HF Habs: The official 2023-2024 tank thread

[JeffreyLFC]

Im all in on Lidstrom if we don't win Celebrini... but either or would indeed be that "big splash" im talking about.

Catton is too small for us.. he's a fantastic player, but doesn't work with our current makeup. He needs to grow; AHL, etc.... years away... doesnt fit our window. Ludstrom/Celebrini/Carlsson/Fantilli

Thats what we desperately need.

When I say we need that 1C, it is also a Big 1C.

I could not DISAGREE more if I could.
We don't need size, we need the best f***ing player!

We already have a large sized top 6 players in the system (Dach/Slafkovsky) and the last time we targeted large sized center/player in the draft (outside Slafkovsky) and they stank. (Galchenyuk, Chipchura, Scherbak, McCarron, Kotkaniemi come to mind)

Size is a nice plus but we need to draft the players that are the most talented, all the time

In the case of Catton he is not even that small he is just average sized with a teenage boy body. He will grow into his body and make people look ridiculous with hindsight 4 or 5 years from now.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Lindstrom is gone top 3. I don’t see a world where he is available for us.

Bobby Mack has him 5th.

And don’t forget that some teams need D more than forwards and there are great blueliners in this draft.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Meh
The fantasy wish list notion of team building is the EAsports impact.

Reality is that there are all sorts of roster configurations that can win. Having guys like Suzuki in place is more important in the pursuit of excellence.

A guy like Eiserman, much like another elite US scoring phenom (Kessel) doesn't help much unless he's playing in a winning environment, with guys committed to team excellence leading the charge in setting the culture.

Suzuki, CC, Guhle, Slaf... These Youngs guys have that drive, on top of great talent. Its fascinating how many posters underestimate the mental aspect of the game.

We just need to keep incrementally increasing the roster talent by a mix of ongoing excellent internal drafting & development and continuing to leverage quality asset management to address specific roster gaps. I'm just as fine if they trade this year's 1st for a targeted established addition as I would be us drafting one of this year's top forwards.

Rolling the dice on an Eiserman is no guarantee to get us closer to contention than adding a more proven piece that the pro scouting group is confident will fill a top 6 upgrade need while completing or preferably adding to the great culture that they are building.

Real world culture building looks very different than stat sheet or video game roster improvement.

Elite goal scoring talent is rare. We could have a shot at having two 50 goal scorers in the lineup. Add that with elite defending and a good supporting cast…. Team would be hard to beat.

 

[Miller Time]

Elite goal scoring talent is rare. We could have a shot at having two 50 goal scorers in the lineup. Add that with elite defending and a good supporting cast…. Team would be hard to beat.

Meh
Laffs have had 2 of the top 12 goal scorers in the league through the past 5 years... 1 PO win to show for it.

Elite competitive mindset + talent is even more rare, and arguably harder to find/cultivate than drafting a great junior scorer.

Adding & assembling the right kind of talent >>>> accumulating statistical wonders any day

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Meh
Laffs have had 2 of the top 12 goal scorers in the league through the past 5 years... 1 PO win to show for it.

They don’t have the D we will. If they did they’d have a cup.

Elite competitive mindset + talent is even more rare, and arguably harder to find/cultivate than drafting a great junior scorer.

“Elite competitive mindset” is something announcers say after a guy wins a cup. Yzerman was a poor leader until he won a cup then he was the best ever.

You add a Mike Bossy you have a greater chance of winning. Same with Brett Hull.

Adding & assembling the right kind of talent >>>> accumulating statistical wonders any day

Right. And we already have the D. Now we need the offense. We also have two centers who can play O and D. Eiserman would work with either one.

I’m fine if we take any of those guys but if we get Eiserman we should all be extremely happy.

 

[Miller Time]

They don’t have the D we will. If they did they’d have a cup.

Yes, because we are building a better foundation rather than chasing shiny point monsters or elite talent on paper

Elite competitive mindset is something announcers say after a guy wins a cup. Yzerman was a poor leader until he won a cup then he was the best ever.

Nope. It's much more than that. Not understanding something doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

Funny you use Yzerman... He's the textbook case of an elite talent that changed his approach to the game once he figured out that winning was about more than filling the stat sheet

You add a Mike Bossy you have a greater chance of winning.

You add Bryan Trottier, you have a great chance at winning

Right. And we already have the D. Now we need the offense. Two centers who can play O and D. Eiserman would work with either one.

We have a top pair of Matheson & Savard... Might want to check that narrative lol

We have a green D we hope will grow into an elite group. Careful counting chickens before they are hatched.

I’m fine if we take any of those guys but if we get Eiserman we should all be extremely happy.

I'll be happy with any talent we add largely because we have a strong leadership group in place that has demonstrated an deep & clear understanding of excellence & performance mindsets... The very thing you dismissed above lol

If they pass on Eiserman, much like when they passed on Michkov, I won't complain. As they showed (& some of us understood) with Slaf, they have a great understanding of player development. As they are showing through this rebuild, they have a great understanding of culture. Both are tangible, if one knows what to look for (& neither are visible on stat sheets or highlight goal reels).

I'm confident we'll come out of the summer with quality net talent upgrades, and be one step closer to seeing a contending roster take shape... With or without a 2024 top 10 prospect added

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Yes, because we are building a better foundation rather than chasing shiny point monsters or elite talent on paper


Nope. It's much more than that. Not understanding something doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

Funny you use Yzerman... He's the textbook case of an elite talent that changed his approach to the game once he figured out that winning was about more than filling the stat sheet


You add Bryan Trottier, you have a great chance at winning


We have a top pair of Matheson & Savard... Might want to check that narrative lol

We have a green D we hope will grow into an elite group. Careful counting chickens before they are hatched.



I'll be happy with any talent we add largely because we have a strong leadership group in place that has demonstrated an deep & clear understanding of excellence & performance mindsets... The very thing you dismissed above lol

If they pass on Eiserman, much like when they passed on Michkov, I won't complain. As they showed (& some of us understood) with Slaf, they have a great understanding of player development. As they are showing through this rebuild, they have a great understanding of culture. Both are tangible, if one knows what to look for (& neither are visible on stat sheets or highlight goal reels).

I'm confident we'll come out of the summer with quality net talent upgrades, and be one step closer to seeing a contending roster take shape... With or without a 2024 top 10 prospect added

You’re right. Let’s get a guy with no goals.

I’m all in.

 

[Miller Time]

You’re right. Let’s get a guy with no goals.

I’m all in.

Now that would be stupid (drafting or trading for a player who has never scored a goal)...

What an odd thing to want to be "all in" for. But hey, whatever floats your boat

 

[KevSkillz4]

Maybe the tank is really good after all. So far my wishlist is Catton or Buium. But If Habs win lottery and pick top 3, for sure Celebrini, Lindstrom or Demidov (I think Habs scouts love more his game than Michkov game, because Demidov looks more complete player and fit perfectly on Habs system).

Helenius, Eiserman, Iginla are great wildcards aswell.

 

[Riggins]

 

[Ezpz]

I'm wondering do we have a positive goal differential if we take out Jake Allen's starts?

I feel like we always lose by 3-4 with him in net.

 

[McGees]

Bobby Mack has him 5th.

And don’t forget that some teams need D more than forwards and there are great blueliners in this draft.

I think that ranking will be updated. No way he gets out of top 5 and no way we end up in top 5.
Our only hope is Demidov slips due to Russian factor.

 

[Junohockeyfan]

I think that ranking will be updated. No way he gets out of top 5 and no way we end up in top 5.
Our only hope is Demidov slips due to Russian factor.

We will easily be the top-5 team in the end.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

Well, we lost & Caps went to OT, so they move 4 pts up on Montreal. We didn't gain ground or lose ground to anyone, so overall a good tanking weekend.
We're in #7 spot.

 

[McGees]

We will easily be the top-5 team in the end.

We won’t catch bottom 4, period.

To get 5th we need to hope Ottawa starts playing good for the last stretch, and then also be worse than Buffalo, Arizona, Minny, Seattle. That’s asking a lot.

 

[Leto]

We won’t catch bottom 4, period.

To get 5th we need to hope Ottawa starts playing good for the last stretch, and then also be worse than Buffalo, Arizona, Minny, Seattle. That’s asking a lot.

Ottawa is playing Columbus, Anaheim and Chicago this upcoming week. They have the opportunity to close in on us.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I think that ranking will be updated. No way he gets out of top 5 and no way we end up in top 5.
Our only hope is Demidov slips due to Russian factor.

That ranking just came out.

 

[Junohockeyfan]

We won’t catch bottom 4, period.

To get 5th we need to hope Ottawa starts playing good for the last stretch, and then also be worse than Buffalo, Arizona, Minny, Seattle. That’s asking a lot.

Ottawa has 4 games in hand. They will easily catch us.

 

[HabsCowboysOwn]

Bottom 5 is very doable, Sens start playing trash teams soon and I predict we’ll have one of the worst last 30 games stretch in the league.

 

[FrankMTL]

Buffalo are just horrible. Another top 10 pick for the Sabers...

They're seriously the biggest joke....

2023 Draft- 13th overall
2022 Draft- 9th overall
2021 Draft- 1st overall
2020 Draft- 8th overall
2019 Draft- 7th overall
2018 Draft- 1st overall
2017 Draft- 8th overall
2016 Draft- 8th overall
2015 Draft- 2nd overall
2014 Draft- 2nd overall
2013 Draft- 8th overall
2012 Draft- 12th overall
2011 Draft- 16th overall

 

[the valiant effort]

I swear the last time I looked at the west wild card the Yotes were 2 pts back, now they’re back in the bottom 5 race. Why can’t they just go the **** away

 

[montreal]

We play the Ducks, @ NYR, caps, sabers, @ pit, @ nj, yotes and @ panthers to finish the month. That sabers game is huge but they just continue to disappoint me with how shitty they are. Same for the caps and I worry about Pitt.

But with 30 games left there's still lots of time, just need to stop picking up 8, 9, 10 pts out of every 20. at least the sens finally started to win some games, have picked up 14 of 20 pts.

 

[HabsCowboysOwn]

They're seriously the biggest joke....

2023 Draft- 13th overall
2022 Draft- 9th overall
2021 Draft- 1st overall
2020 Draft- 8th overall
2019 Draft- 7th overall
2018 Draft- 1st overall
2017 Draft- 8th overall
2016 Draft- 8th overall
2015 Draft- 2nd overall
2014 Draft- 2nd overall
2013 Draft- 8th overall
2012 Draft- 12th overall
2011 Draft- 16th overall

Last time they made the playoffs their captain was Craig Rivet lmao, let that sink in.

 

[Miller Time]

We won’t catch bottom 4, period.

To get 5th we need to hope Ottawa starts playing good for the last stretch, and then also be worse than Buffalo, Arizona, Minny, Seattle. That’s asking a lot.

Have faith...

We are due for some good luck. It's a perfect time for a lottery win!

 

[LesHabitants]

They're seriously the biggest joke....

2023 Draft- 13th overall
2022 Draft- 9th overall
2021 Draft- 1st overall
2020 Draft- 8th overall
2019 Draft- 7th overall
2018 Draft- 1st overall
2017 Draft- 8th overall
2016 Draft- 8th overall
2015 Draft- 2nd overall
2014 Draft- 2nd overall
2013 Draft- 8th overall
2012 Draft- 12th overall
2011 Draft- 16th overall

They are about as bad as drafting as the Habs have been