Official Tank Thread

[Habs]

Hagens or a top 3 pick would certainly be a game changer it would be ok to tank. I'm worried about how bad Slaf is playing , who are the right people to develop these kids?

 

[iamtalbot]

on the roster to me all that's untouchable is: suzuki, Slaf, guhle, Hutson (and Jackeye but that's just personal desire for toughness)

and for our prospects: demidov, hage, reinbacher, our 2025 #1 pick

otherwise, move some pieces to get the deadweight off the roster and get some talented veterans on it to help carry the load.

edit: you know what, even CC isn't untouchable to me. he's a great sniper but he looks too 1 dimensional. if someone offered us a strong #1 D in a package for CC i'd want us to do it.

 

[Anardil]

We all fell for the 'in the mix' message that HuGo were saying at the golf tournament. What is disconcerting is that HuGo believed the message.

They have severely over estimated the talent on the roster, as many of us have as well.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

We all fell for the 'in the mix' message that HuGo were saying at the golf tournament. What is disconcerting is that HuGo believed the message.

They have severely over estimated the talent on the roster, as many of us have as well.

I don’t think so. The roster has shown it can play better than it is right now. But I do think it needs a new system.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

I’m not. Slaf. Dach. I watched them play. Said nothing. They’re good players but not special. Suzuki is a great player but not a number 1 c man. Cc is actually fine as a sniper. He is part of a cup winner. Defense is young. Hutson is important. Guhle is very good but not great. No other young d are stepping up. Yeesh. It might be start over time.

Maybe HuGo never saw Suzuki and Caufield as full pieces of their master plan because they came from the Bergevin admin

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

Never gets old:

https://x.com/i/web/status/1855585003339485507

Previous iteration of looking to be « in the mix » in the middle of a rebuild, was the Bergevin classic about striving to make the playoffs while building through the draft.

Both of these schemes have Geoff’s dirty paw prints all over them.

This guy is an idiot

 

[The Real Timo]

This guy is an idiot

Which one?

Maybe HuGo never saw Suzuki and Caufield as full pieces of their master plan because they came from the Bergevin admin

I think Hughes really need to get a Playstation.

 

[Tabarouette]

There is still no better way to get young elite talent than through the draft (which is the entry level for any talent coming into the league). The difference a Demidov, Beniers, Makar, Edvinsson, Stutzle, Raymond, etc. you can get in the top 5 instead of first overall still has the potential to have a considerably bigger impact on a franchise than say what you generally get at #12 pick overall.

The lottery rule change for at most 2 drop in the order instead of 3 makes it more rewarding for bottom team too.

The odds of getting a difference maker drastically go down between 1 and 5
52% to have a 500 points career at #1 vs 18% at #5 is a huge drop, it's no joke
(6th goes back up to 27% which is a pretty fun oddity)

We can nitpick all day, there are plenty of great players picked between 1 and 5, but ultimately the only argument i'm making here is that too many teams are intentionally tanking OR should be tanking but prefer to stay stuck in limbo. When you factor that on top of the fact that draft years are wildly inconsistent in terms of talent, it sure feels like it's getting increasingly hard to get out of that hole

 

[jrom]

We all fell for the 'in the mix' message that HuGo were saying at the golf tournament. What is disconcerting is that HuGo believed the message.

They have severely over estimated the talent on the roster, as many of us have as well.

It’s worse, they’re not less talented than last year, they just don’t seem to care.

It’s not the losses it’s how they lose

 

[Tyson]

It’s worse, they’re not less talented than last year, they just don’t seem to care.

It’s not the losses it’s how they lose

You are right...it's how they lose

 

[MasterD]

Hagens or a top 3 pick would certainly be a game changer it would be ok to tank. I'm worried about how bad Slaf is playing , who are the right people to develop these kids?

Slaf was never going to be a special talent. It was a very weak draft year.

He has special physical tools that he needs to use more, and he'll always be someone who needs to compete hard to have success. He's far, very far from the level superstars #1 picks like MacKinnon, McDavid or Bedard. At best I expect numbers similar to Hischier's, probably lower.

It's why we do need to continue to draft high. We need at least 1 gamebreaking talented forward, ideally two. Demidov could potentially be one of them. Then we'll need guys for the second and third line.

Maybe HuGo never saw Suzuki and Caufield as full pieces of their master plan because they came from the Bergevin admin

They're just not high end guys you can build around. You can build with them on your team, but they can't be the main pieces.

 

[Trabdy2]

I think we need another big piece here for our rebuild. We need skill so badly. Martone, Misa, or Hagens would be a great add.

I'm not too concerned about Slafkovsky. Bigger players like him often take a few seasons at least to really start hitting their stride. Some don't hit it until they're like 24 or 25.

We have so many young players in our lineup and they need time to see if they can reach the next step. In the meanwhile, let's add some more prospects so we are less dependent on needing a large fraction of our prospects hitting their ceiling to build a competitive team.

 

[Habs]

Slaf was never going to be a special talent. It was a very weak draft year.

He has special physical tools that he needs to use more, and he'll always be someone who needs to compete hard to have success. He's far, very far from the level superstars #1 picks like MacKinnon, McDavid or Bedard. At best I expect numbers similar to Hischier's, probably lower.

I never expected him to be, but he looks really out of it right now. Man that 8million dollar contract.. yikes

I think we need another big piece here for our rebuild. We need skill so badly. Martone, Misa, or Hagens would be a great add.

I'm not too concerned about Slafkovsky. Bigger players like him often take a few seasons at least to really start hitting their stride. Some don't hit it until they're like 24 or 25.

We have so many young players in our lineup and they need time to see if they can reach the next step. In the meanwhile, let's add some more prospects so we are less dependent on needing a large fraction of our prospects hitting their ceiling to build a competitive team.

Yup, another franchise C or forward.. maybe we can grab a decent blueliner with Calgary's draft pick

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

I never expected him to be, but he looks really out of it right now. Man that 8million dollar contract.. yikes



Yup, another franchise C or forward.. maybe we can grab a decent blueliner with Calgary's draft pick

The good news is there's a lot of skill and size at the top of this draft.

If Calgary can finish 15th, or better the Habs should be able to land another big, skilled forward.

 

[Tabarouette]

I never expected him to be, but he looks really out of it right now. Man that 8million dollar contract.. yikes



Yup, another franchise C or forward.. maybe we can grab a decent blueliner with Calgary's draft pick

How you (and many others) keep saying "another" as if Demidov was a sure fire thing is so wild to me

I just expect to get hurt again until proven otherwise

 

[junyab]

As I've said many times this season, I'm ok for one more really bad year. And I knew that many here would be bummed out by another dud season, but I'm finding the sheer level of negativity hard to read over and over again.

In the last year and a half all of Suzuki, Caufield, Slaf, Reinbacher, goalie tandem, Dach, Xhekaj, and Guhle have all been forum favourites and enemy #1. Not to mention similar stuff with the guys in the A like Mailloux, Mesar, Roy and Beck.

And then we trash on any veteran in the club once they're out of their prime. I agree that Gally is overpaid now and his term too long but I just wish we'd remember what he's given our team during his career.

What our fans do to our players is really sad, and it's no wonder why we can't attract any star UFAs.

 

[BargainBinSpecial]

on the roster to me all that's untouchable is: suzuki, Slaf, guhle, Hutson (and Jackeye but that's just personal desire for toughness)

and for our prospects: demidov, hage, reinbacher, our 2025 #1 pick

otherwise, move some pieces to get the deadweight off the roster and get some talented veterans on it to help carry the load.

edit: you know what, even CC isn't untouchable to me. he's a great sniper but he looks too 1 dimensional. if someone offered us a strong #1 D in a package for CC i'd want us to do it.

Your logic is flawed. 3/4 of the dead weight will be gone next summer: Evans, Pez, Armia, Dvo, Savard. Apart from Gallagher and Anderson, the squad will be mostly composed of young players developed within. Suzuki, Dach and Newhook are exceptions, but still there isn't much deadweight remaining in the future. Matheson can be flipped for assets easily and Price's contract will run its course.

 

[rickthegoon]

Well what do you think makes it pressure packed if not the fans and media?

Yeah, the media does have an impact; but if one thing is sure , this organisation could not care less about the fans. The last 30 years are a good indication.
As long as the Bell center is packed, nothing changes.

 

[HabsWhiteKnightLOL]

Yeah, the media does have an impact; but if one thing is sure , this organisation could not care less about the fans. The last 30 years are a good indication.
As long as the Bell center is packed, nothing changes.

Well the bell center is half empty against bad teams
I think Molson should start giving a shit , just my 2cents

 

[Habs]

How you (and many others) keep saying "another" as if Demidov was a sure fire thing is so wild to me

I just expect to get hurt again until proven otherwise

Demidov is a safe bet , he is special. Slaf needs players around him

 

[OneSharpMarble]

We all fell for the 'in the mix' message that HuGo were saying at the golf tournament. What is disconcerting is that HuGo believed the message.

They have severely over estimated the talent on the roster, as many of us have as well.

No one expected the entire team to regress, sometimes management get it wrong, they aren't God.

 

[badfish]

Never gets old:

https://x.com/i/web/status/1855585003339485507

Previous iteration of looking to be « in the mix » in the middle of a rebuild, was the Bergevin classic about striving to make the playoffs while building through the draft.

Both of these schemes have Geoff’s dirty paw prints all over them.

I speak and understand French (second language) and have no clue what this person is saying. Do you have a summary?

 

[HabsCode]

I speak and understand French (second language) and have no clue what this person is saying. Do you have a summary?

Jt'hais Molson, Jt'hais (he doesn't like Molson)

Oh and he predicted Molson would hire a dummy french speaking GM that would do everything he wants (which was a shared feeling amonst some fans if I remember well).

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Slaf was never going to be a special talent. It was a very weak draft year.

If you draft a superstar in a weak draft he’s still a superstar.

Slaf has produced really well for his age. This team’s drowning and he’s still managed to put up points. Long way to go but I wouldn’t give up the dream that he can be a special player.

He has special physical tools that he needs to use more, and he'll always be someone who needs to compete hard to have success. He's far, very far from the level superstars #1 picks like MacKinnon, McDavid or Bedard. At best I expect numbers similar to Hischier's, probably lower.

It's why we do need to continue to draft high. We need at least 1 gamebreaking talented forward, ideally two. Demidov could potentially be one of them. Then we'll need guys for the second and third line.


They're just not high end guys you can build around. You can build with them on your team, but they can't be the main pieces.

Brendan Shanahan wasn’t Yzerman but he brought something special to the table. Just because Slaf isn’t Guy Lafleur doesn’t mean he can’t be a great player.

It’s a marathon and we’re only passing the first marker. Let’s wait on this.

 

[Tabarouette]

Demidov is a safe bet , he is special. Slaf needs players around him

trust me I really want Demidov to be great, I want nothing more than that

but as of right now,,, he's scherbak 2.0 he'll never make it he's never going to score why bother don't come over let's trade him while value is high we should've traded the pick for lafreniere I knew it