The state of the Habs Rebuild - The Next step

[Trabdy2]

Hutson is going to be a fine player but he has no business in the NHL right now, he is being rushed for no reason and poor asset management. Just a matter of time till he gets destroyed on the blueline, he needs to bake in the AHL. What's the rush?

I think he's fine to be in the NHL, but he can't be playing 24 minutes a game and against top competition regularly. He should be deployed with 15-18 mins and not paired with a rookie who struggles defensively like Mailloux. He needs to acclimate more. Right now he's doing a lot of learning, but there are a lot of mistakes and his weaknesses are being capitalized on.

MSL doesn't really have great options at this point. The only guy he can look at as a stabilizing force right now is Guhle and he's injured.

 

[Tabarouette]

Hutson is going to be a fine player but he has no business in the NHL right now, he is being rushed for no reason and poor asset management. Just a matter of time till he gets destroyed on the blueline, he needs to bake in the AHL. What's the rush?

hard disagree, he's going to have bad nights like last night, shit happens.

Literally his weakness is that he never faced opposition that could stop him from doing the things he does and now he IS facing that kind of opposition in the NHL, so he needs to adjust his game accordingly. He won't get that in the AHL, he's overqualified

 

[BergevinBurner]

It's starting to feel like Newhook and Dach are probably destined for our 3rd line in the future if we want to be contenders at some point. Dach's injury history and faceoff woes are probably enough to keep him from being a long term reliable 2C, and I don't think Newhook has the ceiling to be a 2C on a real contender.

This off season I'd like to see us try to bring in an experienced/veteran 2C to play between Laine and Demidov on our 2nd line. Ideally a guy without too much term, just a few years to buy time for Hage or whoever we take 1st in the 2025 draft to make the jump to the NHL. Then we'd have X-Newhook-Dach on the 3rd line. Even though I think our 2nd line is arguably the worst in the league, I think that could be a fairly high end 3rd line.

 

[Habs]

hard disagree, he's going to have bad nights like last night, shit happens.

Literally his weakness is that he never faced opposition that could stop him from doing the things he does and now he IS facing that kind of opposition in the NHL, so he needs to adjust his game accordingly. He won't get that in the AHL, he's overqualified

I really like the kid but there is nothing bad about letting him cook in the AHL. He’s going to get point but his play away from the puck needs a lot of work. He isn’t too good for the AHL just my opinion

 

[Sorinth]

Rebuild is fine, the way they are getting trounced in yr 3/4 isn’t.

Which to me just says that many fans have unrealistic expectations for what a rebuild actually entails.

 

[Habby4Life]

Which to me just says that many fans have unrealistic expectations for what a rebuild actually entails.

Some defensive structure is unrealistic?

 

[Tyson]

Some defensive structure is unrealistic?

Evidently

 

[Miller Time]

Which to me just says that many fans have unrealistic expectations for what a rebuild actually entails.

Id add unrealistic expectations of how regular seasons unfold as well lol

 

[nhlfan9191]

The rebuild is a B or a B- for me so far. I’ve liked their moves but I question if a lot of them will amount to anything at this point. Honeymoon faze is over. And that’s not being impatient. We hired Hugo three years ago so the standards are going to start getting raised. Coaching has been garbage as well.

 

[HitHard]

Peewee is the problem.

 

[Tyson]

It would not hurt Hutson to have played one full season in Laval. He is overwhelmed imo.

 

[morhilane]

It would not hurt Hutson to have played one full season in Laval. He is overwhelmed imo.

The entire team outside of Suzuki, Guhle and Slaf should play in Laval then.

 

[Andy]

The rebuild is a B or a B- for me so far. I’ve liked their moves but I question if a lot of them will amount to anything at this point. Honeymoon faze is over. And that’s not being impatient. We hired Hugo three years ago so the standards are going to start getting raised. Coaching has been garbage as well.

I think people need to remember that the offensive depth charge in terms of offensive prospects was literally Caufield, Suzuki, Roy, and only recently did Kapanen's potential get attention.

The team also had 0 goaltending depth.

Outside the defensive prospects, of which only Guhle has top pairing potential, the habs cupboards were almost completely bare.

Anyone thinking three years of a rebuild would be enough is completely out to lunch.

We still don't have two of our three lottery picks in the lineup.

There was so much work to be done. We are underestimating the state this club was left in. No offense, bloated contracts to deadweight we still have on the club. No high elite talent anywhere in the pipeline.

This rebuild was always going to be long.

 

[Tyson]

The entire team outside of Suzuki, Guhle and Slaf should play in Laval then.

 

[OldCraig71]

Id add unrealistic expectations of how regular seasons unfold as well lol

How do you see the season unfolding based on what you have seen through the first 7 games? Typically we see weaker teams gain the most points early in the season before the best teams get serious but we aren't seeing that from this years group.

Last season we were in games till the end and the team showed signs of promise despite terrible luck with injuries. It wasn't just hot take posters (I guess I'm one) here that liked the progression from the kids but sports media types and NHL people as well. There was plenty of optimism going around but that has faded quickly to start this season.

This team looks lost and yeah, even a hot take guy like myself wasn't expecting the 77 Habs out there but I was expecting to see a step forward from most of the group and I don't think that could be called unrealistic expectations on my part. Yes we are playing inexperienced guys on the roster but we also heard management saying they wanted to be in the mix. Did they make the mistake of playing too many young players at once? Could they have left some of the kids in Laval and given them 5-10 game auditions to get their feet wet instead of giving them full time spots?

Rebuilding was a necessity for us but there is delicate balance between building a good core and exposing young players to what can become a losing culture. We have seen this from many teams in the NHL and some of the rebuilds go on for 5-10 years. It might have been that the pressure to learn at the NHL level and the expectations of winning were to much to bear for a group of 18-22 year old players.

I value your opinion as a poster because I have read many good takes from you over the years and I look forward to your response.

 

[themilosh]

He is a rookie. I think folks have really high expectations.

Not every rookie is going to come in and burn villages. I feel like we forget that kids need nhl reps at some point, and not every rookie season will be something to talk about it.

For me the biggest thing is that he needs to get stronger. He seems to have a good understanding of the game and doesn't look out place pace wise. He just can't create space and defend space physically right now. But again, he needs to experience the nhl game.

He's 5'9" 165lbs dripping wet. This has always been my bone of contention with everyone all gung ho on his offense, and the #1 REASON he dropped to 62 in the draft. he is NEVER going to be able to "defend space physically", ever. I think the kid is brilliant don't get me wrong, but it is insane to use him for anything else other than PP1, OT and/or ES when Suzuki line is out.

If we aren't going to trade him, I'd consider moving him to 2nd line wing as a defensively responsible playmaker - which IMO is a position he could really do well with.
I also think Arber should be on our 4th Line, if MSL doesn't want him at D.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

I think there's a lot of cope in the last few posts for the team not looking like it's made an iota of progress, especially defensively.

What's happening right now isn't good, no matter how you slice it. The fans and the team was expecting progress and we look worse than last year. Remember how much of the argument was 'We lost so many one-goal games! We'll get better for sure! Organic growth!'

We suck and we suck badly and while I think HuGo have done good work, the over-the-top praise they were getting should be slowing down a little. It was always way too much for a team that had done absolutely nothing and progress from players that hadn't been THAT crazy while overhyping basic prospects.

 

[Andy]

He's 5'9" 165lbs dripping wet.

I was talking about Kapanan.

 

[Andy]

I will admit that I am disappointed because I do think the team should be playing better than what they have.

I do think they have the horses to be outside a lottery position. They definitely do not look as good as the actual personnel on the club.

Team cohesion just isn't there. Even a guy like Hutson isn't connecting on 5 foot passes. They are getting hemmed in their zone repeatedly, and have no pressure on the forecheck,

It doesn't help that Dach looks like complete shit and a step behind. Did not expect his return from injury to be that jarring.

My biggest gripe is that collectively they are not in sync.

 

[themilosh]

I was talking about Kapanan.

sry, thought you were talking about Hutson..lol

regardless - I don't know what harm there is in trying him out on the 2nd line wing?

 

[Canadienna]

The success of this rebuild was always built on an assumption of internal improvement over its course.

Demidov, Hage, Fowler and whatever UFA aren't going to change the team's path on a dime. They need to be added to an already good team and make them great.

If this level of defensive play continues all season, I'll definitely start to doubt that the internal group has what it takes to fill some of those future spots and holes.

 

[themilosh]

I will admit that I am disappointed because I do think the team should be playing better than what they have.

I do think they have the horses to be outside a lottery position. They definitely do not look as good as the actual personnel on the club.

Team cohesion just isn't there. Even a guy like Hutson isn't connecting on 5 foot passes. They are getting hemmed in their zone repeatedly, and have no pressure on the forecheck,

It doesn't help that Dach looks like complete shit and a step behind. Did not expect his return from injury to be that jarring.

My biggest gripe is that collectively they are not in sync.

he had reconstructive surgery to his knee... lol.. I think people give way too much credit to our medical system to simply think he was going to be fine. once you bust your knees up, the countdown clock begins (ask Orr).. would you race an F1 car being held together by welding? this isn't a "timing" issue, he has legit lost a step and that is the difference btw a 2C and a 4C. If he can gain at least 1/2 step back, then he could settle in as a 3C.. but as of now, he is nowhere near a top6

 

[Andy]

he had reconstructive surgery to his knee... lol.. I think people give way too much credit to our medical system to simply think he was going to be fine. once you bust your knees up, the countdown clock begins (ask Orr).. would you race an F1 car being held together by welding? this isn't a "timing" issue, he has legit lost a step and that is the difference btw a 2C and a 4C. If he can gain at least 1/2 step back, then he could settle in as a 3C.. but as of now, he is nowhere near a top6

This sounds like a gross exaggeration. Didn't Svechnikov have the same injury? He came back producing at the same pace before he got injured.

 

[Habs]

@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?

 

[StreetHawk]

@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?

Who is the best partner for him with MTL? Is it Savard? Guhle? Barron? And is that the best situation for him?