The state of the Habs Rebuild - The Next step

[Kobe Armstrong]

5 years from now when we finally enter year 3 of the rebuild we should be ready to compete

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

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.

 

[ReHabs]

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]

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]

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”…

 

[Mrb1p]

26-27. At least 5 years for a rebuild. Usually it takes 7. We are year 3.

Devil have been rebuilding for 4, they're competing in year 4.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Devil have been rebuilding for 4, they're competing in year 4.

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

 

[Mrb1p]

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

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.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

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.

 

[Nico Cauzuki]

No. We need much more, unfortunately.

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

 

[Benstheman]

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.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

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]

And man o man, like I said before, Crosby would be the ultimate player to end our rebuild, teaching life to these young bums.

 

[WinterLion]

14 games in and we are already 6 points out of a playoff spot!

The next two trade dealines/drafts will be very important.

 

[Hannibal]

We have a legit chance to be already out of contention by american thanksgiving!

Ducharme level season!

Im good with it

 

[junyab]

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.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

We have a legit chance to be already out of contention by american thanksgiving!

Ducharme level season!

Im good with it

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.

 

[Benstheman]

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]

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)

 

[WeThreeKings]

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]

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.

 

[teamfirst]

5 years from now when we finally enter year 3 of the rebuild we should be ready to compete

Come on now, you need to be more patient than that, progression is not lenear and rebuilds take time you know

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

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 chalk 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.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Come on now, you need to be more patient than that, progression is not lenear and rebuilds take time you know

Don’t scream for a rebuild if you can’t handle it when it arrives.

 

[OnTheRun]

Top 4 RD would help stabilize things.

Yes, but the cost for a real Top4 RD is prohibitive. And I don't see us paying it in an ongoing season.