The state of the Habs Rebuild - The Next step

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

I know some of us will talk about Martone or Hagens, but another top 5 pick, while good on paper, would be really bad for the development of this team. Forget the forever high picks, I want to see progress, I want to watch meaningful hockey. Losing constantly 4 years in a row is BAD for development

Injuries is a big part of that perception torwards results, and by far, injuries are overcomed by depth. A rebuilding team, even when adding talents like Hutson, will inevitably lack such depth to mitigate injuries.

I agree with Marty when he says he's concentrating on the process rather than the results, because injuries play such a big part of the results for a rebuilding team.

We're still carrying deadweights. We're still lacking much depth.

Things will get better by increments, but stagnation in overall results is almost inevitable because of injuries.

Laine and Hutson's additions should've in theory having us push for bubble territory, but injuries can unravel those plans pretty quickly.

 

[Byron Bitz]

It’s going to be a long f***ing season…sigh

Gonna be a long rebuild

 

[Rapala]

We were always rebuilding for another year. Probably 10-15 in the standings. Making the playoffs or challenging for it was always delusional. They didn't buy anything. They were always cautious with their words. We were always still rebuilding.

We are now back to 5-10 in the standings. Sucks for us but a rebuild is not supposed to be fun.

True most of my trusted posters on this forum never thought the P word was a reality.
I can go back a couple of years when we first left the basement and the optimistic takes had us at .500 at best last season and bubbling this season.
When Dach went down .500 was going to be a stretch. We are back to that .500 mark being likely and bubbling is now a stretch.

 

[Rapala]

And it is ok… this year still needed to be hard.

Next year is the year we should become really good.

I just hope it’s not too serious for Reinbacher because next year was supposed to be his real start in the NHL and he need to not lose a year of development at this point.

How many rookies are in our lineup next season?
Will we be really good or still learning?

 

[FrankMTL]

I think in the grand scheme of things, having another bottom finish (considering the sheer number of high draft picks we have for the 2025 draft and Demidov's arrival at the start of next season) isn't the worst thing that could happen. Before acquiring Laine, we knew this team would more than likely be a bottom 10 team again as numerous young players are slowly integrating the lineup.

Regardless of the situation with the injury to Laine (and Reinbacher for that matter) the plan is still the same which is to build a very strong roster that can eventually compete for the Stanley Cup. It obviously sucks for us (the fans) as after a few tough years of watching a losing team, it was nice to have that little spark and excitement with Laine joining the roster, but it is what it is.

Hopefully we have a few young players surprise and our young stars continue to develop and shine this season.

 

[Beer and Chips]

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
The powerplay is a red flag.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

How many rookies are in our lineup next season?
Will we be really good or still learning?

At least 2 more, in Demidov and Reinbacher, if not 3 or 4, with Kapanen, Mailloux and maybe someone else.

We'll have more depth, but that depth will be green af.

It's gonna take time and people should be more patient with results. We still lack way too much depth to be in the bubble.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

Gonna be a long rebuild

It was always going to be long , they tried to speed up the rebuild with the likes of Dach Newhook and Laine but everybody knows if you don't draft a ppg superstar forward or a 1D stud defender you are going nowhere in this league , hopefully demidov can be that guy

 

[Ozmodiar]

No but i dont think ANY team has a "redundancy" in their top 6. It's not like this happened to Dvo... Dach is still a massive ? When it comes to his health, now he's losing a stud winger which was suppose to teach us about what we "could" have..
It's the information that we lose is what stings... i get it, injuries happen.. it's just we cannot truly answer an important equation to test our core..

Like not even 30ish games... nothing.

If Dach doesn’t work out, when his contract is up Hage will be arriving.
If Laine done, Demidov on the way.

These 2 players aren’t 3rd liners.

Dvo on his way out - Beck and Kapanen.

A bunch of kids waiting to take Gallagher, Andy and Armia spots. A few more 1st round picks this season.

And they will still add in trade and free agency.

 

[dinodebino]

They didn't dominate the Leafs.

They dominated the Marlies, and couldn't win.

After Laine’s injury (watched the game this morning), you could notice the first two lines took it like an injury warning and stayed out of the troubled areas. It was an half-assed effort by them. And understandably so.

I like the NFL pre-season format where the vets play a quarter or half a game one-on-one and then they rejects play the rest of the way on both sides.

That injury doesn’t happen if it would have been best on best.

This team will manage without Laine. It got 76 points last year with Mony but without Dach and Hutson and with a three goalie nightmare. Plus the kids at the blue line do look more composed in our zone.

Slow and steady. Rebuilds take more than 2.5 years. We will progress this season. The over the hump season is not yet upon us.

 

[Naslundforever]

If this team falls bottom 5, some on the team will lose faith in the process. And what happened to Buffalo might start to happen here.
This young core was sold a plan. They don’t give two shits about drafting high. They want to play meaningfull games in March-April. If it ain’t happening this season, grumbling will start

well it ain’t happening now soooo… Hutson can only do so much. They are back to a one-line team with a complimentary featherweight scorer on RW and the best player on the line (and the team) barely 30th scorer in the league.

 

[dinodebino]

well it ain’t happening now soooo… Hutson can only do so much. They are back to a one-line team with a complimentary featherweight scorer on RW and the best player on the line (and the team) barely 30th scorer in the league.

I still call for a progression this season. They will get to 82 points. People will expecting this crew to jump 15 points ate not being realistic. This is a very unfinished product. But the kids are growing. I still see a lot of positives moving forward.

 

[Naslundforever]

I still call for a progression this season. They will get to 82 points. People will expecting this crew to jump 15 points ate not being realistic. This is a very unfinished product. But the kids are growing. I still see a lot of positives moving forward.

Positive sure, by virtue of having a year of xp. But if they grumble for losing most games they will be sad puppies come spring, I doubt they’re anywhere close.

 

[dinodebino]

I’m from the Ottawa-Gatineau region. I see a lot of similarities between the first build up of the Hens during the Jacques Martin era and ours right now, where there wasn’t a lot of change in the young nucleus and they built by drafting studs on the blue line plus some gems at forward positions.

It takes time. And this nucleus needs to stay together. Chemistry on ice is built through continuity.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Laine and Reinbacher getting hurt absolutely sucks. It especially sucks that Laine got hurt by an inexperienced kid who we normally wouldn’t even be playing against.

We all knew injuries would happen sooner or later but to have it happen like this - again! - is unreal.

Whatever. Suck it up and go have a good year. Can’t dwell on this stuff, every team gets hurt.

All the best to those guys. Hopefully they recover fully.

 

[Rapala]

After Laine’s injury (watched the game this morning), you could notice the first two lines took it like an injury warning and stayed out of the troubled areas. It was an half-assed effort by them. And understandably so.

I like the NFL pre-season format where the vets play a quarter or half a game one-on-one and then they rejects play the rest of the way on both sides.

That injury doesn’t happen if it would have been best on best.

This team will manage without Laine. It got 76 points last year with Mony but without Dach and Hutson and with a three goalie nightmare. Plus the kids at the blue line do look more composed in our zone.

Slow and steady. Rebuilds take more than 2.5 years. We will progress this season. The over the hump season is not yet upon us.

We certainly took a lot slashes and gratuitous shots most of the evening.
So yeah with the atmosphere being as somber as it was there was no real push back play wise.

 

[Lockin17]

Laine and Reinbacher getting hurt absolutely sucks. It especially sucks that Laine got hurt by an inexperienced kid who we normally wouldn’t even be playing against.

We all knew injuries would happen sooner or later but to have it happen like this - again! - is unreal.

Whatever. Suck it up and go have a good year. Can’t dwell on this stuff, every team gets hurt.

All the best to those guys. Hopefully they recover fully.

Laine might have the same injurie then Dach last year,
He's probably out for the season.

Reinbacher will be out al least 2 months.

GREAT fuucckin Start !!!

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

Reinbacher stings more than Laine from an organisational standpoint , really hope its nothing serious , we really need rein to become a good minute muncher. Laine sucks because of the human aspect and for entertainment reasons for the next 2 years but in terms of actually competing when we are ready we really need Rein to not suffer these types of injuries going forward , how unlucky can we get man

 

[morhilane]

Laine and Reinbacher getting hurt absolutely sucks. It especially sucks that Laine got hurt by an inexperienced kid who we normally wouldn’t even be playing against.

We all knew injuries would happen sooner or later but to have it happen like this - again! - is unreal.

Whatever. Suck it up and go have a good year. Can’t dwell on this stuff, every team gets hurt.

All the best to those guys. Hopefully they recover fully.

Inexperienced Kid? Paré is 25 years old, this is his 5th pro-season (mostly AHL/ECHL).

The real issue thought was the Refs. In the rookie tournament, the Refs made it clear early that not-shit was going to be tolerated, here the first shifts and Leafs go on tripping every Habs players and the Refs turns a blind eye. Good work shitty refs.

 

[durojean]

How many rookies are in our lineup next season?
Will we be really good or still learning?

I always felt like next year the mix would have been better.

A lot of rookie but the core would not be so much and it would help. I also felt like our D was supposed to take it’s real shape next year not this year.

 

[Ranger12]

If Laine is gone long-term (hopefully not) and the "in the mix" thing is now a non-starter, Hughes should, somehow, get SKA to release Demidov from his contract and bring him to Montreal and take over his development Slaf style. Otherwise it's going to be another long season for the impatient fan base.

 

[Trabdy2]

So optimistic a week ago, all deflated now. This team will struggle early and often through the season.

Unless we somehow bring another solid top 6 player, I fully expect another bottom 10 season. I felt the acquisition of Laine was the key to keeping us in the mix to play meaningful games late into the season. I don't think that happens this year now.

 

[nhlfan9191]

If Laine is gone long-term (hopefully not) and the "in the mix" thing is now a non-starter, Hughes should, somehow, get SKA to release Demidov from his contract and bring him to Montreal and take over his development Slaf style. Otherwise it's going to be another long season for the impatient fan base.

It’s been three straight seasons in the bottom 5 of the standings and the overall vibe around here has been positive for the most part. Much more positive then the Bergevin era when we were making the playoffs or in the run for them. I’d say we’ve been doing pretty great job of being patient. But at some point they do have to start showing results. It has nothing to do with being impatient at this point.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

Changing my vote from a B to a C after last nights injuries

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

If Laine is gone long-term (hopefully not) and the "in the mix" thing is now a non-starter, Hughes should, somehow, get SKA to release Demidov from his contract and bring him to Montreal and take over his development Slaf style. Otherwise it's going to be another long season for the impatient fan base.

the fanbases wants and their impatience should have nothing to do with managements decisions , I certainly hope they aren't taking the fanbase into account while building the team lol. If fans think we have a shot 2.5 years into the rebuild that's a fan problem not a management problem