HF Habs: The official 2023-2024 tank thread

[Jee]

No point to tank if our drafting is going to be this bad.

Drafting doesn't mean shit if our development team is incompetent. See us during the Bergevin-Timmins-Lefebvre era and the Rangers lately.

 

[ReimanSum1908]

We don’t have trading chips — if we did we would’ve gotten PLD and actually upgraded our top6 with a significant player — but I hope we will soon have trade chips. We’ve been a poverty franchise for 25 straight years.

Another overpaid sixty point second line center would have merely been forcing the team to remain mired in the same mediocrity that it's found itself within for the last thirty years. With players like Dubois - who, thank God, we didn't trade for - we would just be "winning by committee" again with the same philosophy that's led to thirty years of misery with a host of Plekanecs and Koivus and Suzukis and Dubois as our makeshift first line centers. Dubois is the definition of a player acquired by a "poverty franchise," like the above mentioned centeres when you expect them to succeed as first liners on your team.

Cooly and Michkov, players with genuine, consistent point per game potential, gamebreaking ability, and, in the latter's case, the ability to become a 100 point per season player would give us a hope of building a core that can win a Stanely cup instead of just squeaking into the playoffs.

I'm seriously sick of all of you guys in this *insert expletive" thread. Very tired of all your ducking negativeness.

Oh, by the way, Vegas just won a Cup without any players over 70 pts, except Eichel who was on pace for a whooping 80 pts. Yeah, not a blueprint. Still...

But let's go, continue to bash all the new players, new recruits, new mascots, new hot dogs, new beer all summer long. Go. Have fun with yourselves.

Cya in September

The Knights had multiple stars, though some were at the tail end of their careers, the greatest depth that we've seen from a cup winner in twenty years, and one of the most effective defensive forwards in the league with Stone.

They oozed superb, star talent.

 

[Omar]

It's over folks, we'll have to wait for another generation until the next time we top out as a Bergevin-esque playoff bubble team. We won't have another chance to draft an elite scorer for a while so the elite offense we have now is what we'll have.

 

[LyricalLyricist]

While I am more than happy to get more top picks at a certain point we got 1st and 5th overall back to back. Hughes has to be expected to make something out of it even if we get a lesser pick next year. Can't tank forever.

 

[habsfan891]

Is it even worth it with these hacks in charge? 2024 will be D heavy so they'd probably reach and waste the pick on a third line winger from Moldova.

I was really hoping to not have to cheer for another tank year but after this travesty of a draft looks like I'm in for next year too i also fully expect a mediocre forward pick next year.

 

[Playmaker09]

Everyone will pick defenseman next year and the Habs will be able to get a very talented forward in the back half of the top 10.

Orrr we're going to reach for a forward in a shallow forward pool when it's clear the BPA is a defensemen (or one among multiple defensemen options)

Then people will cope and say it was a good pick because we got the "best forward available" even though he was ranked 5 spots lower. (See KK/Galchenyuk/Reinbacher)

 

[SnapVirus]

UFA will be boring. Can we start the season yet? Will be a long summer.

 

[vokiel]

Question: At what amount of years, do we start calling it a Curse?

 

[HabsForHire]

I expected a 3rd tanking season (top 10 pick) so I'm all good with this thread.

Since the beginning I've said it will take between 5-7 years before we become competitive thanks to Bergevin.

Year 3 would give us a better indication on how long the rebuild would take.

We definitely need more quality prospects. This will take awhile and it's fine. No shortcuts needed.

I definitely see another top 10 pick, and hope we get one

 

[SannywithoutCompy]

Orrr we're going to reach for a forward in a shallow forward pool when it's clear the BPA is a defensemen (or one among multiple defensemen options)

Then people will cope and say it was a good pick because we got the "best forward available" even though he was ranked 5 spots lower. (See KK/Galchenyuk/Reinbacher)

Yep, every time. And McCagg and Basu will run damage control in the lead up to the draft.

Question: At what amount of years, do we start calling it a Curse?

I'd say about a decade ago.

 

[ReHabs]

Another overpaid sixty point second line center would have merely been forcing the team to remain mired in the same mediocrity that it's found itself within for the last thirty years. With players like Dubois - who, thank God, we didn't trade for - we would just be "winning by committee" again with the same philosophy that's led to thirty years of misery with a host of Plekanecs and Koivus and Suzukis and Dubois as our makeshift first line centers. Dubois is the definition of a player acquired by a "poverty franchise," like the above mentioned centeres when you expect them to succeed as first liners on your team.

Cooly and Michkov, players with genuine, consistent point per game potential, gamebreaking ability, and, in the latter's case, the ability to become a 100 point per season player would give us a hope of building a core that can win a Stanely cup instead of just squeaking into the playoffs.


The Knights had multiple stars, though some were at the tail end of their careers, the greatest depth that we've seen from a cup winner in twenty years, and one of the most effective defensive forwards in the league with Stone.

They oozed superb, star talent.

I think we disagree on PLD but otherwise have the exact same criticism and angle on the situation.

I have a different perspective for PLD because I felt the assets used to acquire him will be replaceable or not missed AND I felt they would take one of Smith or Michkov and were serious about their offense.

 

[Justin11]

Not this again

 

[cave troll]

It's over folks, we'll have to wait for another generation until the next time we top out as a Bergevin-esque playoff bubble team. We won't have another chance to draft an elite scorer for a while so the elite offense we have now is what we'll have.

Considering how weak and injury prone our roster is, I'll say we'll have a chance to draft an elite scorer for at least next three years.
I'm not saying we'll draft it. We'll probably pass on him for some D-man or goalie, but we'll have the chance.

 

[HabsWhiteKnightLOL]

Let's goooo we are gonna get the most disappointing player in the bunch u bet

 

[HabsWhiteKnightLOL]

I might live my entire life and never see a ppg forward that we drafted.

 

[hockeyguy2022]

I might live my entire life and never see a ppg forward that we drafted.

I became a Habs fan in 1998. Have watched so many retools and rebuilds. Its always the same. We are in for many years of mediocrity. It always starts exciting, but before you know it, we will be in another 5 year rebuild. We are going to miss the Bergevin years I promise you that.

 

[JoelWarlord]

Pending some major roster surgery during the free agency period I'd guess that our team actually improves a fair bit from the bottom 5 to maybe the 16-22 mushy middle in terms of on-ice/even strength metrics and all that jazz, but we'll still end up picking in the 6-8 range because of goaltending. That wouldn't be a bad outcome, all things considered.

I'm open for another rebuilding year and have no pretensions of competing for the playoffs unless something very unexpected happens in the next few days (or we have meteoric rises from some young players) but I don't explicitly want to "tank" in the sense of positioning the opening night roster to be as bad as possible. Start selling off after Christmas if we're miles out, just don't think the juice is worth the squeeze to position actively for the lowest possible pick right now.

Just look at this draft, we talked all year about the "big 4" (which later became the "big 5" when we decided that Smith was actually in the same tier as the ostensible generational talent we wanted) and agonized over "useless" wins only for the last member of the "big 5" to go at 7, and Bob's #6 prospect went at 8. I realize saying this just invites snark about our drafting prowess or whatever but the Habs weren't the team that picked Simashev at 6 or But at 12, I think by now we can see that the marginal value of tanking for an additional draft slot stops making a ton of sense when you're agonizing over 8OA vs 5 or 6 instead of 1OA vs 3 or 4.

 

[Gravity]

Imagine Cooley+ Michkov on one line Dach+ Suzuki +CC on the other. Now that's scary.

 

[Naslundforever]

Question: At what amount of years, do we start calling it a Curse?

You mean the eternal depressives throwing lines in the water hoping for empathy? It’ll be around as long as there are humans.

 

[vokiel]

You mean the eternal depressives throwing lines in the water hoping for empathy? It’ll be around as long as there are humans.

I mean the amount of years without a championship, like the Boston Red Sox

 

[SnapVirus]

We've been suffering for so long :

Joe Juneau, Richard Zednick, Oleg Petrov, Patrice Brisebois, Benoit Brunet, Saku Koivu - Those years were painful, always battling for that 8th spot in the east. To beat the Bruins and die after.

Alex Kovalev, Kostitsyn brothers, Andrei Markov, Michael Ryder, Sheldon Souray, Thomas Plekanec - We were hoping for the team to become great, but our prospects always failed

Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta, Michael Cammalleri, Lars Eller, David Desharnais, Max Pacioretty, Erik Cole - Those were the days were we decided to skip the rebuild and failed miserably

Carey Price, Alex Galchenyuk, Brendan Gallagher, PK Subban, Jeff Petry, Jonathan Drouin, Alexander Radulov - Future seems glorious with a brand new GM, only to see this crash and burns

Philip Danault, Shea Weber, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Tyler Toffoli, Ben Chiarot - We did the finals, but the team never got up from it

Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Kirby Dach, David Reinbacher, Brandon Guhle - The rebuild.

During all those eras, we only got ONE ppg player and that player only did it ONCE : Alex Kovalev. 20 years ago. Imagine, how lucky we were to see that guy flying, we never thought we'd be waiting 20 years to see another one.

Our management should do absolutely everything to fix that issue. It would be nice to have a 120pts player, we are not even asking for this. We only want a 80pts player. Thats it.

 

[HabzSauce]

Do you guys think we could land bottom 5 again next year's draft?

Our team isn't as dogsh*t as some here may think. But at the same time the east especially is only getting better.

The only team I see rivaling the Habs out East are Philly. They'll finish dead last in east I'm sure of it.

The west I haven't really dissected yet. SJS, CHI are still bottom feeders to me. I can see NSH being ass next year too. ARI probably ass again and CGY could drop alot in standings as well

So let's just say:
#5 - MTL
#4 - CHI
#3 - SJS
#2 - NSH
#1 - PHI

 

[ottawa]

This team isn't finishing bottom 5 next year, they're getting better every year, not worse.

I can't believe Molson commit to a rebuild but they half-assed it. We'll never get another one

 

[Frank Drebin]

LMAO f*** the tank, we can grab 10 OA talents at 10 OA instead of 3-5.

 

[Tanknation]

If the next Gretzky or McDavid was on the board and we had 1st. I would have 0 confidence these idiots would pick them. Instead they would reach and grab some random 3-4 at best defenseman. We are officially cursed , and f***ed, along with the worst scouts.