HF Habs: The official 2023-2024 tank thread

[LV426]

I don’t doubt Reinbacher will be a good hockey player.

Even if he does become a clear top pair, it was a strategic mistake on many accounts.

This franchise has been making strategic mistakes for 30 years.

 

[Kaladin]

This is our last tank season boys and girls. Let’s enjoy it.

 

[Belial]

This is our last tank season boys and girls. Let’s enjoy it.

It's a building/progression season.

 

[HuGo Burner Acc]

Let's also not forget that we are not the only young team whose young kids will be looking to take a step forward in performance...

All I'm saying is if things are like what they were last season with all the teams hypothetically getting better at the same rate, the Habs should finish around 20th I'd relatively healthy like they were before they started getting injured last year

I'm not sure why you would draw that conclusion, especially when you look at how a number of other rebuilds have developed.

Hockey is a pretty random game and outcome does not always equate to being the better team.

Rebuilds are also almost never linear and are affected by who you play. The East in general and the Atlantic in particular is a meat grinder and there are few teams that are, on paper, equal to or worse than Montreal right now - healthy or not, improvements or not. The only team in the conference whose roster I wouldn't take over Montreal's for next season only is the Flyers. That matters because Montreal's going to be playing bad teams less than teams out West.

All I'm saying is last year, Habs with pretty much the same roster was around 20th before going through historical highs in injuries. So if they stay relatively healthy, and hypothetically every rebuilding team progresses at the same rate this year or stays around the same level as last year, Habs should be competing for around 20th. I'm hoping for a tank year but prepared to be disappointed with the result when they're picking around 12th

 

[HabzSauce]

So hard to predict how this year will go. Habs are not to be slept on but on paper we are worst team in our division, and 2nd worst team in the conference behind Philly.

Columbus should be much better this year. I think anaheim takes a step forward - their coach looks like a good one and their depth is decent. Arizona looks way better on paper than last year.

Sharks, Philly, Chicago for sure will suck more than us. Looks like Nashville possibly too. And there's usually a surprise team having a meltdown.

I see us getting #5-7 in that range. We will be competitive and better than last year but so will the rest of the NHL by looks of it. Tough league right now!

 

[SlafySZN]

All I'm saying is if things are like what they were last season with all the teams hypothetically getting better at the same rate, the Habs should finish around 20th I'd relatively healthy like they were before they started getting injured last year


All I'm saying is last year, Habs with pretty much the same roster was around 20th before going through historical highs in injuries. So if they stay relatively healthy, and hypothetically every rebuilding team progresses at the same rate this year or stays around the same level as last year, Habs should be competing for around 20th. I'm hoping for a tank year but prepared to be disappointed with the result when they're picking around 12th

They’re not better than 11 teams

 

[Colezuki]

They’re not better than 11 teams

Chicago, Ana, phi, sj, for sure

In the large tier wit NSH, Det, Van, ari, STL, cbj, wsh, ott I have them finishing 10th-12th tbh

 

[HuGo Burner Acc]

They’re not better than 11 teams

They were last year before all the injuries

Anaheim, Vancouver, San Jose, Calgary, Chicago, Arizona, St Louis, Nashville, Columbus, Philadelphia, Washington, Ottawa, and Buffalo

 

[Belial]

They’re not better than 11 teams

They don't have to be better than 11 teams on paper to finish ahead of 11 teams.

A couple of injuries to some key players here and there, some bad seasons for some players it's all it takes.

The Canucks finished 22nd in the league last year with 83 points, I can see us flirting with 80 points this season if the roster can stay healthy.

 

[BLONG7]

Toe Blake once said...................predictions are for gypsies.

Don't care where we finish this year, they will be more fun to watch with a couple of more kids coming into the lineup with more TOI and some rinse and repeat deadwood long gone.

Patience guys....the real fun starts 2024-25

 

[WG]

All I'm saying is last year, Habs with pretty much the same roster was around 20th before going through historical highs in injuries. So if they stay relatively healthy, and hypothetically every rebuilding team progresses at the same rate this year or stays around the same level as last year, Habs should be competing for around 20th. I'm hoping for a tank year but prepared to be disappointed with the result when they're picking around 12th

The early season record was propped up by a very soft schedule.

In Oct/Nov:

Wins (11): TOR, Pit, Arz, Buf, StL, Det, Van, Pit, Phi, CBJ, Chi
Losses/OTL (11): Det, Was, DAL, MIN, MIN, WPG, VGK, NJ, CBJ, Buf, SJ

In the first 2 months, they played seven games against teams who made the playoffs and won one.

Injuries certainly played a part, especially Monahan, his loss kind of ruined the pecking order in the lineup but I think the team was headed for a fall regardless.

I wouldn't shocked if this year had them picking 10-12 but I still see it more likely that they will be safely in the top 10. I can't see them being better than anybody else in the division, and should be bottom 3 in the eastern conference, and while there will be bed western teams (Arz, Chi, Ana, SJ) I don't think there are 7 or 8 who will be worse than Montreal.

 

[Scriptor]

They’re not better than 11 teams

Fine, 12 it is then...

Toe Blake once said...................predictions are for gypsies.

Don't care where we finish this year, they will be more fun to watch with a couple of more kids coming into the lineup with more TOI and some rinse and repeat deadwood long gone.

Patience guys....the real fun starts 2024-25

Who told him that, a fortune teller?

 

[Scriptor]

The early season record was propped up by a very soft schedule.

In Oct/Nov:

Wins (11): TOR, Pit, Arz, Buf, StL, Det, Van, Pit, Phi, CBJ, Chi
Losses/OTL (11): Det, Was, DAL, MIN, MIN, WPG, VGK, NJ, CBJ, Buf, SJ

In the first 2 months, they played seven games against teams who made the playoffs and won one.

Injuries certainly played a part, especially Monahan, his loss kind of ruined the pecking order in the lineup but I think the team was headed for a fall regardless.

I wouldn't shocked if this year had them picking 10-12 but I still see it more likely that they will be safely in the top 10. I can't see them being better than anybody else in the division, and should be bottom 3 in the eastern conference, and while there will be bed western teams (Arz, Chi, Ana, SJ) I don't think there are 7 or 8 who will be worse than Montreal.

What will matter most, IMO, assuming that the forward group stays healthy, is how the young Ds (and an older Savard) perform in their sophomore seasons and how the Gs holdup?

If Monahan can stay healthy for 70 games, along with Dach, Caufield, Anderson, etc., that will make huge difference and we will see that difference in the depth helping Suzuki break the70-point barrier, IMO.

 

[Rapala]

To quote the great Marc Bergevin "This is a transition year" even though we aren't coming off an ECF.

But this is what I believe we are transitioning from tank to also ran. 20 -24 seems about right. Next year is when we push and hope to be in the conversation towards TDL. Even then I don't think we will be strong enough to win those March and April games critical to earning a playoff spot. Every year there seems to be a team or teams who start really crap and never recover. Philadelphia and the New York Islanders come to mind even Columbus last season could never recover from their start. I didn't expect them to be that bad.

 

[Belial]

To quote the great Marc Bergevin "This is a transition year" even though we aren't coming off an ECF.

But this is what I believe we are transitioning from tank to also ran. 20 -24 seems about right. Next year is when we push and hope to be in the conversation towards TDL. Even then I don't think we will be strong enough to win those March and April games critical to earning a playoff spot. Every year there seems to be a team or teams who start really crap and never recover. Philadelphia and the New York Islanders come to mind even Columbus last season could never recover from their start. I didn't expect them to be that bad.

The great Marc Bergevin said once you get into the PO anything can happen!!!!

 

[Rapala]

The great Marc Bergevin said once you get into the PO anything can happen!!!!

He did but he neglected to mention it would take a worldwide epidemic to make that possible.

 

[Tyson]

This Habs team if healthy gets close to 85-90 points this season....I don't expect tanking to be part of the plan. Time to take the next step in building a winner.

 

[DAChampion]

Toe Blake once said...................predictions are for gypsies.

Lol he wouldn't say that in 2023.

 

[Belial]

He did but he neglected to mention it would take a worldwide epidemic to make that possible.

You are just underestimating his power...

 

[Revansky]

Teams clearly better than us (in our conference) : Tampa Bay, Toronto, Florida, Carolina, New Jersey, New York Rangers. (6)

Teams clearly better than us (in the west) : Colorado, Vegas, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Dallas, Seattle, Minnesota (7)

So at least 13 teams that will finish ahead of us even with injuries riddle season.

Teams that should be better than us (in our conference) : Pittsburgh, New York Islanders, Buffalo, Detroit, Boston, Ottawa (7)

Teams that should be better than us (in the west) : Calgary, Vancouver (2)

So it should be difficult to make playoffs as the better teams seems to be in the East. I see at least 13 teams with better roster than us and 22 teams in all the league. I think our ceiling is finishing between 19th or 20th (so around a 12th-15th pick) if some teams underperform or have injuries problems to star players and we perform better than expected.

In the same Ballpark than us : Nashville, Columbus, Winnipeg, St-Louis, Vancouver, Arizona (6)

Clearly worst than us : Chicago, Anaheim, San Jose, Philadelphia (4)

I think it's more likely that we finish between 27th and 23th (and 28th should be our floor). I see more potential in Vancouver, Winnipeg and Columbus than with our roster, so i would expect to finish 24th-25th this year. I don't see how we could make the playoffs unless 3-4 players make a big step in their development (or have career year at the same time) which would be good news for the rebuild, if it happens.

 

[Sunfyre]

Quite a few optimists in this thread. Looks like they see the rebuild pretty much completed and already slotting the Habs as a potential wildcard contender 1,5 years must be a new record. I just hope they don’t turn on the team when the reality kicks in in a few months

 

[Rapala]

Quite a few optimists in this thread. Looks like they see the rebuild pretty much completed and already slotting the Habs as a potential wildcard contender 1,5 years must be a new record. I just hope they don’t turn on the team when the reality kicks in in a few months

eh?

 

[Tyson]

Like Kent Hughes said...on paper this team isn't a playoff team, the game is played on the ice, not paper. Let's play the games.

 

[1909]

Habs won't make the Playoffs this year (95% chances they are not), but they will finish between 10th and 12th in their Conference, and give a good show.

 

[Mrb1p]

Habs have a better roster than Boston

Discuss