The state of the Habs Rebuild - The Next step

What note you give to Kent Hughes' Rebuild? ?

  • A

    Votes: 212 47.5%
  • B

    Votes: 163 36.5%
  • C

    Votes: 50 11.2%
  • D

    Votes: 9 2.0%
  • E

    Votes: 2 0.4%
  • F

    Votes: 14 3.1%

  • Total voters
    446

Grate n Colorful Oz

Pure Laine Hutson
Jun 12, 2007
36,713
35,470
Hockey Mecca
We were close to finish 30th in the standings
What did overachieve?

I understand that playing hockey when playoffs are out of the horizon is not the same and some teams take you less seriously but man except Suzuki production , idk about that

76 points, all those 1 goal losses. Maybe their true worth was less than that. They had 68 the season before and didn't change the lineup much inbetween.
 
  • Like
Reactions: morhilane

ReHabs

Registered User
Sponsor
Jan 18, 2022
8,597
13,010
76 points, all those 1 goal losses. Maybe their true worth was less than that. They had 68 the season before and didn't change the lineup much inbetween.
Whatever happened to “natural growth”?

A young lineup + 2 years is expected to be less immature, more capable of showing consistency, more athletic, etc.

If they can’t improve their true worth over two years… what the fk are we doing here
 

morhilane

Registered User
Feb 28, 2021
9,640
12,532
76 points, all those 1 goal losses. Maybe their true worth was less than that. They had 68 the season before and didn't change the lineup much inbetween.
It's not about winning, it's how they are playing. They played much better (structured, positionally) in the last 40 games of last season than they are doing right now.

They are playing like they forgot everything they learned last year.
They are playing frustrated, with no confidence, etc.

There is something that is bothering them enough to mind screw the entire line-up outside of Evans and Gally (and maybe Andy). And I don't think it's Laine/Reinbacher injuries.
 

ReHabs

Registered User
Sponsor
Jan 18, 2022
8,597
13,010
5 years from now when we finally enter year 3 of the rebuild we should be ready to compete
I’m beginning to think some people just like losing and vaguely hoping for a better tomorrow. Nothing else explains the fans’ ambivalence to the regression.

That is, unless they’re certain none of Dach, Xhekaj, Newhook, Monty, etc will remotely feature in our glorious future.

Shame we had to miss out on Bedard in order to preserve the “winning culture”…
 

WeThreeKings

Demidov is a HAB
Sep 19, 2006
96,154
108,851
Halifax
Devil have been rebuilding for 4, they're competing in year 4.

1731071753001.png


Not even close to true. They've been bad since 2012-2013 and have yet to make the playoffs in back to back years.
 

Grate n Colorful Oz

Pure Laine Hutson
Jun 12, 2007
36,713
35,470
Hockey Mecca
Whatever happened to “natural growth”?

A young lineup + 2 years is expected to be less immature, more capable of showing consistency, more athletic, etc.

That natural growth is only to a handful of key players, one of which missed an extensive period of play and two others who were also out for some time.
If they can’t improve their true worth over two years… what the fk are we doing here

You seem completely oblivious to the major component of a rebuild, which is to restock the asset base. The restocking doesn't happen overnight. We're two years removed from our first draft to recoup our losses to our asset base, and not only recoup it, but bring it much higher than it was before Price, Weber and Danault left. Of importance, we've only added Slaf, Hutson, Dach and Newhook. The first is a WIP who missed some time, the second is green, the 3rd missed a whole lot of games since he was drafted and the last one is also a WIP who missed some time. The restocking has barely happened yet and our talent base is still very low.

I'm not interested in hearing your denial of reality, so please no long winding narrative building as a reply. I'll just ignore it.
 

Benstheman

Registered User
Nov 20, 2014
7,422
3,692
not really with a 1C and 1D our team would be much better

Slafkovsky - 1C - Demidov
Caufield - Suzuki - Laine
Newhook - Dach - Gallagher
Roy - Evans - Heinemen

Guhle - 1D
Hutson - Reinbacher
Struble/Xhekaj - Mailloux
Give me 1 Andersson and 1 Hagens and we are ok.
 
  • Like
Reactions: junyab

Grate n Colorful Oz

Pure Laine Hutson
Jun 12, 2007
36,713
35,470
Hockey Mecca
It's not about winning, it's how they are playing. They played much better (structured, positionally) in the last 40 games of last season than they are doing right now.

They are playing like they forgot everything they learned last year.
They are playing frustrated, with no confidence, etc.

There is something that is bothering them enough to mind screw the entire line-up outside of Evans and Gally (and maybe Andy). And I don't think it's Laine/Reinbacher injuries.

They might've been simply playing over their heads. A confluence of factors coming together. Some might've lost their confidence which is tenuous at that age, others might've become blasé (Suzuki, Savard, Caufield, Matheson, Dvo) and are just mailing it in, and the make-up of the D just didn't help any of that. Plus the injury to Laine which didn't help in refocusing the blasé bunch.

not really with a 1C and 1D our team would be much better

Slafkovsky - 1C - Demidov
Caufield - Suzuki - Laine
Newhook - Dach - Gallagher
Roy - Evans - Heinemen

Guhle - 1D
Hutson - Reinbacher
Struble/Xhekaj - Mailloux

That's like the two biggest and hardest pieces to add. It is much.
 

Benstheman

Registered User
Nov 20, 2014
7,422
3,692
And man o man, like I said before, Crosby would be the ultimate player to end our rebuild, teaching life to these young bums.
 
  • Love
Reactions: WinterLion

Hannibal

Fear the Weber
Feb 11, 2007
11,285
9,057
We have a legit chance to be already out of contention by american thanksgiving!

Ducharme level season!

Im good with it
 
  • Like
Reactions: ReHabs

junyab

Registered User
Jan 22, 2013
2,060
1,264
I think it's wishful thinking to be honest. I don't recall seeing many teams going from bottom 5 to conference finalists.

Rebuilding is not a magic process. Even when you think you have all the pieces, they need to progress and every player has his own progression curve.

I agree we still need to draft high this next draft. But what of next season? What are your expectations?

I know its unrealistic to go from bottom 5 to conference finals, but what I mean is having a chance to compete in the playoffs, not being the statistical favourites to reach the finals.

This is the last year that I'd like to be a bottom feeder. If we have no major changes in net or on defense I'd expect to be bottom 10. We're not going to score ourselves into the playoffs.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Benstheman

Benstheman

Registered User
Nov 20, 2014
7,422
3,692
I know its unrealistic to go from bottom 5 to conference finals, but what I mean is having a chance to compete in the playoffs, not being the statistical favourites to reach the finals.

This is the last year that I'd like to be a bottom feeder. If we have no major changes in net or on defense I'd expect to be bottom 10. We're not going to score ourselves into the playoffs.
Yep. Progression in net is 80% depending on our D though. So i would say our priority should definitely be on rounding up our D.

It's been almost 3 years i've been saying we are building our D the wrong way. That we eventually would lack the defensive side. And i definitely don't think i was wrong. While people were really high on Mailloux and almost calling Reinbacher a bust, i was saying Reinbacher would probably be the most important piece of our D because of all our prospects, he is the only one that can eventually be elite defensively. I think Guhle will be very good and Hutson will be ok but the rest is mediocre at best.

And i hope our D becomes stable before we bring Fowler in because i don't want him to feel like he is our saviour while being a rookie.
 

OnTheRun

/dev/null
May 17, 2014
12,992
11,851
We're still not at Ducharme level. The team post-finals, played ,250 under Ducharme. MSL had them playing between ,350 and ,450 since he came in. We're at ,357 right now.

DuChump (.256) was in a league of its own.

Looking at the worst finish since the lockout the competition are:
2016-17 Avalanche (.293)
2019-20 Red Wings (.275)
2023-24 Sharks (.283)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Grate n Colorful Oz

WeThreeKings

Demidov is a HAB
Sep 19, 2006
96,154
108,851
Halifax
I'm sorry, are you confused on your own criterias? Fitzgerald came in in 2020. Before that Shero added vets like Subban, acquired Hamilton, Tatar, etc.

You can't have it both ways, mon chéri.

Then you can call the start of the rebuild when they picked Hischier 1st overall and continued to not make the playoffs and draft high - and have yet to make the playoffs in back to back seasons.
 

Lafleurs Guy

Guuuuuuuy!
Jul 20, 2007
79,920
51,920
Yep. Progression in net is 80% depending on our D though. So i would say our priority should definitely be on rounding up our D.

It's been almost 3 years i've been saying we are building our D the wrong way. That we eventually would lack the defensive side. And i definitely don't think i was wrong. While people were really high on Mailloux and almost calling Reinbacher a bust, i was saying Reinbacher would probably be the most important piece of our D because of all our prospects, he is the only one that can eventually be elite defensively. I think Guhle will be very good and Hutson will be ok but the rest is mediocre at best.

And i hope our D becomes stable before we bring Fowler in because i don't want him to feel like he is our saviour while being a rookie.
Top 4 RD would help stabilize things.
 

Lafleurs Guy

Guuuuuuuy!
Jul 20, 2007
79,920
51,920
I’m beginning to think some people just like losing and vaguely hoping for a better tomorrow.
Just beginning? You’ve been screaming this for years.
Nothing else explains the fans’ ambivalence to the regression.
I can’t think of too many posters who wanted us to deliberately tank this year. I think most hoped - and many expected- improvement.

But rebuilding teams often take a step back as they improve. Development isn’t a straight line and unfortunately you’ll have challenges along the way. The Devils learned that last year. They were expected to be great and had a rough year.

It’s not ambivalence. The word that you’re searching for is ‘patience.’ And I don’t think that word exists in your vocabulary.
 
Last edited:

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad