The state of the Habs Rebuild - The Next step

[CoopersFalls]

Top 6 could sure use Michkov right now

 

[morhilane]

7-8 years of rebuilding means the oldest of our core will have passed their prime by then. Right now, Suzuki is 25, Caufield and Dach are turning 24 in 6-7 weeks. There's a very finite window where our young vets are in their prime at the same time as our best prospects.

Suzuki/CC/Dach/Newhook either managed to be so good that the rebuild was going to be shortened or there to be transition players.

Currently, they look like transition players, since HuGo haven't acquire and/or kept talent to go along with them to speed the rest up:
- a A1 goalie
- a top 4 RHD (or two depending how you look at it)
- a dependable 2 line center

They are in the pipeline thought (if they pan out), so in 5 years, the core could very well be Slaf/Lane/Vanya/Hage/Rein/Beck/Fowler...

 

[yianik]

7-8 years of rebuilding means the oldest of our core will have passed their prime by then. Right now, Suzuki is 25, Caufield and Dach are turning 24 in 6-7 weeks. There's a very finite window where our young vets are in their prime at the same time as our best prospects.

Likely we can't wait for an alignment whereby we mostly drafted all the key pieces we need. So through UFAs and trade maybe we speed it up. For example, we trade Mailloux plus for Andersson after next July 1 and extend him, then we have a top 3D and maybe extend Savard for 2 years until Reinbacher is ready. In the meantime we can make do.

The critical missing pieces are a top pair RHD a 2C and a starting goalie. Winger wise we should be fine top 6 and then lots of young guys with a few vets to fill the bottom 6.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

7-8 years of rebuilding means the oldest of our core will have passed their prime by then. Right now, Suzuki is 25, Caufield and Dach are turning 24 in 6-7 weeks. There's a very finite window where our young vets are in their prime at the same time as our best prospects.

Most elite players are still elite between 30 and 33 years old. This whole window thing is an exageration. Suzuki and Caufield will more than likely still be very valuable at 30 years old.

This vision is also based on an assumption that Caufield and Suzuki are the ultimate central core being built on, when it is also as likely that they aren't. It is rather more likely that the players who we will have drafted since 2022 will be more important to the team. Hutson, Slaf, Demidov, Hage, Reinbacher, Fowler and whoever else we draft next will form a major core of their own, light years more impactful than the tiny core of Caufield, Suzuki and Guhle, who won't even be that old at that point and will be a much needed veteran presence.

 

[Mrb1p]

Suzuki/CC/Dach/Newhook either managed to be so good that the rebuild was going to be shortened or there to be transition players.

Currently, they look like transition players, since HuGo haven't acquire and/or kept talent to go along with them to speed the rest up:
- a A1 goalie
- a top 4 RHD (or two depending how you look at it)
- a dependable 2 line center

They are in the pipeline thought (if they pan out), so in 5 years, the core could very well be Slaf/Lane/Vanya/Hage/Rein/Beck/Fowler...

How is a top 15, probably nearing top 10, center a transitional player?

We haven't had a forward this valuable since fricking Lafleur what are we doing with this f***ing rebuild.

 

[Miller Time]

7-8 years of rebuilding means the oldest of our core will have passed their prime by then. Right now, Suzuki is 25, Caufield and Dach are turning 24 in 6-7 weeks. There's a very finite window where our young vets are in their prime at the same time as our best prospects.

Fall of 27-28 season mid 6th year of KH as GM...

Minus whatever UFA signings or trades that take place btw now and then (any of which would presumably be made to improve/shore up the roster)

- Price, Matheson, Savard, Armia, Dvorak, Laine, Gally, Anderson, Monty & their 50M off the books

That's 57% of the cap currently allocated to that -non playoff caliber- veteran core which will be fully re-allocated by 27-28 season, plus the likely considerable cap increase...

2027-28 Assets to work with (inevitable trades, injuries notwithstanding):

- 28: Suzuki
- 27: Barron
- 26: CC, Dach, Newhook, Xhekaj, Dobes?
- 25: Guhle, Heineman, Strubble, Tuch?
- 24: Kapanen Mailloux, Roy, Engstrom, Kony?
- 23: Slaf, Hutson, Beck, Mesar?, FloX?
- 22: Reinbacher, Fowler
- 21: Demidov, Hage, Koivu?, Protz?, Thorpe?, Sawyer?
- 20: 2025 picks

Most of our top talent will just be starting, or in the early years, of their performance prime, and the "old guys" will still be 2-4 years away from 30!

(Imo, the ones without a ? are locks to be NHL contributors, only question is how good... The ? are tbc if they can transition to NHL regulars or not, along with all the other prospects not listed)

With this kind of roster depth, age and cap situation, Years 5, 6, 7, 8+ of the Gorton/KH rebuild should very much be yielding a playoff roster, with a quality and deep group of 21-28 year old players filling up the top 9 & top 4...

It's quite likely a cup contending roster by as early as 26-27 provided they have even decent trade/UFA success over the next 2 summers and are able to add 1-2 established top 6/ top 4 vets in the 28-32 age range (&/or maybe keep Laine & Matheson)...

Future is bright

 

[morhilane]

How is a top 15, probably nearing top 10, center a transitional player?

We haven't had a forward this valuable since fricking Lafleur what are we doing with this f***ing rebuild.

Acquiring Dach/Newhook (and Barron I guess) was clearly a move to try to bring the core age closer to Suzuki, but looks like that boat has sailed in the wrong direction...

 

[Miller Time]

Acquiring Dach/Newhook (and Barron I guess) was clearly a move to try to bring the core age closer to Suzuki, but looks like that boat has sailed in the wrong direction...

Or, Dach and/or Newhook will be far better in their 25-30 years than they were in their 20-25 years...

That's just as, if not more likely than "what you see, at 23, is what you get" with them...

 

[teamfirst]

Or, Dach and/or Newhook will be far better in their 25-30 years than they were in their 20-25 years...

That's just as, if not more likely than "what you see, at 23, is what you get" with them...

Or, Dach and or Newhook are exactly what they gonna be at 25-30 years old.

That is why

Future is an unknown

 

[StreetHawk]

Likely we can't wait for an alignment whereby we mostly drafted all the key pieces we need. So through UFAs and trade maybe we speed it up. For example, we trade Mailloux plus for Andersson after next July 1 and extend him, then we have a top 3D and maybe extend Savard for 2 years until Reinbacher is ready. In the meantime we can make do.

The critical missing pieces are a top pair RHD a 2C and a starting goalie. Winger wise we should be fine top 6 and then lots of young guys with a few vets to fill the bottom 6.

There is no chance a team can draft all of key pieces such as 2C, first pairing D, #1G followed by a 3C and 1 scoring W with 1 2nd pair Dman and also wait for them to develop.
Right now on the roster, they have Suzuki, Caulfield, Slaf, and Guhle to hang your hat on. Hutson improving to be their main offensive D. But, this is 1 C, 2 W, 2 D.

You need to go and acquire a couple of those pieces via free agency (but at their stage now, hard to convince guys to take that leap of faith), or you make a trade for those pieces.

Waiting for Fowler to be your #1 goalie, he's doing his SO year at BC right now. He will need time in the AHL to carry the load and some time as a backup in the NHL.

 

[Miller Time]

Or, Dach and or Newhook are exactly what they gonna be at 25-30 years old.

That is why

Future is an unknown

Right... but the point is that it is highly less probable that they have reached their performance peak. Even more so considering that both have had stretches of superior play to these past 18 games, and by all indications, both have strong work ethic/no behavior red flags.

Future is unknown, precedence is the best indicator available & by that standard, odds are better (baring career ending/altering injury) that they will top out at something higher than this difficult 18 game stretch