HF Habs: The official 2023-2024 tank thread

[Tuggy]

Sens probably won't win another game all season.

 

[Sorinth]

Sure just like a mid 1st, or late 1st or 2nd etc "might" be the better overall player too. Might as well just pick at random at that point.

It's about maximizing the odds.

Celebrini is ahead but there's not a mile of difference with the others. Demidov is sometimes talked as being just as talented, but other aspects, some non-hockey related, may present more risk for some teams.

I don't doubt the habs have Celebrini, Demidov and Lindstrom as top choices.

So for the record if the choice is between Slafkovsky, Caufield, Suzuki, Guhle, Xhekaj all finishing the season strong and we end up with 7th OA or half those guys slumping over the final 14 games but finishing 5th OA you'd want our guys to struggle to maximize the odds of the draft pick?

 

[Tyson]

Hopefully. As trading a surplus of D for that top offensive player later is always easier said than done. Will the right player even be available? Then comes the question, who do you give up to acquire that kind of talent? The newly drafted D? Reinbacher? Guhle?

This draft is huge for our future, it'll be the last year we "tank". That's why even just one or two draft positions could make a difference.

Great points

So for the record if the choice is between Slafkovsky, Caufield, Suzuki, Guhle, Xhekaj all finishing the season strong and we end up with 7th OA or half those guys slumping over the final 14 games but finishing 5th OA you'd want our guys to struggle to maximize the odds of the draft pick?

Hoping for the confidence and successes of the young players. Pick top 10

 

[KevSkillz4]

So for the record if the choice is between Slafkovsky, Caufield, Suzuki, Guhle, Xhekaj all finishing the season strong and we end up with 7th OA or half those guys slumping over the final 14 games but finishing 5th OA you'd want our guys to struggle to maximize the odds of the draft pick?

I'd rather have young guns play well and pick 7. Anyway, Habs can W top 2 at Lottery day and if not. They can grab a really good forward between Catton, Iginla, Eiserman and Helenius.

I'm not worried, that top 10-12 is very good this year.

 

[EveryDay]

That poverty franchise just lost again tonight.....

 

[A Loyal Demidog]

There's no way Habs fall below Ottawa and Arizona at this point. Those 2 are next-level bad (and likely doing it on purpose). I just hope the Hockey Gods punish them & reward teams like the Habs that actually try to do their best. Let's hope Seattle and Pittsburgh stay above the Habs in the rankings. I'd love for the Habs to win the lottery this year.

 

[The Great Weal]

If Primeau didn't have the game of his life against the Jackets we'd be 4th last right now. Tough.

 

[River Meadow]

I know the Habs are deep at D but there are some elite Dmen that could land at their pick...what do you do?

Take BPA.

 

[Tyson]

Take BPA.

Agreed

 

[River Meadow]

Agreed

Probably because we're both old fogies'.

BPA is BPA period.

Trades are a thing if needed, and the team will look very different in 4-5yrs.

 

[Tyson]

Probably because we're both old fogies'.

BPA is BPA period.

Trades are a thing if needed, and the team will look very different in 4-5yrs.

We are wise

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Yeah, my personal idea of the likely timeline has next season as a 'let the chips fall where they may' season. No real pro-tank moves, but no moves to make the playoffs either, barring a sweet deal. 25-26 has always been my expected start of consistent playoff contention.

25-26 is where I’ve put it as well. I don’t think we’ll make it next year but we’ll be better. Slowly but surely the prospects are joining the team.

 

[HabzSauce]

Great thing about Sens picking before us, they will take the most gutless player available in the top-10.

Yeah they'll find a way to f*CK it up so it won't matter. Stupid team.

 

[sandviper]

I would refrain from using words like shit for teams like Ottawa and Arizona considering they have 3 more wins than us, (4 and 8! more regularion wins respectively) and twice the better goal differential.

I wouldn’t… not now anyways. Arizona has been rebuilding forever and Ottawa “finished” their rebuild last season. I’ll cut Arizona slack since they got other issues, but Ottawa? They are trash.

 

[Sorinth]

I wouldn’t… not now anyways. Arizona has been rebuilding forever and Ottawa “finished” their rebuild last season. I’ll cut Arizona slack since they got other issues, but Ottawa? They are trash.

It was actually in the summer of 2021 that they announced the rebuild was over so 3 years of the rebuild being over and still being in the basement.

 

[Hins77]

I would refrain from using words like shit for teams like Ottawa and Arizona considering they have 3 more wins than us, (4 and 8! more regularion wins respectively) and twice the better goal differential.

Crazy cause Ottawa could be better than that… they don’t have a reliable 1st goalie. They could have paid the price for a guy like Saros. Sometimes, some magamenet are really cheap and I don’t know why. Vacouver decided too make many moves and they turn the corner.

 

[G0bias]

So for the record if the choice is between Slafkovsky, Caufield, Suzuki, Guhle, Xhekaj all finishing the season strong and we end up with 7th OA or half those guys slumping over the final 14 games but finishing 5th OA you'd want our guys to struggle to maximize the odds of the draft pick?

Why are those scenarios mutually exclusive? And the only scenario?

A slight dip in Monty's numbers for example could be enough.

 

[Sorinth]

Why are those scenarios mutually exclusive? And the only scenario?

A slight dip in Monty's numbers for example could be enough.

Because it's about determining what you think is more valuable, the development of the core already in the nhl or getting slightly better odds at the draft. So which is it?

 

[G0bias]

Because it's about determining what you think is more valuable, the development of the core already in the nhl or getting slightly better odds at the draft. So which is it?

I don't think they're mutually exclusive

Slaf's hottest stretch was at the same time our record took a dip

 

[Sorinth]

I don't think they're mutually exclusive

Slaf's hottest stretch was at the same time our record took a dip

And winning games and having a worse draft pick isn't mutually exclusive with drafting the best player. It doesn't matter that they aren't mutually exclusive the question is simply which is more important, are you afraid to actually state which is more important?

 

[G0bias]

And winning games and having a worse draft pick isn't mutually exclusive with drafting the best player. It doesn't matter that they aren't mutually exclusive the question is simply which is more important, are you afraid to actually state which is more important?

The question is flawed to start with. That's the point.

 

[LaP]

Sens probably won't win another game all season.

They have lost 3 games in a row. There's 14 games remaining. That would be 17 losses in a row. The NHL all time record is 18. Very unlikely to happen.

 

[Rozz]

They have lost 3 games in a row. There's 14 games remaining. That would be 17 losses in a row. The NHL all time record is 18. Very unlikely to happen.

But we can dream, God dammit!

 

[LaP]

I don't think they're mutually exclusive

Slaf's hottest stretch was at the same time our record took a dip

Our record did not take a dip.

March 1st : .458
February 1st .490
January 1st .486
December 1st : .478

We have been pretty consistent all season long. The dip is small and was to be expected as experienced teams are entering playoffs mode. It happens all years. If we went from .550 to .450 then yeah i'd agree about the dip.

 

[Runner77]

I know the Habs are deep at D but there are some elite Dmen that could land at their pick...what do you do?

BPA, always.