HF Habs: The Martin St Louis Thread

[Egresch]

It's no major mistake but rather a desperate push for playoffs.

This might seem little irrelevant at the moment of desperate push for playoffs, but it is a concern that needs to be fixed. The goal was to play meaningful games in March, so our young guys can get the feeling of playoffs. The reality is we are in a playoff push, but Roy and Xhekaj are in the press box while Savard, Armia are on the ice heavily struggling. What is the point of playing them? Savard might be 8 games from retirement and he is obviously the worst D on the team. Armia is injured, having zero impact on the game.
Ffs, Pezzetta played 112 minutes of hockey the whole year, no wonder all other guys are exhausted.
Dont forget that this should be just the begining of our journey when we contend. You need to make the playoffs AND THEN still win 16 more games to reach the ultimate goal.

 

[Paradoxe]

This might seem little irrelevant at the moment of desperate push for playoffs, but it is a concern that needs to be fixed. The goal was to play meaningful games in March, so our young guys can get the feeling of playoffs. The reality is we are in a playoff push, but Roy and Xhekaj are in the press box while Savard, Armia are on the ice heavily struggling. What is the point of playing them? Savard might be 8 games from retirement and he is obviously the worst D on the team. Armia is injured, having zero impact on the game.
Ffs, Pezzetta played 112 minutes of hockey the whole year, no wonder all other guys are exhausted.
Dont forget that this should be just the begining of our journey when we contend. You need to make the playoffs AND THEN still win 16 more games to reach the ultimate goal.

Armia is still a factor in PK, and so is Savard ... you need to look closely at each aspect of the game to understand those decisions.

 

[hvac412]

He needs to have the same rules for all Dmen. Wifi messes up, he's gone for a few games. Matheson messes up, his ice time is not reduced. Just becuase there is no replacement does not mean he can get away with brutal give aways.

Its the Marty Bonaparte way .

 

[CzarDemidov]

This might seem little irrelevant at the moment of desperate push for playoffs, but it is a concern that needs to be fixed. The goal was to play meaningful games in March, so our young guys can get the feeling of playoffs. The reality is we are in a playoff push, but Roy and Xhekaj are in the press box while Savard, Armia are on the ice heavily struggling. What is the point of playing them? Savard might be 8 games from retirement and he is obviously the worst D on the team. Armia is injured, having zero impact on the game.
Ffs, Pezzetta played 112 minutes of hockey the whole year, no wonder all other guys are exhausted.
Dont forget that this should be just the begining of our journey when we contend. You need to make the playoffs AND THEN still win 16 more games to reach the ultimate goal.

You have to assume (and accept) that his coaching ego gets in the way and the greater good is identified as getting into the playoffs rather than taking respected vets out with less than ten games left to play.

Roy and Xhekaj had all season to earn a spot and both failed to convince. Armia and Savard are very likely leaving as UFAs and these two (Roy and Xhekaj) won’t be pegged as their replacements.

It’s slightly problematic, in fact.

 

[Archijerej]

This might seem little irrelevant at the moment of desperate push for playoffs, but it is a concern that needs to be fixed. The goal was to play meaningful games in March, so our young guys can get the feeling of playoffs. The reality is we are in a playoff push, but Roy and Xhekaj are in the press box while Savard, Armia are on the ice heavily struggling. What is the point of playing them? Savard might be 8 games from retirement and he is obviously the worst D on the team. Armia is injured, having zero impact on the game.
Ffs, Pezzetta played 112 minutes of hockey the whole year, no wonder all other guys are exhausted.
Dont forget that this should be just the begining of our journey when we contend. You need to make the playoffs AND THEN still win 16 more games to reach the ultimate goal.

People are going to have to come to terms with the fact that as this team moves closer to competitiveness, more and more of our prospects are going to prove themselves as not being up to the task. We are not running a charity here.

Xhekaj had two stress-free seasons to establish himself as something more than replacement-level defender in this league.

Primeau was the designated backup. We traded Jake Allen to clear any obstacles for him.

Roy had a spot in the lineup at training camp and played himself out of that spot.

Barron proved a failure and was traded.

It's the natural cycle of team's development.

 

[WinterLion]

Fire the bum.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

From 55 points to 85 points (and counting) in just 3 seasons. Give this man some respect.

 

[ahmedou]

 

[Non Player Canadiens]

Name a better coach we've had in the past 30 years.

c r i c k e t s

 

[Hope Of Glory]

Young players developped well for the most par and we'll be in or really close to the playoffs despite some major holes in the roster.

Are we really going to say he's a bad coach because what, he benched a fringe player that can throw big hits? Or we don't agree we his line combinations sometimes?

Maybe somebody can explain with actual Xs and Os and strategy what he is doing that is so bad?

Disclaimer: I don't think he's Montgomery or Bowman. But the whining is reall weird, given what we've been able to achieve, especially considering where we started from and the early expectations.

 

[JoelWarlord]

This might seem little irrelevant at the moment of desperate push for playoffs, but it is a concern that needs to be fixed. The goal was to play meaningful games in March, so our young guys can get the feeling of playoffs. The reality is we are in a playoff push, but Roy and Xhekaj are in the press box while Savard, Armia are on the ice heavily struggling. What is the point of playing them?

Xhekaj and Roy don't kill penalties, Savard and Armia do.

People are going to have to come to terms with the fact that as this team moves closer to competitiveness, more and more of our prospects are going to prove themselves as not being up to the task. We are not running a charity here.

Agree. I'm still a Joshua Roy believer but Roy and Armia aren't really even in competition. Roy is never going to be a fit on the kind of fourth line Montreal is using and he doesn't kill penalties. He's out of the lineup because Anderson, Gallagher, and Heineman are ahead of him in the pecking order for the third line and both Kapanen and Heineman are better stylistic fits on the fourth line with Evans + Armia (and even Pezzetta probably is on a short term basis). It really doesn't have much to do with Armia at all, it's because Anderson, Gallagher, and Heineman have earned the middle six roles and Laine is obviously set in stone on our 2nd line.

I find this board is very "hockey dad" about Xhekaj. I love the guy and I want it to work out but Struble is just flat out better and it's not clear to me why we should dress him on the right side over Savard when he can't kill penalties and hasn't really been meaningfully better than Savard at 5v5. He's a better enforcer but that's not enough to keep him in the lineup.

 

[Egresch]

Xhekaj and Roy don't kill penalties, Savard and Armia do.

That is the example I was actually refering to. There is no future plan for PK. Guhle is basically the only future player who plays PK.
Savard, Dvorak, Armia will be gone in the summer. Andy, Matheson, maybe even Carrier will stay max 3 more years. Evans was almost traded.
Xhekaj nor Struble never really got a chance to play PK even if they are good types for that role. I dont want to see Suzuki in PK.

 

[Canadienna]

A lot of people wanted this guy instead....

 

[HabbyGuy]

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

"Coaching is a serious problem..."

 

[Mrb1p]

"Coaching is a serious problem..."

Still is despite Suzuki and Hutson.

Lets not forget this team made the SCF with a Junior coach like Ducharme. Success is not necessarily a constant in the quality of coaching.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

"Coaching is a serious problem..."

also "the rebuild needs a rebuild"

Nothing worse than post-loss hot takes.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Still is despite Suzuki and Hutson.

Lets not forget this team made the SCF with a Junior coach like Ducharme. Success is not necessarily a constant in the quality of coaching.

Yep. Let’s fire him before the playoffs.

 

[Deluded Puck]

Most publications had us in the bottom five.

I didn't agree with it. I think many posters here expected around 85 points and out of the playoffs but that's certainly not where the hockey world saw us.

I just don't get how people can't see what a good job MSL has done for us. Our players have developed really well under him. Name a better coach we've had in the past 30 years.

If we had an MSL type coach , I think previous generations of Habs wouldn’t have been restricted/wasted

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

If we had an MSL type coach , I think previous generations of Habs wouldn’t have been restricted/wasted

Correct.

MSL has been pretty awesomely developing these players. That doesn’t mean he’s perfect. I’m not happy with him not playing Roy for example but overall he’s done well.

 

[Mrb1p]

Yep. Let’s fire him before the playoffs.

Worked for the Habs in 2021 with COVID.

Im not advocating for them to fire him now, but to say coaching isnt a problem is wrong.

 

[Jack Spider]

Correct.

MSL has been pretty awesomely developing these players. That doesn’t mean he’s perfect. I’m not happy with him not playing Roy for example but overall he’s done well.

Isn't Roy needed for Laval playoffs ? why is he a healthy scratch?

 

[OneSharpMarble]

He needs to have the same rules for all Dmen. Wifi messes up, he's gone for a few games. Matheson messes up, his ice time is not reduced. Just becuase there is no replacement does not mean he can get away with brutal give aways.

This is ridiculous, no all players don't have the same rules. A guy who eats 30minutes a night in the hardest of situations is not treated the same as a guy who plays like 10minutes and isn't great defensively. This is just wrong.

 

[Sorinth]

He needs to have the same rules for all Dmen. Wifi messes up, he's gone for a few games. Matheson messes up, his ice time is not reduced. Just becuase there is no replacement does not mean he can get away with brutal give aways.

MSL has been pretty clear from day 1 that what he cares about is the decision making process that led to the mistake over the results of the mistake. Matheson's mistakes are mostly related to execution, he whiffs on a pass, or bobbles the puck and turns it over, etc... And we've seen Xhekaj make those same mistakes and not get punished. When he does get punished for his mistakes it's always because the decision making process was bad like chasing a hit.

Also no coach in the NHL has ever run what fans would consider a pure meritocracy where everyone is treated exactly equal. So if MSL is a bad coach for not doing it, then every coach in NHL history is also a bad coach and being a bad coach loses all meaning.

 

[Mrb1p]

This is ridiculous, no all players don't have the same rules. A guy who eats 30minutes a night in the hardest of situations is not treated the same as a guy who plays like 10minutes and isn't great defensively. This is just wrong.

Matheson doesn't play in the toughest of situation, I've debunked this a million times. Guhle, Carrier and Hutson play tougher minutes at 5V5 and more minutes at 5V5. Yes Matheson plays a lot, but a lot of those minutes is because he gets hemmed in for 2m shifts +. Every single game he has 2-3 of those shifts. He plays less shifts on average than all three above, but somehow plays 5-6 more minutes a game.

He has more leash because he's a Quartexx client and Hughes loves him like his son.