"As I noted earlier, until Mailloux, Reinbacher, Beck and Slafkovsky become consistently contributing players, the depth of this team is illusory."
This is a key component to evaluating Montreal's chances of making the playoffs, forstartersam, then, of becoming eventual contender for a 25th Cup.
It's one thing to assume players like Mailloux, Reinbacher, Beck and Slafkovsky, or, even, Guhle, Roy, Hutson, and whomever will slot in on this teaming meaningful roles.
However, they need to develop and actually become key contributors in those roles for the roster to be anything, really.
We are still years away.
Mailloux and Roy might play in Montreal full-time starting as early as next year, but they won't be in their prime either. Learning curve, mistakes, gradually increasing offensive and defensive contributions over the next few years until then.
That's why I still maintain, whomever becomes as good as projected from our prospects (some will, some won't, some will fall somewhwere in between), we won't remaking any major splash in the standings, or carving any carnage in the playoffs before Gallagher and Anderson have come off the books, after four more years, or five years from now, if you prefer (2027-2028).
That's not a statement on the value of Gallagher or Anderson, just a reference in time, and that is still contingent on prospects developing properly, Hughes astutely using the Cap space that will gradually be freed up, plus management properly analyzing what is missing from the roster and finding a way to add those pieces without sacrificing too much from the young core.
Tall order and, while enthusiasm, as a fan, may be tantamount to being considered one, there's no way this team does anything meaningful within the next three or four years.
Teams like PIT,BOS, WASH, etc. ageing less than gracefully over that time span also won't hurt Montreal's chances of becoming relevant by then.
