Mrb1p
PRICERSTOPDAPUCK
Ideally we need a PP net front presence too to dump off Slaf to the 2nd PP until he can figure it out. Can Anders Lee be had for cheap ?
HF Habs: Trade Proposal Thread 92 Waiting on the DRAFT Edition
- Thread starter MarkovsKnee
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Sterling Archer
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- Sep 26, 2006
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I think there's always a spot for a guy like Xhekaj on the roster, even as a 7th D unless they can get another heavy weight. The team really appreciates him and how he can defend them and I don't think that's without value. He's also really well liked in the room and adds security to the team.
Victoire HuGo
Justin make me proud
The sooner people realize he's an Adam McQuaid, the better. He hasn't shown the defensive acumen or IQ to show he can be a bonafide top 4 D yet. But people shouldn't be up in arms if long term he's either odd man out or a bottom pair guy
Mrb1p
PRICERSTOPDAPUCK
Xhekaj and Struble are both more depandable bottom pair Ds that could play around 15 minutes behind an elite top 4. Its exactly what were trackign to have with Hutson and Guhle +.
I agree. And yes, for sure its easy to tell he is part of the core in the room. But I am sure that there are many teams where Xhekaj would be solidly on the bottom pair getting more minutes than he does here. If he is a 7th D for us, its time he moves on , for his sake at least.
Sterling Archer
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Unless you're getting a really solid return and can replace him, I'm not sure the juice would be worth the squeeze in trading him. You can easily hang on to him and he won't hurt your team.
So it might be a bit scary when we replace Matheson... To have Hutson finally take a bigger share of the D-Zone starts or... trying to get a LD that will field that share with less screw ups.
I think we'll need to start thinking LD soon.
I would think Guhle has been slotted as the D to eventually take over that 25TOI difficult starts role Matheson’s occupies presently w Hutson playing 2nd pair w heavy Ozone starts
Question as always is whether he can stay injury free
sampollock
Registered User
Beendair Donedat
You sold a dead bird to a Blind Kid??????
Hughes has made some great moves, in my opinion the best GM we’ve had since Savard (easily). He’s struck out on a couple, but nobody wins them all… the Lehkonen move was a loss, Dach has been a tough one, and I was never a fan of Newhook.
Each move was geared towards addressing a hole in the roster though which demonstrates Hughes knows what he’s missing, (offensive right hand shot defender, big center with upside), he just needs to find pieces that fit into the puzzle that is the Montreal circus better.
Some of the more solid moves he’s made off the cuff:
Trading up to acquire Hage.
Getting TWO first round picks for Sean Monahan.
Getting a first rounder for Ben Chiarot.
Traded a washed up and disgruntled Petry for Mike Matheson, who has been by far the better player of the two… even if we all like to bash Matheson by times.
Got paid a second rounder to take on Patrik Laine.
Acquired Carrier to solidify the defense and he’s fit in nicely.
Signed Guhle to another favourable contract and term.
Has done an excellent job of rebuilding the prospect pool, and contract management for both the short and long term. Suzuki, Caufield and Slafkovsky are here on long term deals at favourable rates, building a core nucleus for (hopefully) years of contention.
Drafted Hutson who is well on his way to being a superstar.
Drafted Demidov who could be the steal of the draft.
Acquired Heineman, who looks like he will be a very solid “jack of all trades” type winger.
Drafted Xhekaj Junior, who may become our very own Tom Wilson one day. He has 19 goals and 160 PIMs in the AHL today as a rookie in 60 games played.
We have an elite right hand shot defender coming in Reinbacher, arguably the best goalie prospect on the planet in Fowler, and tons of picks and guys like Beck, Kapanen, Thorpe and a host of others that could all end up here very soon. The future is bright!
sampollock
Registered User
Yes because if Matheson is traded out and Guhle injures himself then we're down to Hutson, Struble Xhekaj and I'm not sure I trust 2 of those out of 3 for top 4 minutes with heavy D-Zone starts or even 1 of them. Hopefully we get some revelation from Trudeau or Engstrom, or Protz, or we need to keep drafting LDs high.
Is it Marty fault if Xhekaj went for the hit on the 2vs2 on the 3rd goal of Carolina? I’m a Xhekaj fan but he needs to play better.i'd rather msl move on before he ruins his brother as well
le_sean
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- Oct 21, 2006
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And I’d rather give those 3 icetime before Matheson. Engstrom too.
The Matheson experiment is over. You could argue his worth if he was still on the top PP, but he isn’t. So all you have is a boneheaded defenceman that is more cold than hot.
But that's what the blind siding is doing. Matheson is sucking in part because he gets all the difficult zone starts. If you offload that work to any of those 3 you may be lead to a harsh realization that they are no better.
le_sean
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Do you realize what you just typed?
"Matheson, the defenceman, sucks because he starts his shifts in the defensive zone"
Do you not see what the inherent problem is?
Also he starts only 54% of his shifts in the defensive zone. There’s nothing abnormal about that. Carrier is at 63% and Guhle 59%.
If it’s a full ACL rupture it’s 9-12 months until full recovery, but it doesn’t seem like this is the timeline expected by the team so I doubt this is the actual injury.
I said in part, a lot of his sucking his because of 1. ice time too high, 2. lots of difficult zone starts. If we offload the work to someone who isn't any better, we'll just have moved laterally and will still have the same issue. Matheson being a hab or not. I'd rather him not being a Hab for the record, but I also see an issue with the LD depth if Hutson can not take a bigger share.
habdynasty
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Beendair Donedat
You sold a dead bird to a Blind Kid??????
Come on that’s horseshit.
David Savard has been flat out awful lately. Disgustingly awful even. Beaten countless times, caught out of position, making wrong reads and coughing up pucks but he’s never seen the bench. He’s been the worst player on whatever pairing he’s on almost every night. Where’s his press box time?
It’s not a meritocracy with Marty Sleep Apnea. The veterans can be terrible and they stay in, he’s only hard on Xhekaj and Struble. Kind of a chicken shit way of doing things but that’s just my $0.02
Sterling Archer
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Need center and RHD much worse than another winger. Addition of Demidov will/should go a long way to making the top 6 a top 6 and not a top 3 team.
Add a top 6 center and top pairing RHD and you have a contending team IMO. Habs have cap and assets to get both.
Yes let’s focus on how an undrafted enforcer with 5th D ceiling and his 4th (maybe 3rd at most) line upside brother might not benefit from having a coach who’s successfully helped develop Hutson, Caufield, Slaf and all these unimportant players playing at the top of our lineupi'd rather msl move on before he ruins his brother as well
- Jan 18, 2022
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You’d rather Xhekaj, Struble, and an AHLer who has never played in the NHL ahead of Matheson?
Am I reading this right — and you claim I have an agenda against a certain player?
le_sean
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Hutson already plays 24 mins a game and doesn’t look tired. Guhle can play 22 mins a game without hurting the team. Either Reinbacher or Mailloux play on the bottom pairing and they can be on PP2.
There’s really no need for Matheson moving forward. There’s certainly zero need to extend him.
