Playoffs Positivity Thread .......... Re-Poll, option to change your vote is open as of Jan 7

[SpeedyPotato]

It's nice to give the players support for the playoffs. Armia is a good playoff guy that knows how to play that style of game. If Beck is coming in, he and Heineman can learn a lot from these guys. It's not always about picks.

Beck, Heine and Armia would make for a really solid playoffs line, physical, tenacious and talented

 

[Trabdy2]

I think there's less than 50% chance we make it, so still a No from me, but less bolded.

Too many teams in contention that we'd have to beat out, and we will likely be selling at the deadline and giving rookies from Laval some looks.

 

[dcyhabs]

You can still get a good pick even if you don't draft top 5 or even top 10. Let's say we make the playoffs or come close or short by a little it will be the job of the scouts ti find another good player wherever the position the team draft. It's certainly easier to get a top prospect with a top pick but it's not impossible to get an impact guy with a mid or low pick. Caufield was 15th , Hutson 2nd round , Subban 2nd round , Pacioretty 22th overall etc. Hell one could argue that as of today Hutson is the real 1st overall of the 2022 draft. That's the type of homerun you need to it if you don't draft high.

It's harder to do consistently, though. Schafer would really complete the rebuild...

I'm OK if they get another injury or two and fade into a top 10 or top 5 pick, though. They are in reach of the playoffs with half a season to go but they only have to drop 6 points on a bunch of teams to get a top 5 pick. Once Demidov comes over they won't pick high and they'll have to count on their scouts.

 

[Tuggy]

Lots of games involving teams in the race.

Habs will drop out of the playoffs no matter what today.

Bruins and Lightning losses would be good.

 

[JustAHabFan]

Bruins is losing 0-3 against the Oilers.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

Of course, Pens go into OT. 14th time this season for them already.

Sens-Wings is going to OT, too.

Bruins lost to Oilers.

 

[JianYang]

Almost worst possible scenario on the scoreboard today.

 

[Habs 4 Life]

Seriously WTF, this would have been a perfect night if we were tanking!!

 

[JianYang]

Seriously WTF, this would have been a perfect night if we were tanking!!

The one positive is the bruins. They're free falling at the moment. The habs are 4 points away with three games in hand. Also, Flyers are trailing so will see if that sticks

But for the rest of the results... its pretty much as bad as it could have been.

Edit: habs will actually have 4 games in hand on the bruins before they play again. They got Tampa next so it doesn't get easier for them. If they lose that, it's 4 points away with 4 games in hand for the Habs.

 

[Jurivan Demidovsky]

It's harder to do consistently, though. Schafer would really complete the rebuild...

I'm OK if they get another injury or two and fade into a top 10 or top 5 pick, though. They are in reach of the playoffs with half a season to go but they only have to drop 6 points on a bunch of teams to get a top 5 pick. Once Demidov comes over they won't pick high and they'll have to count on their scouts.

Schaefer is a LD, where would he fit? Hutson and Ghule are both LD. We need a RD

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

Schaefer is a LD, where would he fit? Hutson and Ghule are both LD. We need a RD

You trade Guhle for one, at worst.

Schaefer & Hutson >>> Hutson & Guhle

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

Terrible reverse tank night with everybody getting points grrrr

 

[Kennerback]

Looking at the glass half full. If everyone wins their games in hand, Habs are in the playoffs.

- TB finishes 3rd in the Atlantic
- Ottawa is WC#1
- Montreal is WC#2
- Boston is out

So if the season ends at 43 games, our fate is in our hands. We’re in.

 

[ReHabs]

There’s a difference between wanting more from him and just lying about his record and his contributions so far. I’m just not overly worried.

Do you want more from him? I see you bicker with me, I see a lot of you guys just bicker and try to attack people who want to talk about Slafkovsky. You'd rather talk about posters than Slafkovsky. Do you even want more from him or are you happy? If you're happy that's great, keep taking aim at other fans as much as you want -- but say you're happy with how he's playing. Take a position.

Since when is contextualizing bad? Hardly any analysis, if any, is meaningful without context, including quantitative comparisons. What is vital, I think, is to shift the discussion away from evaluating Slaf against first overalls, given no fans viewed him as generational, and given its a moot point, as he's already on the club and has a contract for next 8 years. Finding a means of evaluating him that is proportional to what he is as a player, and what we can expect in the coming years, is the challenge. He is currently fourth among forwards in points as a 20 year old. I'm optimistic he will improve with age and experience.

Contextualising is fine but it gets excessive when ever single argument, point, comment, and observation made about Slaf, MSL, Hughes, Dach, Newhook, or basically any aspect of the Habs is dismantled with "just be patient" and "they're young and/or developing" and "he's only 20" and "it's a rebuild, what did you expect?".

Did you not experience this with Kostitsyn, Glachenyuk, and Kotkaniemi? "He's only 19, 20, 21, 22! He's just a baby! Next year is the year!"

For what it's worth, I'm also optimistic Slaf has a lot more to show. This is why I feel comfortable commenting when he plays badly or underwhelms -- I don't expect the moon but I expect more than he's shown. I still don't know his ceiling but it's higher than this. It gets annoying seeing the same line over and over made in response to anyone who comments on a bad game of his.

But if it assuages your desire to hear it, yes Slaf has been bad at times this season, and yet saying this achieves very little in terms of analysis without establishing expectations and putting it into context.

It does assuage my desire, thank you. I want to see even-handed commentary because only at that point we'll see some interesting analysis and perspectives. Until then it's one party commenting on hockey and hockey players and the other party commenting on the first party. BORING.

 

[sampollock]

make the playoffs. just dont want to play the figs
SN and TSN would be way to much to handle

 

[CAUFIELD]

make the playoffs. just dont want to play the figs
SN and TSN would be way to much to handle

Playing the leafs 1st round would be a benediction

 

[Hope Of Glory]

We could pass the Bruins for a playoff spot if we win our games in hand.

And we're also only four points out of a top 5 pick.

This is crazy.

There's a world where we're in the mix for most of the year and still somehow end up with a top 5 pick by getting a 5-7 game losing streak to end the year. So we technically could be in the mix AND tank lmfao.

 

[Kennerback]

The Bruins are the real impostors in this race. They’re being artificially propped up by all the extra games they played.

By the time everyone plays their games in hand, they’ll be debating if they’re in the sewer or in the gutter.

 

[Adam Michaels]

No game of significance in terms of the standings tonight.

Only game that is related to MTL is CGY vs. LAK. A CGY regulation loss is what we want. They're currently sitting outside a playoff spot, but they're tied at 45 pts with VAN and the 2WC spot. VAN is ahead because they have a game in hand.

What we want is for CGY to miss the playoffs, but not be in the Top-10 because then we get FLA's 1st.

 

[WeThreeKings]

No game of significance in terms of the standings tonight.

Only game that is related to MTL is CGY vs. LAK. A CGY regulation loss is what we want. They're currently sitting outside a playoff spot, but they're tied at 45 pts with VAN and the 2WC spot. VAN is ahead because they have a game in hand.

What we want is for CGY to miss the playoffs, but not be in the Top-10 because then we get FLA's 1st.

I don't think we should cheer for too many Flames losses right now, too early and they don't have a whole lot of separation from the bottom 10.

 

[Adam Michaels]

I don't think we should cheer for too many Flames losses right now, too early and they don't have a whole lot of separation from the bottom 10.

Correct. We have to temper our desires because too many losses means they enter the Top-10 and we can forget about that pick.

 

[Deus ex machina]

No game of significance in terms of the standings tonight.

Only game that is related to MTL is CGY vs. LAK. A CGY regulation loss is what we want. They're currently sitting outside a playoff spot, but they're tied at 45 pts with VAN and the 2WC spot. VAN is ahead because they have a game in hand.

What we want is for CGY to miss the playoffs, but not be in the Top-10 because then we get FLA's 1st.

You can wait at least after the TDL to wish for loses. Still a half season to be played.
Calgary need to stay in the playoff race, otherwise they'll sell and that's a top 10 pick garanteed.
They've probably just lost Zary for a long time.

Don't be too greedy...lol
MTL will be lucky if they can get a top 20 pick.

 

[Frankenheimer]

It does assuage my desire, thank you. I want to see even-handed commentary because only at that point we'll see some interesting analysis and perspectives. Until then it's one party commenting on hockey and hockey players and the other party commenting on the first party. BORING.

I don't disagree, but I think the limit of what can be constructively said about Slaf and his development has been attained. We're now in a "wait and see" period. Unlike 24h sports media, we have no obligation to draw broad conclusions every day based on limited data. I like the idea of keeping Slaf exactly where he is and seeing if he can regain some of the intensity he had last year at this time.