Post-Game Talk: Prerequiste for preseason pre-game talk Canadiens Vs. Devils

[ReHabs]

I would trade Kent Hughes for Jack Hughes, think New Jersey is interested in a Hughes swap?

 

[Jack Skellington]

Farrell more then Mešar, but I tend to agree.

These are top6 players and we acquired Newhook to join Caufield, Suzuki, and Dach. Doesn’t leave much room for the undersized.

If the smaller players can make good separation with a strong leg drive perhaps there is hope yet, but otherwise they’ll have to be very very good at everything in order to get a shot. We’ll see — hopefully Hughes manages his assets well.

I could maybe see a Paul Byron role for Mesar with his speed if he becomes a great defensive player and fills out his frame.

 

[calder candidate]

Dobes had some crazy quick movement but also played him shelf out of position. If he able to stay between the posts he will be hard to beat…

 

[Jack Skellington]

Dobes had some crazy quick movement but also played him shelf out of position. If he able to stay between the posts he will be hard to beat…

Probably the sickest kit I've seen a Habs goalie rock since Halak

 

[JianYang]

Ahh, the preseason.... The time when fedor fedorov looked like Sergei fedorov, and latendresse looked like he was ready at age 18.

Its nice that hockey is back but be very careful reading too much into it.

 

[MagicalDeck]

I would trade Kent Hughes for Jack Hughes, think New Jersey is interested in a Hughes swap?

That would be a huge trade for us

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

Never got to watch this so just scrolled the posts here to find out how everyone did

My evaluation is a severe case of Bipolar Disorder as a fan base

 

[ChesterNimitz]

Top of this draft still pretty good

With Celebrini, Eiserman, Catton, Dickinson, Demidov, Silayev, Lindstrom, Mews, Levshunov and Helenius available at the top of the draft, any team drafting in the top ten is going to get a core player. So, don't fret, we're getting a key piece going forward.

 

[ChesterNimitz]

Honest everyone did pretty well, Mailloux got caught once but other than than was impressive, but I still think he is better off playing top minute in the AHL. Reinbacher was very good and efficient. Barron and Harris where good.
Ghule didn’t have a great game by his standards but wasn’t bad either. Xhekaj probably was of the worst D on the ice keep drifting to the puck forgetting to cover is side of the ice or out of position to make hits, when the plays slows down or when he isn’t direct involved it seem hard for him.
Upfront everyone had some flashes but not sure anyone trying to make the team really made a great case. Yolonen and Pezz who are probably fighting for 13th FW didn’t really stand out vs. guys that should start in the AHL. Slaf was good retrieving puck passing, but still seem a little hesitant need to keep is feet moving and shot earlier… Beck stood out positively

Good analysis. I agree, Xhekaj had trouble with the Devil's speed. While he is an intimidating force, he will have to be sheltered against quicker teams. But when Matheson plays, Xhekaj's ice time will be severelly reduced. I thought Harris played well. He was one of the few Montreal defencemen who could skate and execute against the Devil's pressure game. He doesn't get nearly the recognition here that he deserves. Guhle had a mediocre game and was vulnerable to the forecheck. Reinbacher showed what he wil bring in future: size, elite compete level; positioning and great defensive acumen. It was gutsy move to draft him above some of the other more touted forwards and that decision should pan out for team. But he clearly isn't ready to play effectively in the NHL this season. Mailloux played the way I expected, only better. I think he showed up well against a quick NHL team. His offensive vision and shot were well displayed. He threw more checks in this game than he did in a week of games last year in the OHL. While he has to get quicker, he clearly showed that he will be a major player for this team going forward starting in 24/25. There were no surprises with respect to the forwards. The AHLers showed they were AHLers. The fringe NHLers confirmed they are fringe NHLers. And the NHL players showed they were NHL players. I was impressed with Beck. His skating is already NHL level and he showed far more strength/power on his skates than I thought he had. This kid is a certain NHLer and may even make the team this year. As opposed to some, I thought Slafkovsky played a good game. He was noticeable. He was hitting, forechecking and was around the net. He played with energy and passion and brought an element of size to a largely smallish group of forwards on this team. Slafkovsky will make the team this year and by the end of the year will be a contributing player. If he stays healthy I can see him scoring 12 - 15 goals. As I noted earlier, until Mailloux, Reinbacher, Beck and Slafkovsky become consistently contributing players, the depth of this team is illusory. For us to be competitive we need all hands on deck. Even then, we probably will be drafting in the top 10. And in 2024, that may not be such a bad thing.

 

[ChesterNimitz]

To me the Newhook pickup kind of sealed the fates of both Farrell and Mesar with the Habs. Obviously things can change so we’ll see how it shakes out. I also don’t see a future with Harris here which hurts because I really like him. These guys are NHL players I just don’t think its here with what we have in the pipeline.

That pipeline is still one to two years away. Unless Hughes gets the proverbial offer he can’t refuse, Harris is on the team this year at least.

 

[RationalExpectations]

That pipeline is still one to two years away. Unless Hughes gets the proverbial offer he can refuse, Harris is on the team this year at least.

Allen contract + Petry retention tell us that Hughes seem to target 25/26 as first year to try to contend

 

[MadMslm]

Good analysis. I agree, Xhekaj had trouble with the Devil's speed. While he is an intimidating force, he will have to be sheltered against quicker teams. But when Matheson plays, Xhekaj's ice time will be severelly reduced. I thought Harris played well. He was one of the few Montreal defencemen who could skate and execute against the Devil's pressure game. He doesn't get nearly the recognition here that he deserves. Guhle had a mediocre game and was vulnerable to the forecheck. Reinbacher showed what he wil bring in future: size, elite compete level; positioning and great defensive acumen. It was gutsy move to draft him above some of the other more touted forwards and that decision should pan out for team. But he clearly isn't ready to play effectively in the NHL this season. Mailloux played the way I expected, only better. I think he showed up well against a quick NHL team. His offensive vision and shot were well displayed. He threw more checks in this game than he did in a week of games last year in the OHL. While he has to get quicker, he clearly showed that he will be a major player for this team going forward starting in 24/25. There were no surprises with respect to the forwards. The AHLers showed they were AHLers. The fringe NHLers confirmed they are fringe NHLers. And the NHL players showed they were NHL players. I was impressed with Beck. His skating is already NHL level and he showed far more strength/power on his skates than I thought he had. This kid is a certain NHLer and may even make the team this year. As opposed to some, I thought Slafkovsky played a good game. He was noticeable. He was hitting, forechecking and was around the net. He played with energy and passion and brought an element of size to a largely smallish group of forwards on this team. Slafkovsky will make the team this year and by the end of the year will be a contributing player. If he stays healthy I can see him scoring 12 - 15 goals. As I noted earlier, until Mailloux, Reinbacher, Beck and Slafkovsky become consistently contributing players, the depth of this team is illusory. For us to be competitive we need all hands on deck. Even then, we probably will be drafting in the top 10. And in 2024, that may not be such bad thing.

I liked Beck tonight, a lot of speed and always hustling for the puck. He was also massive of the faceoffs. Wouldn’t be surprised if they give him a few games at the beginning of the season before sending him down.

Slafkovsky had his best game this week. I don’t remember a game where he skated more in control of the puck than this one. He did win some battles and set up some nice plays. He had a few pass that didn’t make it and still stands a bit too much to read the play. The more he will touch the puck the better it will be confidence wise.

Mailloux also had a pretty good showing, did what he was supposed to do and put himself in positions where he could showcase his talent. Good for him because his biggest problem is decision making, but he took good ones most of the time.

 

[ReHabs]

Allen contract + Petry retention tell us that Hughes seem to target 25/26 as first year to try to contend

Contending teams should have a taste of the playoffs before loading up and maxing cap commitments. Means we should be in the playoffs by next season.

Hughes made a mistake selling 2.3m in cap space in 2024/2025, he also made a mistake giving Allen that silly contract (3.7) and raise bringing the total dead cap from those two moves to c. 6m. Taking into account Gallagher, that’s over 12m in dead or ineffective cap for next season. Very tricky asset management but it shouldn’t be impossible to hit the playoffs next season.

If we miss the playoffs this year that will be three straight years, if we miss it next year it will be the first time in Habs history we miss the playoffs four seasons in a row. I hope not to see it.

 

[RationalExpectations]

Contending teams should have a taste of the playoffs before loading up and maxing cap commitments. Means we should be in the playoffs by next season.

Hughes made a mistake selling 2.3m in cap space in 2024/2025, he also made a mistake giving Allen that silly contract (3.7) and raise bringing the total dead cap from those two moves to c. 6m. Taking into account Gallagher, that’s over 12m in dead or ineffective cap for next season. Very tricky asset management but it shouldn’t be impossible to hit the playoffs next season.

If we miss the playoffs this year that will be three straight years, if we miss it next year it will be the first time in Habs history we miss the playoffs four seasons in a row. I hope not to see it.

Well it seems hard to envision playoffs in the next two years without some players taking a huge step, namely Dach Newhook Guhle Barron Slaf Caufield Suzuki Matheson and Montembault.

Not impossible yet unlikely.

That being said I still don't get the Allen contract but feel like the Petry retention could not be avoided if he wanted a 2nd rounders from Karlsson trade as he did.

 

[ReHabs]

Well it seems hard to envision playoffs in the next two years without some players taking a huge step, namely Dach Newhook Guhle Barron Slaf Caufield Suzuki Matheson and Montembault.

Not impossible yet unlikely.

If these players do not take the necessary steps forward we will have to blow it all up anyway. So either way, it's bound to lead to new things. I find it hard to believe these players won't improve or progress -- it would be unheard of. We have to have some faith in their growth.

That being said I still don't get the Allen contract but feel like the Petry retention could not be avoided if he wanted a 2nd rounders from Karlsson trade as he did.

I don't understand why Hughes had to enable the Karlsson trade in the first place, the price we received in the end seems to me not worthwhile, but that's neither here nor there. Fact is,now we need to accomodate a fair bit of cap-inefficiency this year and next year.

 

[RationalExpectations]

If these players do not take the necessary steps forward we will have to blow it all up anyway. So either way, it's bound to lead to new things. I find it hard to believe these players won't improve or progress -- it would be unheard of. We have to have some faith in their growth.

Fully agreed. If they were in the West I d have more playoffs hope though....

7 Atlantic teams are competing for playoffs this year and Habs should be better : potential bloodbath

5 Metro teams are competitive + WSH is getting old but could rebound if Kuz Backstrom make a remarkable comeback + CBJ is a darkhorse. PHI should finish behind MTL.

 

[dcyhabs]

Haven't watched L'Antichambre in years, how the hell is PJ Stock still there? Guy can't speak French OR English properly, wtf

And Gaston

A lot of people on antichambre annoy me but I’ll always change the channel if Stock is on. So hard to figure out what he’s saying and it’s never worth the effort.

 

[dcyhabs]

Stephens was good for Laval last year too but had a rough go in this one. I can't wait to dump a truck load of players so we can start working on some structure and god help us our special teams. I wasn't a fan of 70+ players last year and I'm not a fan of 70+ players this year.

They are still digging for players as opposed to preparing for a playoff run. We’ll see what they do if they ever get good.

 

[Gillings]

Dobes has Halak's style in Price's body.

That’s exactly what I thought too lol

 

[sandviper]

Contending teams should have a taste of the playoffs before loading up and maxing cap commitments. Means we should be in the playoffs by next season.

Hughes made a mistake selling 2.3m in cap space in 2024/2025, he also made a mistake giving Allen that silly contract (3.7) and raise bringing the total dead cap from those two moves to c. 6m. Taking into account Gallagher, that’s over 12m in dead or ineffective cap for next season. Very tricky asset management but it shouldn’t be impossible to hit the playoffs next season.

If we miss the playoffs this year that will be three straight years, if we miss it next year it will be the first time in Habs history we miss the playoffs four seasons in a row. I hope not to see it.

I’d brace myself for that if I were you.

I expect a 9-12 finish this year. Next year, 13-16, so the 25-26 season makes sense.

While the rebuild started in 21-22, that year was more like a kick in the nutsack and a complete mess-up by the prior management going into the season. While the 23 draft didn’t thrill me, and not all moves have been great, the past two years have just been cleaning up the mess.

We’re rebuilding of course during this time, and I do think we need a couple more years. I expect this year to be painful and annoying, but the push will hopefully come next year. It’s possible we’ll make the playoffs, but I expect a close finish but still fall short.

 

[Victoire HuGo]

I haven't read the Post game stuff. But fwiw I did see improvements in Slaf's game and his involvement on shifts. Mailloux has definitely interesting tools. I liked what I saw from Newhook and Monty.

Farrell and Ylonen, who was mostly noticeable once goalie was pulled, need to do more

 

[rickthegoon]

Invisible but very nice mitts on his goal

Crazy how opinions differ on this board ; what I saw from Roy was incredible. All game long he battled for pucks along the board and was the guy coming out of the scrum in possession of the puck. He made a bunch of nifty passes, played level headed and never looked shy of cutting to the net.
The same for Slaf ; about 1\2 the posters here feel the need to call him a bust, but after a bad 1st period, I thought he looked really good for the rest of the game considering his age and the fact he played his last game 9 months ago. I just think he’s not a right fit for playing with a guy like Anderson who’s always all over the ice. I have zero worries with the kid.
Same thing for Xhekaj ; the guy last played in February……give the kids a chance to get their groove back.
Some people are high on Ylonen ; I have never been on that bandwagon. But I do admit that I liked what I saw a few times last night. Maybe he’s a late bloomer like Plekanec was. I still think he would not be claimed if he’s waivered, and hopefully he spends a last year playing big minutes in all situations in Laval.
I was mostly impressed by Reinbacher ; might have made a couple of mistakes, but overall he looked poised , has elite skating and vision, doesn’t get pushed around. I think he’s a blue chip and will be on our top 4 for a long time.

 

[Habs Icing]

Dobes had some crazy quick movement but also played him shelf out of position. If he able to stay between the posts he will be hard to beat…

I see great potential in Dobes and the biggest problem I see with him is he makes himself small in the crease. He's a colossus of a man but his stance has him crouching and bending over. He doesn't use the full size of his body.

 

[Habs Icing]

If we miss the playoffs this year that will be three straight years, if we miss it next year it will be the first time in Habs history we miss the playoffs four seasons in a row. I hope not to see it.

I hope you don't mean that. There are only two possibilities that can make your wish come true. The Habs make the playoffs or you're talking to St Peter trying to convince him there has been a mistake.

 

[Adam Michaels]

Preseason, particularly the first two games, are normally full of rust. Players miss their passes. They mishandle the puck. Turnover after turnover.

I feel like Reinbacher, Slaf & Roy gave us glimpses of what they'll be able to bring down the road.

We have already seen what Beck will be able to bring, but I feel like he was fighting with the puck a few times to where a play was there for him, but because he was mishandling the puck, that play disappeared.

We should expect another rusty game tomorrow since most of the guys will be playing their first game.