Post-Game Talk: Requiem for the 2023 NHL Draft

[26Mats]

It really does seem like our scouts don't give 2 shits about production. Incidentally, the players with the most impressive statistical profiles are both defensemen: Reinbacher and Konyushkov.

It was a bit the same thing last year. The most impressive statistical profile from last year was Hutson. Beck, Guindon, Vinzenz, and even Slaf had very blah production.

As Beck has shown, you can win the game of picking against stats sometimes. But if you always pick against them, you're basically not going to have any super offensive threats in your prospect pool.

One of the main things people are saying about Reinbacher is what big numbers he put up for a young d in the swiss league.

They're saying his numbers were bigger than Josi's at the same age.

 

[Garbageyuk]

Michkov is the second coming of Gilbert Brule. The old HF Habs board lost their minds when the team picked Price over Brule way back then too. He’s going to bust.

 

[NotProkofievian]

Bobrov, who's father is employed by SKA, seemed to imply quite a bit in that interview. From unknowns about "others" to how Reinbacher would fit team culture. Will be very interesting to see how everything will deploy over the next few years.

In any case, while I was reviewing tape in recent days, I decided to go for Michkov as my pick (started off with Will Smith, but didn't think he would be available and mentioned I thought management would choose between Reinbacher and Leonard). The reason was how he understands what works offensively to produce at an elite level. I'm not sure about the size concerns, nor the skating, as his edges were so high level (significantly better than Benson, another small forward with good edges). I can't say anything about his character though, but it seems Wright has shown red flags since the draft and Michkov himself has many uncertainties that can qualify as red flags. That Bobrov seems to imply this is interesting, but could be a misinterpretation from my part.

That said, they did take some big gambles with both Newhooks and passing over Michkov. I don't think Reinbacher is much of a gamble though. I posted my feelings previously on him and it was interesting to see Hughes describe him similar to how I viewed him. He's a very, very good player. Dallas passed on Pettersson and Makar and honestly at the level Heiskanen plays at, it doesn't really matter.

Fwiw, here are my thoughts in Reinbacher from early June :

I would be surprised if teams dont have Reinbacher very high. He's impressive. He's smart on both ends, he's already worked on many pro details in his game (his escapes, for example, but those details are numerous), he can rush the puck, he has good vision offensively and he's got a hard shot that gets through. Add that he can already pin pro players effectively while having a lot of room to bulk up... I think he's not going to wait long come draft day

Another thing I'll add is I didn't see the contradictions people are mentioning. Hughed said they lacked live viewings for Michkovs. They didn't lack live viewings for Reinbacher. Hughes did. The scouting staff didn't. Watching the whole conference, it didn't seem like they went for need, but moreso that RHDs hold more value, which is close to a fact.

As far as the rest of the draft, meh. And, I'm still wondering how they'll bolster the offense. A goalie is not an impossible asset to find. But, where will the MacKinnon or Eichel come from ? They need more darts on the board still and I'm not sure the team will be bad enough next year.

If we know anything in Montreal it's how to lose with class.

One of the main things people are saying about Reinbacher is what big numbers he put up for a young d in the swiss league.

They're saying his numbers were bigger than Josi's at the same age.

Reinbacher had the most productive d year season for a defenceman in the NLA ever. His statistical profile is excellent.

The forwards? Nope.

 

[BenchBrawl]

What's more silly, having a meltdown here 24 hrs in, or paying $300+ to go watch that team?

This is a serious question.

 

[Guy Larose]

 

[Mrb1p]

The KHL is basically a dark hole and from what I’ve read there isn’t much communication at all between them and the NHL. I don’t think NHL teams trust them to develop players. Even Reinbacher for example, we were able to get valid insight into who he was as a player from the team he played and there’s no doubts the NHL is his final goal. The KHL views themselves as a competing league and they only have their best interest in mind. I think that’s the biggest flag that scared teams off from him. I think Michkov’s ceiling is higher then everyone in this draft not named Bedard by far, but that didn’t stop 3 teams ahead of us from passing on him as well. Michkov can say all the right things in interviews to the public, but there’s clearly something there that scared people off.

Woooooo scary KHL so scary

What is this 1953?

Yeah turds exist everywhere.

Idk why they didnt consider this though. Same as Kotkaniemi who was treated like shit from day 1

 

[Andrei79]

It really does seem like our scouts don't give 2 shits about production. Incidentally, the players with the most impressive statistical profiles are both defensemen: Reinbacher and Konyushkov.

It was a bit the same thing last year. The most impressive statistical profile from last year was Hutson. Beck, Guindon, Vinzenz, and even Slaf had very blah production.

As Beck has shown, you can win the game of picking against stats sometimes. But if you always pick against them, you're basically not going to have any super offensive threats in your prospect pool.

I'm not confident in their ability to draft forwards. You do wonder how they'll build a first line. I think they'll likely do fine building the rest, but if you're skipping over what usually lets you get a sniff at the cup... Good luck trying to be a serious contender.

Pretty sick stuff. Hope no one here is that much of a garbage human being.

 

[Guy Larose]

 

[BenchBrawl]

Disturbing to hear some people DM'ed him.

I hope the brass is smart enough to have clearly explained to him that many people will channel their subconscious emotions onto the team, as IMO it is one of the purpose the Habs have in Quebec, and that he should protect his social media from now on. If the brass didn't do that, they're old farts who must get in with the times and get smarter.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

So Brière went the extra mile and was extremely smart about it, to make Michkov feel wanted by his team, which may have led to him preferring the Flyers (or not). Still, you got to respect the effort by Brière. It's a business but everyone is human, so just knowing the facility and the people face to face already, can move the needle.

Eras can be defined by little things like this.

Yup. They knew he was here for a short time, and went all out. Have to give them credit for managing that. Philadelphia is really close to New York, an easy jaunt, but Michkov was also interested in doing that detour, so mutual interest.

My feelings last year was that Montreal didn't draft Cooley because he didn't want to come to Montreal. He actually really wanted to go to Arizona (he talked about Arizona's situation in interviews), whereas Slafkovsky was really interested in coming to Montreal and wanted to be #1 pick. Sometimes that's all it takes. Montreal would never say that. No one would.

Arizona said both Simashev & But were excited about going there. Michkov wasn't. They didn't draft him.

Prior to draft, rumours were Michkov was trying to pick his team. Everyone thought it was Washington. Nope!

Philadelphia picked up a terrific young player with a ton of personality and swagger. I wanted the kid too, and it was a bit of a gut punch when we passed on ALL the forwards for a D. Lol

 

[BenchBrawl]

Yup. They knew he was here for a short time, and went all out. Have to give them credit for managing that. Philadelphia is really close to New York, an easy jaunt, but Michkov was also interested in doing that detour, so mutual interest.

My feelings last year was that Montreal didn't draft Cooley because he didn't want to come to Montreal. He actually really wanted to go to Arizona (he talked about Arizona's situation in interviews), whereas Slafkovsky was really interested in coming to Montreal and wanted to be #1 pick. Sometimes that's all it takes. Montreal would never say that. No one would.

Arizona said both Simashev & But were excited about going there. Michkov wasn't. They didn't draft him.

Prior to draft, rumours were Michkov was trying to pick his team. Everyone thought it was Washington. Nope!

Philadelphia picked up a terrific young player with a ton of personality and swagger. I wanted the kid too, and it was a bit of a gut punch when we passed on ALL the forwards for a D. Lol

Well I understand the ethical dilemma, but maybe they should. It's a tradition not to say it, but really, why not? I agree with you though. Behind-the-scenes can be complicated. But you can also power through it, by say, picking Michkov anyway.

What Brière did reminds me of Bob Gainey's walks with Kovalev.

 

[nhlfan9191]

Woooooo scary KHL so scary

What is this 1953?


Yeah turds exist everywhere.

Idk why they didnt consider this though. Same as Kotkaniemi who was treated like shit from day 1

I wanted them to take Michkov. I’m just alright with the logic behind moving past him. I’m probably biased tho because Reinbacher was my guy after Smith/Michkov.

 

[NotProkofievian]

I'm not confident in their ability to draft forwards. You do wonder how they'll build a first line. I think they'll likely do fine building the rest, but if you're skipping over what usually lets you get a sniff at the cup... Good luck trying to be a serious contender.

It seems like they are going forward with Suzuki, Caufield, Slaf, Dach and now Newhook, and hoping that some players from our prospect pool will become something special. It's not that I don't like these players, it's just that everything has to go right or we'll be underpowered as usual. If Dach becomes a 70 pt center, and Slaf becomes the next Alex Tuch (let's forget Rantanen shall we?) and Newhook can become a 30 goal sniper, then great. But that's already a lot of wishful thinking. As fans we neglect the ''shit happens'' factor.

It's either that they're confident in this group, or they know this is a dogshit team and we'll have a decent shot at Eiserman/Celebrini next year.

 

[Nedved]

Hitler? Because he's Austrian? That's pretty lame. At least compare him to the next Barker since it's related to hockey.

I wouldn't even be offended by that comment, it's more of a reminder of average iq, and half the people are below that. scary.

 

[Mrb1p]

I wanted them to take Michkov. I’m just alright with the logic behind moving past him. I’m probably biased tho because Reinbacher was my guy after Smith/Michkov.

I had Reinbacher 5th but MM 2nd.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

Well I understand the ethical dilemma, but maybe they should. It's a tradition not to say it, but really, why not? I agree with you though. Behind-the-scenes can be complicated. But you can also power through it, by say, picking Michkov anyway.

What Brière did reminds me of Bob Gainey's walks with Kovalev.

Because it reflects poorly on the player and he'd likely get attacked on his social media (Instagram in particular) by "fans", and maybe even given death threats. Plus, it breaks the secrecy/privacy of the interview process.

 

[Bourne Endeavor]

Well I understand the ethical dilemma, but maybe they should. It's a tradition not to say it, but really, why not? I agree with you though. Behind-the-scenes can be complicated. But you can also power through it, by say, picking Michkov anyway.

What Brière did reminds me of Bob Gainey's walks with Kovalev.

Because it might encourage more flack towards the players like we're seeing with assholes sending Reinbacher DMs. Imagine if Hughes outright said they didn't draft Michkov because he snubbed them. Not only would those same DM be sent towards Michkov but Hughes would essentially be putting down Reinbacher indirectly.

There's just no reason to voice any of those discussions publicly.

 

[Andrei79]

It seems like they are going forward with Suzuki, Caufield, Slaf, Dach and now Newhook, and hoping that some players from our prospect pool will become something special. It's not that I don't like these players, it's just that everything has to go right or we'll be underpowered as usual. If Dach becomes a 70 pt center, and Slaf becomes the next Alex Tuch (let's forget Rantanen shall we?) and Newhook can become a 30 goal sniper, then great. But that's already a lot of wishful thinking. As fans we neglect the ''shit happens'' factor.

It's either that they're confident in this group, or they know this is a dogshit team and we'll have a decent shot at Eiserman/Celebrini next year.

Winning the draft lottery next year would be close to mending the last holes in the team. It makes sense that they're trying to acquire players miscast, with talent and of similar ages so they'll all enter their primes together, but the problem here is it might make you just compétitive enough to miss the pieces you'd have needed. This year was a pretty good example of that. Though I do think Dach could end up being than some of the 2-4 guys, there's still a lot of wishful thinking there.

 

[BenchBrawl]

I mean, comparing him to Hitler is pretty harmless. It's so generic, it has no weight anymore. It's a meme. Just clown shit.

I'm more worried about people dissing him on specific things. Like what he looks like, how he plays, whatever.

Regardless, DMing with any sort of hate or insult is the behavior of a loser. He should respond to all by telling them they're f***ing losers.

 

[JT3]

Having settled in just now and reading some of the reports of the vitriol directed towards Reinbacher and the front office really makes me sad. The crap posted on this board the last 24 hours has been absolutely pathetic and is honestly embarrassing, and it's ironic that the most critical posters haven't been anywhere to be seen in the draft thread through the year whatsoever. You know who you are, and if you are having a meltdown over the draft when we don't even know who ends up the better player then you should put the phone or laptop down, step outside, and touch some grass.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

It seems like they are going forward with Suzuki, Caufield, Slaf, Dach and now Newhook, and hoping that some players from our prospect pool will become something special. It's not that I don't like these players, it's just that everything has to go right or we'll be underpowered as usual. If Dach becomes a 70 pt center, and Slaf becomes the next Alex Tuch (let's forget Rantanen shall we?) and Newhook can become a 30 goal sniper, then great. But that's already a lot of wishful thinking. As fans we neglect the ''shit happens'' factor.

It's either that they're confident in this group, or they know this is a dogshit team and we'll have a decent shot at Eiserman/Celebrini next year.

They do seem to have a lot of confidence in Dach & Caufield to be the offensive leaders that this team needs. I do think Caufield can be a 40g, 40a player. He might get there next year (I'll stick with 35g, 35a).

Dach was scary good last year at times. He looked like a #1 C, but he needs to find a level of consistency. He's still very on-off. The talent is there with Dach.

 

[Guy Larose]

Because it reflects poorly on the player and he'd likely get attacked on his social media (Instagram in particular) by "fans", and maybe even given death threats. Plus, it breaks the secrecy/privacy of the interview process.

Most kids are on social media today. Can you imagine that you just got picked by the MTL Canadiens and it's the best day of your life, then you see this shit?

 

[Nedved]

Having settled in just now and reading some of the reports of the vitriol directed towards Reinbacher and the front office really makes me sad. The crap posted on this board the last 24 hours has been absolutely pathetic and is honestly embarrassing, and it's ironic that the most critical posters haven't been anywhere to be seen in the draft thread through the year whatsoever. You know who you are, and if you are having a meltdown over the draft when we don't even know who ends up the better player then you should put the phone or laptop down, step outside, and touch some grass.

oh, the front office deserves it, the way Hughes said the drafted for need, terrifies me. I love to make fun of teams the draft by need because each draft pick is a future projection. You make trades for need and sign players for need, but to draft for need? get out of here.

The comments by Hughes leaves me zero hope with our drafting philosophy.

 

[JT3]

They do seem to have a lot of confidence in Dach & Caufield to be the offensive leaders that this team needs. I do think Caufield can be a 40g, 40a player. He might get there next year (I'll stick with 35g, 35a).

Dach was scary good last year at times. He looked like a #1 C, but he needs to find a level of consistency. He's still very on-off. The talent is there with Dach.

That's the craziest thing, we've got a kid who can LEGITIMATELY score 50 goals!! Plus 2 guys who have the potential to be top line or at least top 6 centers. And people lose their shit about not having elite forward talent. And that's without even getting into Slaf and the rest of our prospect depth. The hyperbole around here is just absolutely ridiculous. I watch hockey and read the boards to escape the shitshow of real life and yet it feels like the manufactured outrage of the rest of the media has rooted itself here as well. Frustrating. Like it's fine to be disappointed that we didn't take the guy you want but with the way folks here have reacted I think a lot of people are in need of therapy or something.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

Most kids are on social media today. Can you imagine that you just got picked by the MTL Canadiens and it's the best day of your life, then you see this shit?

Apparently, some of the other young guys on the team have reached out to him to welcome him. Guhle was in Nashville.