HF Habs: The official 2023-2024 tank thread

[Lshap]

Man... if a season has 'dog days', these would be them. 33 games and two long months left before we can cheer for... the draft. And not even a top-5 pick, which is near impossible. Depressing. All I ask is to let Caufield, Suzuki and Slafkovsky accumulate points, let our young D improve, let Montembeault cement his spot as a solid NHL starter, and then despite all that let the team lose.

For the record, I see this as the last tank year. With Dach back (fingers crossed) and our young core further along, we should see a surprising bump next season.

 

[FrankMTL]

Man... if a season has 'dog days', these would be them. 33 games and two long months left before we can cheer for... the draft. And not even a top-5 pick, which is near impossible. Depressing. All I ask is to let Caufield, Suzuki and Slafkovsky accumulate points, let our young D improve, let Montembeault cement his spot as a solid NHL starter, and then despite all that let the team lose.

For the record, I see this as the last tank year. With Dach back (fingers crossed) and our young core further along, we should see a surprising bump next season.

We have a decent chance for a Top 5 pick, especially now that Monahan has been traded.

We have the 3rd hardest remaining schedule in the NHL

NHL Remaining Schedule Strength | Tankathon

Shows the remaining strength of schedule for NHL teams based on the points per game of the opponents left on their schedule.

www.tankathon.com

The teams that are behind us that can technically pass us have much easier schedules (Minnesota, Ottawa and Columbus)

Stay Positive! (or is it negative?)

 

[morhilane]

For the record, I see this as the last tank year. With Dach back (fingers crossed) and our young core further along, we should see a surprising bump next season.

Prepare to be amazed next year:
- even older Gallagher and Anderson taking top 9 and PP spots in the line-up with unmovable contracts and dragging down everyone around them.
- a super blackhole bottom centers in Dvorak and Evans.
- Matheson as the team #1 D

Dach won't be the savior you believe him to be next season.

 

[Lshap]

Prepare to be amazed next year:
- even older Gallagher and Anderson taking top 9 and PP spots in the line-up with unmovable contracts and dragging down everyone around them.
- a super blackhole bottom centers in Dvorak and Evans.
- Matheson as the team #1 D

Dach won't be the savior you believe him to be next season.

Dach isn't a saviour, just a very good hockey player who's missed the entire season. Add him to all the other young, developing players and you have the fruits of a rebuild just beginning to ripen. Our young D will be between 22 and 24, Slafkovsky will be 20 – the age you'd expect to see a collective bump in performance.

 

[Lshap]

We have a decent chance for a Top 5 pick, especially now that Monahan has been traded.

We have the 3rd hardest remaining schedule in the NHL

NHL Remaining Schedule Strength | Tankathon

Shows the remaining strength of schedule for NHL teams based on the points per game of the opponents left on their schedule.

www.tankathon.com

The teams that are behind us that can technically pass us have much easier schedules (Minnesota, Ottawa and Columbus)

Stay Positive! (or is it negative?)

We're neck and neck with Minnesota, but I don't think we're catching the other five teams beneath us. They're doing the same thing we are, and they have a lead. I'll be happy with a 6OA pick, thrilled if we somehow overtake (or is it undertake?) anyone else.

 

[morhilane]

Dach isn't a saviour, just a very good hockey player who's missed the entire season. Add him to all the other young, developing players and you have the fruits of a rebuild just beginning to ripen. Our young D will be between 22 and 24, Slafkovsky will be 20 – the age you'd expect to see a collective bump in performance.

Next season team will be this season team without Monahan and hopefully less injuries. It won't have "the other young, developing players, fruits of the rebuild" on it outside those who are on it this year.

 

[FrankMTL]

We're neck and neck with Minnesota, but I don't think we're catching the other five teams beneath us. They're doing the same thing we are, and they have a lead. I'll be happy with a 6OA pick, thrilled if we somehow overtake (or is it undertake?) anyone else.

I think Ottawa has a decent chance to catch us. (6 points back, 2 games in hand)....I mean just look at their roster compared to ours and they just got Shane Pinto back.

 

[TheFutureisBright]

You won’t win anything if they win, no more than you will not lose anything if they tank. You are not on the team. You pay cable and tickets to watch them play and that is where your share in their enterprise ends.

If no-one watches, there are no pro sports. It serves no purpose outside generating revenue. They do it by suiting up paid entertainers.

There is no entitlement there, it’s literally the one and only the goal. Entitlement would be a player whining he sould get the Stanley cup because he’s a nice guy and tried really hard. Or that the habs owe me free cable and tickets because they are boring as hell for over a decade. I can chose to watch or not and bitch about the poor ass product on hf all I want, again no entitlement.

The divorce joke was because it makes no sense to me anyone would feel anything beyond what I describe above…. I figured someone around you must have abused your generosity (either an ex wanting the house and the car, or the kids wanting more allowance or something… ) and you needed to rant so you transposed your emotions to hockey? Sorry, was being light hearted, no harm meant.

Hey, if you watch them to see them lose, all the more to you. I watch them to see them win. This is not Phoenix or former Atlanta (or the Sens).

 

[Lshap]

Next season team will be this season team without Monahan and hopefully less injuries. It won't have "the other young, developing players, fruits of the rebuild" on it outside those who are on it this year.

Do you think Slafkovsky, Guhle, Harris, Struble, Xhekaj, etc. have reached their peak? Do you think we won't have any new players and rookies next year? The point of the rebuild is to add young players who improve – if that happens, the team improves.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

Hey, if you watch them to see them lose, all the more to you. I watch them to see them win. This is not Phoenix or former Atlanta (or the Sens).

You're so right , winning a meaningless game on a cold February night is way more important than ever winning a cup or having a great entertaining team to watch , honestly who cares about cups or seeing talent on the roster when you have a chance to beat the caps on a cold tuesday night!

 

[Naslundforever]

Hey, if you watch them to see them lose, all the more to you. I watch them to see them win. This is not Phoenix or former Atlanta (or the Sens).

I watch them because hockey is fun to watch and the team is a lifelong hobby. I would not watch the habs play curling even if they won every championship. They could have all the centennial celebrations with failing arms passing the golden rock to the team Captain, with all the tropes, I would not watch. I would not care. There would not be a hamburger named after any player too, I bet.

There are 32 teams. Odds are 1/32 of a cup every year. I’ll most probably be long dead when they win their next, and the odds I see 2 more are improbable. I won’t make myself be angry at my tv until I turn 80, what kind of sick joke would I be playing on myself?

 

[Naslundforever]

You're so right , winning a meaningless game on a cold February night is way more important than ever winning a cup or having a great entertaining team to watch , honestly who cares about cups or seeing talent on the roster when you have a chance to beat the caps on a cold tuesday night!

You bundled watching talented players and winning. Habs have neither. They will not win in my lifetime most probable, but I would totally watch athletes try their best to if they put on a show. The opposite is not true.

 

[morhilane]

Do you think Slafkovsky, Guhle, Harris, Struble, Xhekaj, etc. have reached their peak? Do you think we won't have any new players and rookies next year? The point of the rebuild is to add young players who improve – if that happens, the team improves.

I don't think they reached their peak. I don't see their improvements next season to be enough to counter Gallagher, Armia, Anderson, Dvorak, Evans (and Matheson in some ways) being on the line-up (and getting too many minutes because MSL love his vets).

Habs have 12 forwards signed for next season + Ylonen who is RFA and the Ds are overflowing with kids already. Their won't be any new players and rookies next season unless the club has a lots of injuries again.

 

[Captain Mountain]

We're neck and neck with Minnesota, but I don't think we're catching the other five teams beneath us. They're doing the same thing we are, and they have a lead. I'll be happy with a 6OA pick, thrilled if we somehow overtake (or is it undertake?) anyone else.

Its worth pointing out that Montreal's actually been trending down the last month already. Over the last month they've arguably been the worst 5v5 team in the NHL. And Monahan was their most productive 5v5 player over that span.

Points in hand are points in hand, but it would not be a shock to see Ottawa, Minny and Columbus pass Montreal.

Realistically, unless HuGo have a great offseason Montreal isn't going to sniff the playoffs until 2025-2026. They just don't have the NHL talent or cap space to compete.

 

[Captain Mountain]

I don't think they reached their peak. I don't see their improvements next season to be enough to counter Gallagher, Armia, Anderson, Dvorak, Evans (and Matheson in some ways) being on the line-up (and getting too many minutes because MSL love his vets).

Habs have 12 forwards signed for next season + Ylonen who is RFA and the Ds are overflowing with kids already. Their won't be any new players and rookies next season unless the club has a lots of injuries again.

You have any support for that? Because looking at other teams, I'm not sure there's that many (or frankly any) teams in the NHL that de-prioritizes vets (and prioritizes young guys) minutes more than Montreal. What exactly is your standard here?

 

[LaP]

Hey, if you watch them to see them lose, all the more to you. I watch them to see them win. This is not Phoenix or former Atlanta (or the Sens).

Is it not?

I'd argue the CH has been a farce for a very long time now. One of the 10 worse teams in the league. Since 1998-1999 the CH is 23rd out of 32 teams for the P%. 10th worse team. BEHIND the Ottawa Senators.

Since 1998-1999

Mtl .527 P%
Sens .551 P%

It's not better in playoffs. 22nd among 32 teams for the P%. Behind the Sens again. 14th for the most games played in playoffs despite a scf on the back of the COVID Canadian division.

This team has been a farce for a really really long time. You watch to see them win. Good for you i guess. But i could not care less about watching Sergei Zholtok and Oleg Petrov win. I could not care less about watching some underdog story that leads nowhere,

I'm a fan of hockey and i'd rather watch a team lose with a young Sidney Crosby playing his first season than watching a team wins while having Gallagher-Tatar and Danault as a 1st line.

 

[Lshap]

I don't think they reached their peak. I don't see their improvements next season to be enough to counter Gallagher, Armia, Anderson, Dvorak, Evans (and Matheson in some ways) being on the line-up (and getting too many minutes because MSL love his vets).

Habs have 12 forwards signed for next season + Ylonen who is RFA and the Ds are overflowing with kids already. Their won't be any new players and rookies next season unless the club has a lots of injuries again.

Bet you we will see new players and at least one rookie prospect next season. The only vet who's truly immovable is Gallagher.

 

[Nicko999]

How are people expecting the team to be competitive next year or even in 2 years when Suzuki and Caufield are still the 2 leading scorers (same two as when we finished last).

Until a MAJOR trade happens, this team will be in the bottom of the league because they can't even do a proper rebuild. While Chicago, Anaheim, Columbus are getting impact players, we are drafting safe low ceiling ones.

The goal of a rebuild is to get 1 or 2 impact players so that you can build around them. That goal has failed so far (unless Slafkovsky suddenly becomes Jaromir Jagr).

 

[digmor crusher]

Been watching the habs for over 50 years, now that every game is available on tv I probably watch around 78 games per year for the last 15 years or so. I watch because they are my team, don't care if they win or lose. Isn't that what real fans do? I am certainly not going to make up excuses not to watch them.

 

[Lshap]

Is it not?

I'd argue the CH has been a farce for a very long time now. One of the 10 worse teams in the league. Since 1998-1999 the CH is 23rd out of 32 teams for the P%. 10th worse team. BEHIND the Ottawa Senators.

Since 1998-1999

Mtl .527 P%
Sens .551 P%

It's not better in playoffs. 22nd among 32 teams for the P%. Behind the Sens again. 14th for the most games played in playoffs despite a scf on the back of the COVID Canadian division.

This team has been a farce for a really really long time. You watch to see them win. Good for you i guess. But i could not care less about watching Sergei Zholtok and Oleg Petrov win. I could not care less about watching some underdog story that leads nowhere,

I'm a fan of hockey and i'd rather watch a team lose with a young Sidney Crosby playing his first season than watching a team wins while having Gallagher-Tatar and Danault as a 1st line.

Since 2010, the Habs have made the conference finals twice and the SCF once. That's far from elite, but better than many teams, including Ottawa. Most important, they were exciting runs and great to watch; your team gets that far, you cheer, which is the entire point of being a fan.

I agree with your main point and am onboard for short-term pain in favour of longterm gain, but let's not act like the team has given us 25 years of misery.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

You bundled watching talented players and winning. Habs have neither. They will not win in my lifetime most probable, but I would totally watch athletes try their best to if they put on a show. The opposite is not true.

I mean they can win , just need to properly rebuild , for some reason some are against that

 

[LaP]

Since 2010, the Habs have made the conference finals twice and the SCF once. That's far from elite, but better than many teams, including Ottawa. Most important, they were exciting runs and great to watch; your team gets that far, you cheer, which is the entire point of being a fan.

I agree with your main point and am onboard for short-term pain in favour of longterm gain, but let's not act like the team has given us 25 years of misery.

Yet despite that still one of the worst teams since 98.

Yes they did have success under Price because well he was a 5th overall pick that reached his full potential. But we got that pick because we lucked out in the strikeout Crosby lottery (we should have been drafting something like 20th if i recall correctly).

Hoping for your team to win when it's not a good team has always been weird to me. When we had a first line made of Zubrus, Zholtok and Petrov and we were winning more games than we should on the back of AHLers and Journeymen who were giving it all to make it we should have been icing prospects and lose. Yet our fans were cheering for Sergei Zholtok and Oleg petrov and i was like WTF is wrong with those guys. That team made of AHLers and Journeymen was good enough to make us draft outside the top 10 yet clearly without any doubt not good enough to make the playoffs. That was a big waste of time.

I will never understand how a fan of hockey (first and foremost) can't enjoy young skilled players develop while losing because of a lack of experience. For me it's much more enjoyable to watch Caufield, Dach and Guhle lose games because they are not there yet than watch Sergei Zholtok and Oleg Petrov win games (yet miss the playoffs) because it's their last chance to cash out.

 

[morhilane]

You have any support for that? Because looking at other teams, I'm not sure there's that many (or frankly any) teams in the NHL that de-prioritizes vets (and prioritizes young guys) minutes more than Montreal. What exactly is your standard here?

Anderson on the top 6 and PP.
Gallagher getting his 15-16 minutes a night despite not being able to do 30 seconds shift since 2021.
Matheson playing 26 minutes a night (without OT) way too often.

Ylonen sitting in the stands or barely getting any TOI despite all the injuries.
None of the kid Ds getting a proper chance on the power play.
Slaf is 11th in OT TOI despite being 4th in points on the team now that Monahan was traded.

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

How are people expecting the team to be competitive next year or even in 2 years when Suzuki and Caufield are still the 2 leading scorers (same two as when we finished last).

Until a MAJOR trade happens, this team will be in the bottom of the league because they can't even do a proper rebuild. While Chicago, Anaheim, Columbus are getting impact players, we are drafting safe low ceiling ones.

The goal of a rebuild is to get 1 or 2 impact players so that you can build around them. That goal has failed so far (unless Slafkovsky suddenly becomes Jaromir Jagr).

No need for a MAJOR trade. Obviously Suzuki, Caufield and Slafkovsky will do much better when there is an actual 2nd and 3rd line for opponents to cover. With Monahan gone putting Slaf on a different line would be an effort to give the opponents another line to worry about.

 

[Nicko999]

No need for a MAJOR trade. Obviously Suzuki, Caufield and Slafkovsky will do much better when there is an actual 2nd and 3rd line for opponents to cover. With Monahan gone putting Slaf on a different line would be an effort to give the opponents another line to worry about.

You aren't winning the Cup with Suzuki as your #1C. Caufield-Suzuki-Slafkovsky is a fine 2nd line but it's not a real first.