HF Habs: The official 2023-2024 tank thread

[Guy Larose]

This is a bottom 5 team.
Need to trade Monahan, Pearson, possibly Savard and one of Allen or Montembeault.
Take chance on players with size and skills like Riley Tufte.

They're not trading Monty lol

 

[The Great Weal]

I promise you if we were a wildcard team we couldn't be getting these OT points to save our lives and make the playoffs. Now that we aren't a playoff team we are collecting them like candy on Halloween.

 

[Kaiden Ghoul]

Those O.T point will bite us in the ass

 

[habsfan891]

I promise you if we were a wildcard team we couldn't be getting these OT points to save our lives and make the playoffs. Now that we aren't a playoff team we are collecting them like candy on Halloween.

Exactly this doomed for middle ground no matter what

 

[Lshap]

This is a bottom 5 team.
Need to trade Monahan, Pearson, possibly Savard and one of Allen or Montembeault.
Take chance on players with size and skills like Riley Tufte.

The player really hurting the tank is Suzuki. Need to trade him asap.

Seriously... Montembeault is proving himself to be a good starting goalie. The fixation with trading him has to stop. He has more value than many realize.

 

[StCaufield]

(mod) Tanking is overrated

The player really hurting the tank is Suzuki. Need to trade him asap.

Seriously... Montembeault is proving himself to be a good starting goalie. The fixation with trading him has to stop. He has more value than many realize.

He’s becoming elite. If we can kill penalties he’d be an all star

 

[Lshap]

Tanking is overrated

Tanking at all costs is a bad strategy, I agree. You want your future core to develop and improve, and that means winning a few more games.

That said, we desperately need more talent. A top-pick – ahem... the RIGHT top pick – gives us the best odds of getting it.

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

The player really hurting the tank is Suzuki. Need to trade him asap.

Seriously... Montembeault is proving himself to be a good starting goalie. The fixation with trading him has to stop. He has more value than many realize.

True. Montemabault should bring bag a lot in a trade but Habs might not ever acquire a better goaltender. Dobes, Fowler or Miller might be the next one or they could all be duds.

 

[Gravity]

Kent Hughes said the tanking phase of the rebuild is over after this year on AC. The yield with 1st rounders will be Slaf, Mesar, Reinbacher and 2024 ~8th OV. For me that's a pathetic haul. No real bluechip 1C or 1D prospect and no elite offensive talent.

They're really going to try to win a cup with Suzuki-Dach down the middle and CC on the top line

 

[sandviper]

Kent Hughes said the tanking phase of the rebuild is over after this year on AC. The yield with 1st rounders will be Slaf, Mesar, Reinbacher and 2024 ~8th OV. For me that's a pathetic haul. No real bluechip 1C or 1D prospect and no elite offensive talent.

They're really going to try to win a cup with Suzuki-Dach down the middle and CC on the top line

Got to hope they nail that 2024 pick. I agree there’s no blue chip 1C or 1D in the pipeline but I’d put Hutson as an elite offensive talent. Hoping Fowler develops given his potential shown. The kryptonite of a lot of rebuilding teams are the lack of solid goaltending so I hope we dodge that issue.

I do disagree that 14-77 up the middle is, uh, mid. Of course, having Bedard or Celebrini would be preferable but those two would be a pretty decent one two up the middle. Naturally, who they have as linemates and how are bottom-6 is built will matter.

On the Notebook podcast, Basu said something interesting where he ran down the last 10 cup winners and top picks didn’t necessarily make up the majority of these teams. We’re still early in the rebuild so the fruits of our development team overhaul aren’t known yet but how our team looks today won’t be the same when we contend.

 

[Gravity]

Got to hope they nail that 2024 pick. I agree there’s no blue chip 1C or 1D in the pipeline but I’d put Hutson as an elite offensive talent. Hoping Fowler develops given his potential shown. The kryptonite of a lot of rebuilding teams are the lack of solid goaltending so I hope we dodge that issue.

I do disagree that 14-77 up the middle is, uh, mid. Of course, having Bedard or Celebrini would be preferable but those two would be a pretty decent one two up the middle. Naturally, who they have as linemates and how are bottom-6 is built will matter.

On the Notebook podcast, Basu said something interesting where he ran down the last 10 cup winners and top picks didn’t necessarily make up the majority of these teams. We’re still early in the rebuild so the fruits of our development team overhaul aren’t known yet but how our team looks today won’t be the same when we contend.

My player comps for 14 and 77 have always been Hischier and Johansen. That is mid imo. Very far from elite. I agree that we won't know how our team looks like when we contend but the only real wildcard at F right now is Slaf imo (how high can he reach). My hope for a rebuild (when it was announced) was to finally have an elite C/1D. As of yet I'd call the rebuild mediocre: it yielded some nice pieces but no where near good enough.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

I promise you if we were a wildcard team we couldn't be getting these OT points to save our lives and make the playoffs. Now that we aren't a playoff team we are collecting them like candy on Halloween.

If we had any secondary offense whatsoever, we'd probably be a lot closer to being a WC team. The goaltending has definitely been good enough. Losing Dach really hurt this team.

 

[DAChampion]

Kent Hughes said the tanking phase of the rebuild is over after this year on AC. The yield with 1st rounders will be Slaf, Mesar, Reinbacher and 2024 ~8th OV. For me that's a pathetic haul. No real bluechip 1C or 1D prospect and no elite offensive talent.

They're really going to try to win a cup with Suzuki-Dach down the middle and CC on the top line

Thing is if you were a Hawks fan and they announced that the tanking was over after drafting Patrick Kane you'd be making the same complaints.

 

[Gravity]

Thing is if you were a Hawks fan and they announced that the tanking was over after drafting Patrick Kane you'd be making the same complaints.

You mean the team that already had Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Jonathan Toews and is now drafting a highly skilled F 1st OV? Nope. Our core in nowhere near.

 

[KevSkillz4]

Kent Hughes said the tanking phase of the rebuild is over after this year on AC. The yield with 1st rounders will be Slaf, Mesar, Reinbacher and 2024 ~8th OV. For me that's a pathetic haul. No real bluechip 1C or 1D prospect and no elite offensive talent.

They're really going to try to win a cup with Suzuki-Dach down the middle and CC on the top line

Slaf will be a special player in this league. That's a great 1st overall pick.

Reinbacher, not my first choice, I wanted a forward between Michkov, Leonard or Benson, but the scouts of Habs in the video draft 2023, they all said that he is a premiere D type. So top pairing potential is there for sure. This year, not a great beginning, but in the last few months, he play really good hockey for a 19 years old D in a very very good league. He show great two-way ability, some mistakes, it's a normal thing for a young D who play against men. He is going to be a really good one and he have same profile than Kaiden Guhle, both have great mobility, great two-way game, great skating and they are both mature and potential to be both future leaders.

 

[DAChampion]

You mean the team that already had Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Jonathan Toews and is now drafting a highly skilled F 1st OV? Nope. Our core in nowhere near.

The Hawks' core wasn't as well regarded back then. That's the point.

 

[Gravity]

Slaf will be a special player in this league. That's a great 1st overall pick.

Reinbacher, not my first choice, I wanted a forward between Michkov, Leonard or Benson, but the scouts of Habs in the video draft 2023, they all said that he is a premiere D type. So top pairing potential is there for sure. This year, not a great beginning, but in the last few months, he play really good hockey for a 19 years old D in a very very good league. He show great two-way ability, some mistakes, it's a normal thing for a young D who play against men. He is going to be a really good one and he have same profile than Kaiden Guhle, both have great mobility, great two-way game, great skating and they are both mature and potential to be both future leaders.

I appreciate your optimism and only time well tell but at this moment I can't help but feel dissatisfied with the results. I haven't seen an elite 1C on the Habs my entire lifetime. I thought this rebuild would finally change that.

I agree on Slaf though. He's a mystery box with sky high tools. I don't know enough about Reinbacher to truly comment but he strikes me as an all situations safe D. Don't know if he'll be a #1.

 

[Gravity]

The Hawks' core wasn't as well regarded back then. That's the point.

Well then let's find out. Happy to be wrong but currently underwhelmed.

 

[TheBuriedHab]

You really don't need to tank this year. The depth of the top 12 is pretty good.

 

[DAChampion]

The real reason that the tank is ending is that the Habs are now too good to tank. They're barely tanking this year thanks to Dach's season long injury.

That's the way tanks are supposed to end. When a team adequately improves, in this case due to players that are part of the answer such as Slafkovsky, Montembeault, Struble, etc then the team stops tanking.

I'll remind people that depth is more important than the star player. When the Blue Jackets tried to build around Rick Nash, and the Islanders tried to build around John Tavares, they just kept drafting in the top ten.

 

[Gravity]

The real reason that the tank is ending is that the Habs are now too good to tank. They're barely tanking this year thanks to Dach's season long injury.

That's the way tanks are supposed to end. When a team adequately improves, in this case due to players that are part of the answer such as Slafkovsky, Montembeault, Struble, etc then the team stops tanking.

I'll remind people that depth is more important than the star player. When the Blue Jackets tried to build around Rick Nash, and the Islanders tried to build around John Tavares, they just kept drafting in the top ten.

They're both equally important. The only reason they're too good to tank is due to unreal goaltending and loser OT points. Otherwise, they're nowhere near good enough to progress beyond the tank stage.

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

Well then let's find out. Happy to be wrong but currently underwhelmed.

It's the 2nd year of a rebuild. Are you expecting a Cup contender?

 

[DAChampion]

I appreciate your optimism and only time well tell but at this moment I can't help but feel dissatisfied with the results. I haven't seen an elite 1C on the Habs my entire lifetime. I thought this rebuild would finally change that.

I agree on Slaf though. He's a mystery box with sky high tools. I don't know enough about Reinbacher to truly comment but he strikes me as an all situations safe D. Don't know if he'll be a #1.

I think Suzuki is approximately Koivu level, and looking back the issue with Koivu was that he was usually alone or injured all of the time. So Suzuki at least does that better, and I hope he can break 70 points soon.

We don't know how good Dach will be.

I think they have a good shot at a 1C between this year's pick and maybe next year's two 1st rounders.

 

[Pat Riot]

Slaf will be a special player in this league. That's a great 1st overall pick.

Reinbacher, not my first choice, I wanted a forward between Michkov, Leonard or Benson, but the scouts of Habs in the video draft 2023, they all said that he is a premiere D type. So top pairing potential is there for sure. This year, not a great beginning, but in the last few months, he play really good hockey for a 19 years old D in a very very good league. He show great two-way ability, some mistakes, it's a normal thing for a young D who play against men. He is going to be a really good one and he have same profile than Kaiden Guhle, both have great mobility, great two-way game, great skating and they are both mature and potential to be both future leaders.

Slaf will be a good player but lets not kid our self. That draft class was pretty underwhelming. Normally there is a clear cut number one , who you know will dominate the league. That was not the case with Slaf, we didnt know who the habs would draft 5 minutes before the picking started

 

[Lshap]

If we had any secondary offense whatsoever, we'd probably be a lot closer to being a WC team. The goaltending has definitely been good enough. Losing Dach really hurt this team.

A healthy Dach would've been our best player. Newhook is also a good middle-six forward. Hopefully, both show up next season, along with one or two rookies and possibly this summer's draft pick. By next season we should expect real progress and a concrete idea how good this core could become.