HF Habs: Out of Town Thread: 2024-2025 season

[Team_Spirit]

How did the Habs beat the Jackets twice! They would sit in wc1 rn.

Lankinen sets a new record.

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

I don't know about that. It seemed to me that reports were saying he's the 2nd most talented player in the draft, and some even put him at the top of the list in that category.

So the talent part was likely not the reason for his drop.

Then it would have to be because he told them he wouldn't report to them and would complete the 3 year deal in Russia. But wasn't he 5 or lower in the final draft rankings.

 

[salbutera]

Not the point. When it was the time to pick, they went for talent. And going for Names instead of Kuch was not about position. It was about evaluation of talent. We went needs. And not only D...but right D. Made no sense then, makes no sense now. Will never make sense.

Says you? Because 4 other teams clearly valued needs over talent?

Maybe the concept of best player available is in the eye of the beholder unless it’s a clear cut Crosby, Ovy, McDavid?

Afterall Preds proposed a deal to try to pry the Habs 5OA pick for …. reportedly Redenbacher not Michkov.

 

[JianYang]

Then it would have to be because he told them he wouldn't report to them and would complete the 3 year deal in Russia. But wasn't he 5 or lower in the final draft rankings.

I only recall him being #2 leading up to the draft.

As far as him controlling his fate about who drafts him, I think Friedman mentioned that it was a fact that he only wanted to go to certain places, but it is not known which locales he preferred and which ones he wanted to avoid, although I'm guessing Arizona was on his no go list just based on their volatility at the time.

 

[Whitesnake]

Says you? Because 4 other teams clearly valued needs over talent?

Maybe the concept of best player available is in the eye of the beholder unless it’s a clear cut Crosby, Ovy, McDavid?

Afterall Preds proposed a deal to try to pry the Habs 5OA pick for …. reportedly Redenbacher not Michkov.

Not says me. Says Hughes who said that if Reinbacher would have been a lefty D, they might have cooled off on them.

No. Many did not think Michkoiv was a special talent. And even if he is it mean NOTHING.. Because if he is then teams passed on him because he wouldn't sign with them . So there is no way he was going to be a Hab.

Seriously? Well I guess you didn't read everything that was read about him for 2 years before draft day....

Okay. I wanted Michkov too.

But can we wait to see what RB does before declaring that this was a mistake? I think that’s reasonable.

Btw, I’ll have zero issues criticizing mgmt if it doesn’t work out. Michkov looked awesome and we passed. Why? Not sure: I suspect they felt they could get forward talent in the next draft and there was talk of him not really wanting to come here. Either way though he looks like he’ll be a beast. Very good chances we missed an awesome player.

But before I declare it a mistake I’d at least like to see what our own pick looks like.

For me, as serviceable as Reinbacher could end up being, if Michkov ends up a Kucherov lite. Reinbacher will need to be a complete 2-way d-man. With some offensive punch. Might happen....but there's not a lot of gap for errors.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

For me, as serviceable as Reinbacher could end up being, if Michkov ends up a Kucherov lite. Reinbacher will need to be a complete 2-way d-man. With some offensive punch. Might happen....but there's not a lot of gap for errors.

Okay, well let’s wait and see before we write this off as a disaster.

 

[ReHabs]

He just keeps producing, which is exactly what this team has lacked for decades. Time will tell if they made the right decision, but it's not looking good early on.

Fire the guy who is more determined for us to NOT pick Michkov. Not recognizing that kind of talent is criminal.

Yeah, it’s honestly not about Michkov or Reinbacher but rather I don’t want this mistake and this oversight to happen again. Even if Michkov didn’t want to come, I want the guy who failed to seduce him to be fired.

Between Dach, Newhook, Barron, Primeau, and missing Michkov it’s about time the fans put aside the “wait and see” optimism and accepted to be more sceptical and critical of every individual move. They burned through their goodwill as far as I’m concerned.

 

[sandviper]

Fire the guy who is more determined for us to NOT pick Michkov. Not recognizing that kind of talent is criminal.

FWIW, it likely wasn’t Gorton. In the draft video, he was making a case about a player and while they can’t say that player’s name, it was pretty clear it was Michkov.

 

[sampollock]

SO this guy Michkov would make this team sooooo much better right now.
this team has way more mistakes in the past that got us here

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Yeah, it’s honestly not about Michkov or Reinbacher but rather I don’t want this mistake and this oversight to happen again. Even if Michkov didn’t want to come, I want the guy who failed to seduce him to be fired.

We don’t know if it was a mistake or not. RB hasn’t even played a game for us yet. Injuries are a wildcard that can’t be predicted.

Michkov could get hurt tomorrow, would that make it a bad pick for the Flyers? No.

 

[gusfring]

We don’t know if it was a mistake or not. RB hasn’t even played a game for us yet. Injuries are a wildcard that can’t be predicted.

Michkov could get hurt tomorrow, would that make it a bad pick for the Flyers? No.

So the poster believes Reinbacher was a mistake - it's an opinion and a prediction. He might be right...

 

[Team_Spirit]

Robertson up there among the slowest is surprising

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

Robertson up there among the slowest is surprising

He's an awkward skater, he really doesn't generate much speed at all, even when he tries. He used to be even worst in his junior days too. It makes his successes all the more impressive.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

Okay. I wanted Michkov too.

But can we wait to see what RB does before declaring that this was a mistake? I think that’s reasonable.

Btw, I’ll have zero issues criticizing mgmt if it doesn’t work out. Michkov looked awesome and we passed. Why? Not sure: I suspect they felt they could get forward talent in the next draft and there was talk of him not really wanting to come here. Either way though he looks like he’ll be a beast. Very good chances we missed an awesome player.

But before I declare it a mistake I’d at least like to see what our own pick looks like.

I have exactly the same view regarding Michkov/Reinbacher. I wanted Michkov, but won't crucify management until we actually see what Reinbacher is worth in the NHL. He started strong in the AHL and not many Ds get that strong of a start in that league.

 

[sampollock]

We don’t know if it was a mistake or not. RB hasn’t even played a game for us yet. Injuries are a wildcard that can’t be predicted.

Michkov could get hurt tomorrow, would that make it a bad pick for the Flyers? No.

I know.... this thread will go on for 5 years on this debate

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

I'm impressed with the young Russians in Columbus - Voronkov, Marchenko, Chinakhov all seem legit up front

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I know.... this thread will go on for 5 years on this debate

Michkov looks like he'll be a star. I can see why people are pissed.

I just hope they'll actually give RB a chance to show what he can do. Even if he's not as good, it doesn't mean he can't be a really good player. And that's the thing about rebuilds, even if you miss on BPA, you can still wind up with players who can help you win championships.

It really seems like some people have written him off already.

 

[badfish]

Would you still want Michkov if it meant parting ways with Caufield or Hutson? Speaking as someone who initially wanted Michkov and was disappointed when the Habs passed on him, I've come to reconsider. By the time the 2023 draft rolled around, the Habs were likely already deep into negotiations on a long-term contract with Caufield and had a strong sense of Hutson's potential as something truly sepcial.

The bigger question is, can you realistically win a Stanley Cup with three smaller but highly skilled players in critical offensive roles? If you examine the top-6 forwards and top-4 defensemen of the last 10 cup winners, you'll see that no team has succeeded with even two undersized players in those roles - let alone three.

So if your goal is to win the Cup with Michkov in the mix, you'd probably need to part with either Hutson or Caufield. It's a tough call, and opinions will vary widely, but for my money as of today (and probably even as of the 2023 draft) I'd prefer to have Caufield and Hutson.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Would you still want Michkov if it meant parting ways with Caufield or Hutson? Speaking as someone who initially wanted Michkov and was disappointed when the Habs passed on him, I've come to reconsider. By the time the 2023 draft rolled around, the Habs were likely already deep into negotiations on a long-term contract with Caufield and had a strong sense of Hutson's potential as something truly sepcial.

The bigger question is, can you realistically win a Stanley Cup with three smaller but highly skilled players in critical offensive roles? If you examine the top-6 forwards and top-4 defensemen of the last 10 cup winners, you'll see that no team has succeeded with even two undersized players in those roles - let alone three.

So if your goal is to win the Cup with Michkov in the mix, you'd probably need to part with either Hutson or Caufield. It's a tough call, and opinions will vary widely, but for my money as of today (and probably even as of the 2023 draft) I'd prefer to have Caufield and Hutson.

I'm sure that probably factored into the decision.

Going forward, what's our biggest need? A stabilizing force on the blueline. We really don't have that right now. That's what RB is supposed to bring.

 

[badfish]

I'm sure that probably factored into the decision.

Going forward, what's our biggest need? A stabilizing force on the blueline. We really don't have that right now. That's what RB is supposed to bring.

Couldn't agree more. For the first time in a long time I feel pretty good about the Habs top-6 offensive pieces moving forward (even if there's still uncertainty /work to be done and opportunities to improve). For me the most urgent needs are right defense and developing a bottom-6 that is big and nasty to play against.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Couldn't agree more. For the first time in a long time I feel pretty good about the Habs top-6 offensive pieces moving forward (even if there's still uncertainty /work to be done and opportunities to improve). For me the most urgent needs are right defense and developing a bottom-6 that is big and nasty to play against.

I was upset when we didn't take him. We've been missing a great scorer for so long... and this guy was right there.

But yeah, I get why they did what they did. And we got Demidov in the very next draft so... hopefully it wall works out. I get people being pissed but I hope they can at least wait a bit to see what RB can do. As much as I hate not getting Michkov, it still could work out well for us.

 

[sampollock]

This team needs way more then Michkov. they are already small and get pushed around