The state of the Habs Rebuild - The Next step

[Lafleurs Guy]

We'll never know if acquiring Dach and Newhook was worth it but one thing is for sure for me, they are not centermen.

Dach was great before his injury. I don’t agree there. As for Newhook, I like him more as a winger.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Hutson started hot but -8 and pointless in his 4 last game.

-8 is meaningless. A lot of that happened with us pulling the goalie and playing behind…

 

[1909]

How about- for the time being (let’s say a season or two) give the « C » to a veteran player like Matheson or Savard ? Suzuki doesn’t seem to be ready for the job, and it would take a ton of pressure off his shoulders, if only for the pressure by some MTL medias , who are blaming him to not be bilingual yet. Matheson is well respected in the room.

Dach was great before his injury. I don’t agree there. As for Newhook, I like him more as a winger.

Newhook was getting pretty good at center last season with Gally and Armia as his wingers.

 

[HabzSauce]

Habs need to find a way to get a stud C. Dach has a lot to prove still and the only other potential candidates are Hage/Demidov. Which are years away. This team would look so much better with two legit top 6 C's, and guys like Slaf/CC/Laine/Demidov on the wings.

Maybe through this year draft we get one.

 

[Sorinth]

I will settle for not getting out shot by 10 shots a game, getting schooled every night or watching them chase in their own end for minutes at a time but if that’s the hockey you enjoy, you do you.

ok, you got me, they look just fine in their own end, lol. MSL fans

In the MIX, baby!!!

And we're back full circle to being impatient, not understanding what a rebuild would actually entail, and temper tantrums.

 

[26Mats]

Habs need to find a way to get a stud C. Dach has a lot to prove still and the only other potential candidates are Hage/Demidov. Which are years away. This team would look so much better with two legit top 6 C's, and guys like Slaf/CC/Laine/Demidov on the wings.

Maybe through this year draft we get one.

Monahan would have been great. But 5 years was risky.

 

[ReimanSum1908]

And we're back full circle to being impatient, not understanding what a rebuild would actually entail, and temper tantrums.

I've said from the very beginning that our competitive window opens when Suzuki and Caufield are around thirty; we just have to hope that they develop further, given their contracts, and hold up until then and that the other contracts that we sign, and players that we draft, actually pan out.

All those who believed that we could somehow achieve success through a "three-year rebuild" were terribly optimistic, or failed to understand the true depth of the organizational dead weight and rot, some of which has been added to, rather than removed, during the process.

 

[Habby4Life]

And we're back full circle to being impatient, not understanding what a rebuild would actually entail, and temper tantrums.

Temper tantrums, hahaha, the best!!!

Tell me, oh mighty one, how is getting blitzed in their own end every night an ok thing in yr 3/4 of the rebuild?

Some MSL fans

I've said from the very beginning that our competitive window opens when Suzuki and Caufield are around thirty; we just have to hope that they develop further, given their contracts, and hold up until then and that the other contracts that we sign, and players that we draft, actually pan out.

All those who believed that we could somehow achieve success through a "three-year rebuild" were terribly optimistic, or failed to understand the true depth of the organizational dead weight and rot, some of which has been added to, rather than removed, during the process.

A 8 yr rebuild, 5 more yrs, hahaha.

Heck, they might as well trade NS & CC now.

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

The next step is backwards by the looks of it, we will pick in the Top 3 after 2 years at 5 and hopefully another pick mid-teens

And I could honestly care less as we weren't competing this year, Laine addition was fun for some excitement but that was never going to move us up 10 spots. This TDL and next offseason will determine if we are in perennial rebuild or if we are truly moving towards being in the mix

 

[Sorinth]

Temper tantrums, hahaha, the best!!!

Tell me, oh mighty one, how is getting blitzed in their own end every night an ok thing in yr 3/4 of the rebuild?

Some MSL fans


A 8 yr rebuild, 5 more yrs, hahaha.

Heck, they might as well trade NS & CC now.

What else would we call it when after seeing consecutive years of improvements on the defensive side of things wanting to fire the coach for not seeing even more improvements in the first 7 games?

And like I said you clearly don't understand what a rebuild actually takes. 4 years after drafting MacKinnon you know where Colorado was? At the bottom of the league drafting Makar with the 4th OA pick. And since Landeskog was drafted 2 years before MacKinnon we could even say that was year 6 of the rebuild. Or how about Tampa, you know where they were in year 5 after drafting Stamkos? They were drafting Drouin at 3rd OA. Or how about Pittsburgh, if we genourously say the rebuild started not when they started drafting high but when they got MAF then in year 4 guess where they were picking, 2nd OA.

 

[Habby4Life]

What else would we call it when after seeing consecutive years of improvements on the defensive side of things wanting to fire the coach for not seeing even more improvements in the first 7 games?

And like I said you clearly don't understand what a rebuild actually takes. 4 years after drafting MacKinnon you know where Colorado was? At the bottom of the league drafting Makar with the 4th OA pick. And since Landeskog was drafted 2 years before MacKinnon we could even say that was year 6 of the rebuild. Or how about Tampa, you know where they were in year 5 after drafting Stamkos? They were drafting Drouin at 3rd OA. Or how about Pittsburgh, if we genourously say the rebuild started not when they started drafting high but when they got MAF then in year 4 guess where they were picking, 2nd OA.

They are last in almost all D stats.

Once again, tell me how this team looks better defensively or has progressed?

It’s worse and Bombay better figure it out soon. If he can’t, then yes punt him.

 

[ReimanSum1908]

Some MSL fans


A 8 yr rebuild, 5 more yrs, hahaha.

Heck, they might as well trade NS & CC now.

Look at the Senators and Sabres.

We're far worse off after our first three years of the rebuild than either of those two teams were at the same point.

And you're absolutely right: the two of them should be traded because this rebuild has likely failed. The chances of actually being competitive when they are around thirty is almost nonexistent.

We drafted high in the absolute worst years, 2022 and 2023.

 

[Sorinth]

They are last in almost all D stats.

Once again, tell me how this team looks better defensively or has progressed?

It’s worse and Bombay better figure it out soon. If he can’t, then yes punt him.

2021-2022: 32nd in GA
2022-2023: 29th in GA
2023-2024: 27th in GA
2024-2025: With only 7 games played we are once again 27th in GA/G

If you can't see progress that says more about you then it does the team.

 

[Mandala]

We could had Michkov and Demidov. We tried to outsmart everyone and went with a right defenseman that was injured pre draft. Why do we often go with a player with an injury history? Our picks are often injured, Guhle, Slafkovsky, Reinbacher, etc. We trade for injured players, Dach, Laine, etc. For our rebuild go with talent and ideally no serious injury history like shoulder, back or knee injuries.

 

[WeThreeKings]

@WeThreeKings @OldCraig71 @Runner77 you really think this is the best spot for Hutson? He would be more insulated in Laval , they are a more structured team with more size to insulate him. I know talent wise he can chip in some points but the rest of his game isn't going to translate with this team in front. Where do you want him?

He is one of the best players on the team right now.

There is no reason for him to go to Laval.

He will take his lumps but he always comes back out and plays the same way, nothing is going to hurt this kid.

 

[salbutera]

2021-2022: 32nd in GA
2022-2023: 29th in GA
2023-2024: 27th in GA
2024-2025: With only 7 games played we are once again 27th in GA/G

If you can't see progress that says more about you then it does the team.

Add to it progression in PK

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

Hutson started hot but -8 and pointless in his 4 last game.

Meanwhile Michkov is -9 in 7 games.

It's kinda normal when rookies are shoehorned at the top of the lineup on a rebuilding team.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

The next step is backwards by the looks of it, we will pick in the Top 3 after 2 years at 5 and hopefully another pick mid-teens

And I could honestly care less as we weren't competing this year, Laine addition was fun for some excitement but that was never going to move us up 10 spots. This TDL and next offseason will determine if we are in perennial rebuild or if we are truly moving towards being in the mix

No, it won't. There's a process many are overlooking. If a team is in a rebuild, it's because their talent base is low. Because that talent base is low, they pick high and keep picking high until the players they picked start to stock up that talent base year after year.

We're literally 2 years removed from our first rebuild draft and all the players we drafted since starting the rebuild are between 18 and 20 years old. Our talent base is still low and the players we drafted won't fully impact the team until 2-3 years from now.

Faltering next year won't mean we're in a perpetual rebuild. It simply means our drafts are too recent to have an impact, yet those drafts are exactly what will eventually raise our stock.

 

[26Mats]

To all those that don't know, the reason HuGo said the goal this year was to be "in the mix" wasn't because if we don't end up being in the mix the season is a failure at this point, or we're not where we're supposed to be. Rather they said that because they can't come out and say we'll perhaps be bottom 5 again this year. They can't say that to the players who play to win. But they must have known with this roster and the potential for injuries that, ok maybe we could fight for a playoff spot, but for sure it was possible we'd be bottom 5 again.

 

[Rapala]

Max Lapierre pointed out how slow this team is Suzuki slow Dach slow Slaf slow Gallagher slow Armia slow Dvorak slow Savard slow.
Caufield and Hutson both agile but not fast. Evans Heineman Anderson Newhook along with a couple of our Dmen represent the only speed we have.
He thinks a trade or some sort of transaction has to be made sooner than later to shake this team up.
He didn't seem overly impressed with Kapanen either. He wants Heineman bumped top 6 and I agree.
I remember a couple of seasons ago we ended up having Jake Evans playing on Suzuki's wing for a game I immediately noticed a difference in Nick's pace.
Nick Suzuki will always be at his best when he is moving out there and dictating pace he likes to slow the play down which is fine.
The thing is it won't work if you are playing slow to begin with. We definitely need more speed merchants.

 

[morhilane]

Max Lapierre pointed out how slow this team is Suzuki slow Dach slow Slaf slow Gallagher slow Armia slow Dvorak slow Savard slow.
Caufield and Hutson both agile but not fast. Evans Heineman Anderson Newhook along with a couple of our Dmen represent the only speed we have.
He thinks a trade or some sort of transaction has to be made sooner than later to shake this team up.
He didn't seem overly impressed with Kapanen either. He wants Heineman bumped top 6 and I agree.
I remember a couple of seasons ago we ended up having Jake Evans playing on Suzuki's wing for a game I immediately noticed a difference in Nick's pace.
Nick Suzuki will always be at his best when he is moving out there and dictating pace he likes to slow the play down which is fine.
The thing is it won't work if you are playing slow to begin with. We definitely need more speed merchants.

Dach wasn't slow, he is now because he's back from a knee injury and playing with a brace.

Slaf wasn't slow in pre-season, he even looked faster then last year, but he was thinking the game slow to start the season. That was getting better before his shoulder problems.

 

[Rapala]

Dach wasn't slow, he is now because he's back from a knee injury and playing with a brace.

Slaf wasn't slow in pre-season, he even looked faster then last year, but he was thinking the game slow to start the season. That was getting better before his shoulder problems.

They are both slow and will never be the type speed merchants Lapierre is talking about.
The problem isn't those guys anyways it's the balance and how we are put together.
He's not looking beyond tomorrow and he wants to find solutions to what we have in front of us.
He isn't wrong this is not a fast team.

 

[HabsCode]

How about- for the time being (let’s say a season or two) give the « C » to a veteran player like Matheson or Savard ? Suzuki doesn’t seem to be ready for the job, and it would take a ton of pressure off his shoulders, if only for the pressure by some MTL medias , who are blaming him to not be bilingual yet. Matheson is well respected in the room.


Newhook was getting pretty good at center last season with Gally and Armia as his wingers.

No, your C has to be a difference maker on the ice too, not just with words. Suzuki his most likely amongst the most, if not the most respected played in the room. Like everyone, he is learning through hard times how to better fill his role and become a better player and leader.

 

[26Mats]

Max Lapierre pointed out how slow this team is Suzuki slow Dach slow Slaf slow Gallagher slow Armia slow Dvorak slow Savard slow.
Caufield and Hutson both agile but not fast. Evans Heineman Anderson Newhook along with a couple of our Dmen represent the only speed we have.
He thinks a trade or some sort of transaction has to be made sooner than later to shake this team up.
He didn't seem overly impressed with Kapanen either. He wants Heineman bumped top 6 and I agree.
I remember a couple of seasons ago we ended up having Jake Evans playing on Suzuki's wing for a game I immediately noticed a difference in Nick's pace.
Nick Suzuki will always be at his best when he is moving out there and dictating pace he likes to slow the play down which is fine.
The thing is it won't work if you are playing slow to begin with. We definitely need more speed merchants.

I think of Dach as being fast pre knee injury, and Slaf has some speed.

For sure HuGo will look to address the speed issue. For next year, Armia and Dvo come off the books. And we have Hage and Beck on the way. How's Demidov's speed. I think I've heard mixed reports. Some say he's fast. Some say he's average.

 

[Rapala]

I think of Dach as being fast pre knee injury, and Slaf has some speed.

For sure HuGo will look to address the speed issue. For next year, Armia and Dvo come off the books. And we have Hage and Beck on the way. How's Demidov's speed. I think I've heard mixed reports. Some say he's fast. Some say he's average.

Max Lapierre is not looking at next year.
He's looking at the here and now he wants this team to be better and he's pointing out obvious flaws.
Max is a very smart guy and definitely knows what he is talking about.
The constant refrain on this board is oh next year this and next year that are going to happen.
Lapierre still has NHL DNA in his blood and looks at that as defeatism.
The team has regressed in his eyes as it has for some of us here there is no spark.