the moment they struggle to come back.​

 

[Habs Halifax]

How dare he be evaluated or asked questions about his job performance

Unless your post is satire

Can I be your fan and take part of your yearly evaluation with your manager? I will have limited information but I will want answers to all of my questions

The press conference is not going to change bud. Questions will be asked but never fully answered. This is no different than any other team but I guess the difference is our fans/media think we also run the team.

"100k GM's in their parents basement" Who said that?

 

[Redux91]

I once dated a woman that had culture forming in her pantry and fridge. I didn't like it much.

 

[Captain Mountain]

I'll never really understand this take. Mistakes are mistakes, end of story. We're used to them here in Montreal, still doesn't make them acceptable. Every mistake can be rebounded from, but every mistake significantly plays a role.

I don't think Allen was a mistake. But Kovacevic was a big mistake because Barron was already a flop. I've seen better players in VR hockey lol

Thankfully Hughes was somehow able to convince Nashville that Barron was still worth a decent piece. Carrier has replaced Kovacevic, so I'm no longer missing Kovy. The mistake was fixed as best as it could be and thankfully he moved on from Barron.

If only he'd have moved on from Matheson and Anderson when their value could have actually brought us something decent. Matheson will still get something if they decide to trade him, but Anderson is worth nothing now.

...young RD with pedigree always retain value longer. I assumed that was one of the reasons he wanted one in the Lehkonen trade.

And Kovacevic is a UFA and I'm not sure NJ wants to pay a 5th D 3+ mil a year, especially since L. Hughes also needs a new contract, and Nemec and Casey are in the AHL. Montreal should be in a position to try to get him back in the offseason if it was such a mistake.

My issue with some of the critiques of the Primeau and Kovacevic decisions is it seems based on the premise that this season was entirely or mostly about making the playoffs. And it very clearly wasn't, both in action and in messaging. Injuries have delayed it, but one thing Montreal has needed is to see young guys stake claim to spots so that they can figure out what the needs may actually be. It feels like there are much more important areas to critique and question.

Anderson could be argued to have been a mistake to keep, but he's one hot shooting stretch away from being that player anyways and he's been effective as a 3rd liner. I don't think Matheson's value is lower now than it has at any time he's been a Hab. Teams looking for top-4 D generally don't need a PP QB, so what he did last season doesn't really mean he would have been more valuable.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

Can't wait for another multi goal weekend for Dach this weekend. Haters sweating but still trying to bash him whenever they can. Sad, really.

You can’t wait to offload that crow supply you piled up lol

 

[sampollock]

Was looking forward to it but fell asleep during the Engels question. Hope I didn’t miss much.

Also, best of luck to Reinbacher and his new career in hockey operations.

his ?'s are sooooooo long and say zip

 

[Habs Halifax]

I just want to know who actually saw potential in Barron after last season

Hindsight evaluation is the problem. Most of us know the probability of prospects reaching their potential. The challenge is how long you hold onto that hope.

Right or wrong... the Preds believed in Barron's potential bud. This is not coming out of thin air. Some give up hope early, some hold onto hope too long and others are in the middle somewhere.

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

I'll never really understand this take. Mistakes are mistakes, end of story. We're used to them here in Montreal, still doesn't make them acceptable. Every mistake can be rebounded from, but every mistake significantly plays a role.

I don't think Allen was a mistake. But Kovacevic was a big mistake because Barron was already a flop. I've seen better players in VR hockey lol

Thankfully Hughes was somehow able to convince Nashville that Barron was still worth a decent piece. Carrier has replaced Kovacevic, so I'm no longer missing Kovy. The mistake was fixed as best as it could be and thankfully he moved on from Barron.

If only he'd have moved on from Matheson and Anderson when their value could have actually brought us something decent. Matheson will still get something if they decide to trade him, but Anderson is worth nothing now.

Please. There was no way to move on from Anderson. No oone was going to offer a 1st + which was the only way it would have been worth using the last retained spot. And only an idiot would trade Matheson - one of the only 2 vets on defense.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

Can I be your fan and take part of your yearly evaluation with your manager? I will have limited information but I will want answers to all of my questions

The press conference is not going to change bud. Questions will be asked but never fully answered. This is no different than any other team but I guess the difference is our fans/media think we also run the team.

"100k GM's in their parents basement" Who said that?

Why call the press conference if you will only answer softball questions?

So fans like you can eat it up?

Hindsight evaluation is the problem. Most of us know the probability of prospects reaching their potential. The challenge is how long you hold onto that hope.

Right or wrong... the Preds believed in Barron's potential bud. This is not coming out of thin air. Some give up hope early, some hold onto hope too long and others are in the middle somewhere.

No Carrier was a straight cap dump for them, negative value at his contract and term, but a good fit for our team who just needs more solid every day NHL players

 

[WeThreeKings]

If Dach is anything to go by, god forbid any serious injuries (knock on wood) to our promising players, because this fan-base will jettison them the moment they struggle to come back.​

Just wait for the ramp up Reinbacher will need.. it's going to be ugly for him.

Hopefully he comes back during one of those 10 games, 2 pts, -15 stretches that Michkov gets on, just so its a little easier.

 

[sampollock]

Just wait for the ramp up Reinbacher will need.. it's going to be ugly for him.

Hopefully he comes back during one of those 10 games, 2 pts, -15 stretches that Michkov gets on, just so its a little easier.

he will take heat... that is for sure
he needs 2 years

 

[Habs Halifax]

Yes, Evans is getting signed 100%, there's just not a single doubt about that

It's just curious what they do with Armia
I only want to keep him if 1 of Gallagher or Anderson are shipped off finally

I do agree there is high probability Evans is staying. Armia has to want to take a very good team friendly contract if he wants to stay. I'm sure Hughes will consider any Anderson/Gallagher trades if that opportunity presents itself but there is a cost to that.

Demidov and probably Kapanen will be added. Dvorak gone for sure. Pezzetta might be as well. Beck, Roy, Mailloux and others can easily play one more AHL season and it would probably be best for them. Pleky played 233 AHL games

 

[Tyson]

why would people be pissed they went???? crazy

Because in this world there is a group of people who have to be constantly pissed or offended about something.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Why call the press conference if you will only answer softball questions?

So fans like you can eat it up?


No Carrier was a straight cap dump for them, negative value at his contract and term, but a good fit for our team who just needs more solid every day NHL players

Carrier was not a straight up cap dump. That is false

Right out of the mouth of Trotz....

“First of all, I'd like to just thank Alex publicly,” Trotz said. “He's competitive, he’s gone through the system in Milwaukee, worked his way to the NHL and has been a real solid player, but what a terrific human being he is. As a person, everything that we talk about in being a Predator is what you do in the community, how you treat people, how you act, and he is an outstanding person.

“We probably didn't expect to be where we are, but I wanted to put him in a situation where it made sense. He’s going back to Montreal where that's really his home in the offseason. So, from that standpoint, I think it's a really good fit. He's going to provide Montreal with the same character and the same leadership that he provided us in our locker room.”

Trotz then turned his attention to the newest member of the organization, a player who the Predators GM believes can realize his full potential with the tutelage of Nashville’s development staff.

"We feel that, in Justin's case - Montreal has a lot of young defenseman - maybe [he was] being a little bit under-utilized for where they're going,” Trotz said of Barron. “We have a great track record working with young defenseman. What we'll get is a younger player, a former first-round pick. He's got some size to him…he’s got some length, and he's a really good skater. So, what we've done in the past with developing defensemen, and credit to our scouting staff, you see it right now. We've got four guys who have come up from the American League ranks and are playing defense for us and contributing. So the scouting and the development process that we have, we feel very confident that hopefully Justin can fall into that and continue to grow with us.”

 

[Leon Lucius Black]

Gasp, the team traded Allen to gamble on Primeau, and Kovacevic to gamble on Barron and Struble.

Oh no, how will the team ever recover from this.

Geoff Molson after those moves:

 

[Habs Halifax]

Why call the press conference if you will only answer softball questions?

So fans like you can eat it up?


No Carrier was a straight cap dump for them, negative value at his contract and term, but a good fit for our team who just needs more solid every day NHL players

They will never fully answer the questions. Get use to it. And they are also not going to not have any press conferences. Like I said, It's not different in Montreal any other city but they might do it more to try to keep media/fans happy. When they do, they have to be careful with what they say.

Gasp, the team traded Allen to gamble on Primeau, and Kovacevic to gamble on Barron and Struble.

Oh no, how will the team ever recover from this.

Good stuff!

The funny part here is I do wonder the % of our fan base who actually thinks our management needs to be fully transparent? Seems like this happens over and over again and goes well past Hughes as our GM.

 

[ReHabs]

I just want to know who actually saw potential in Barron after last season

Many posters were adamant that we should be patient with Barron, who is very young, and has a lot of potential, and it is a rebuild, and so on and so forth

I was down on Barron, I thought he was a waiver risk. In the end it worked out reasonably well because Nashville didn't like Carrier at his cap hit and we can afford him at nearly 3.75m but that cap hit IS too high for a bottom-pairing d-man. So let's hope he has a Brett Kulak style mid-career growth.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Because in this world there is a group of people who have to be constantly pissed or offended about something.

Only it's usually the people who yell about people being offended easily who are the ones who offend the easiest. (This is not a dig at you, to be clear, I don't think you are that type of person)

 

[ReHabs]

The funny part here is I do wonder the % of our fan base who actually thinks our management needs to be fully transparent? Seems like this happens over and over again and goes well past Hughes as our GM.

Being fully transparent, absolutely impossible. And throwing players under the bus simply won't happen. But I like it when the media ask strange, odd, or direct questions -- anyone criticising the media for asking questions in the wrong way is missing the point imo. Let Hughes squirm out of it, he's a big boy.

 

[Guy Larose]

Why call the press conference if you will only answer softball questions?

So fans like you can eat it up?


No Carrier was a straight cap dump for them, negative value at his contract and term, but a good fit for our team who just needs more solid every day NHL players

Try watching games instead of coming on this board just to piss on the team and players. You're obviously not watching.