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Post by HTL on Sept 27, 2024 3:00:41 GMT
Yeah,,, i think the experiment of playing Wifi as a RD was a failure tonight. Agreed that nobody playing forward deserves much of a mention. When the only guy who somewhat stood out up front was Tuch, that's not saying much, other than most of these kids aren't ready without some solid veteran help.
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Post by claremont on Sept 27, 2024 13:00:15 GMT
Yeah,,, i think the experiment of playing Wifi as a RD was a failure tonight. Agreed that nobody playing forward deserves much of a mention. When the only guy who somewhat stood out up front was Tuch, that's not saying much, other than most of these kids aren't ready without some solid veteran help. I was disappointed with Engstrom - not just for the Gaffe on Robertson stealing the puck, but that play was typical that the NHL game is currently too fast for him at this time. Again, I have to give the kid a break as it is so so early in his career but Trudeau in a previous game was far ahead of him. Struble played a good physical game, but with the waiver options on LHD, he might be an odd man out. The rest of the D was Meh at best except for Hutson. I repeat what I said before that if Jordan Harris after 4 so-so years at Boston U can make the jump to the NHL, then Lane Hutson after 2 standout years in NCAA, is going to be almost a lock. Unless they think Hutson needs more sheltering, I don't see how they leave him off the team. The offense of the young guys had little firepower. Kidney was non-existent and not sure if he even touched the puck. Heineman, Roy, neither of them showed much. Maybe it was MSL's way of overmatching some of these guys to see if they could pull through in adversity. Armia proved some value on the PK. Back at it Saturday night. |
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regis
Le Gros Bill
Posts: 1,284
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Post by regis on Sept 27, 2024 14:17:46 GMT
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Post by maasart on Sept 27, 2024 15:36:02 GMT
Yeah,,, i think the experiment of playing Wifi as a RD was a failure tonight. Agreed that nobody playing forward deserves much of a mention. When the only guy who somewhat stood out up front was Tuch, that's not saying much, other than most of these kids aren't ready without some solid veteran help. I was disappointed with Engstrom - not just for the Gaffe on Robertson stealing the puck, but that play was typical that the NHL game is currently too fast for him at this time. Again, I have to give the kid a break as it is so so early in his career but Trudeau in a previous game was far ahead of him. Struble played a good physical game, but with the waiver options on LHD, he might be an odd man out. The rest of the D was Meh at best except for Hutson. I repeat what I said before that if Jordan Harris after 4 so-so years at Boston U can make the jump to the NHL, then Lane Hutson after 2 standout years in NCAA, is going to be almost a lock. Unless they think Hutson needs more sheltering, I don't see how they leave him off the team. The offense of the young guys had little firepower. Kidney was non-existent and not sure if he even touched the puck. Heineman, Roy, neither of them showed much. Maybe it was MSL's way of overmatching some of these guys to see if they could pull through in adversity. Armia proved some value on the PK. Back at it Saturday night. Spot on. The thing is, a guy like Hutson is clearly not as physically mature as a lot of our other young players but he likely starts in the NHL because he can process the game so fast. Engstrom is a perfect example of that - he has lots of skills but seemed to be a second or two behind the game. Hopefully it will come. Im not sure it will for all of them (thats why some skilled guys can be PPG players in the minors but never crack the NHL) im not sure Kidney's processing will ever translate to NHL speed but- again - hopeful. And i think you're right about MSL's choice to dress this roster. Get guys out there, see what they can do, see how they play, overmatched, and see what you can glean from that. That is, after all, what the preseason is about: Getting vets in game shape & evaluating kids. Right now I think Hutson makes our opening night roster. I think Reinbacher might, if Guhle isnt back (although he was skating on his own yesterday not sure he can take contact for a couple of weeks). Other than that, im not sure if any kids make the roster. Joshua Roy is still technically a rookie i think but im sort of pencilling him in. Beyond that, i think its all going to be vets unless Hughes makes a trade or two. |
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Post by BigTed3 on Sept 27, 2024 16:05:41 GMT
As it stands, I don't see a lot of movement in the expected line-up. We're heading towards
Caufield-Suzuki-Slafkovsky
Newhook-Dach-Laine
Roy-Dvorak-Anderson
Armia-Evans-Gallagher
Pezzetta
Matheson-Guhle
Hutson-Savard
Xhekaj-Barron
Struble
Now they could technically keep another player, but if that happens, my guess is that it would end up being ABB (who I'd guess will either be the 14th forward or else be a late cut and possible captain of the Rocket). But barring a trade or injury, the only guy out of that top 13 who is waiver-exempt and has any chance of being substituted out is Roy and I don't think they'll even make that change. Roy has been fine in the pre-season, and while he's probably been outplayed by Kapanen and in the same range as Beck and Heineman, the fact is that Roy has a bit more experience at the NHL level already and was expected to be a front-runner for a roster spot this year. I think the Habs will be perfectly content to let Beck start in the AHL and Kapanen play in Sweden. I don't think they're in a rush to include them on the NHL roster, and this season, despite the hopes of some fans, is still about development and taking the next step but not about challenging for a Cup or making sacrifices to scrape into the post-season. The Habs will do what's right for each individual player and while Kapanen could probably hold his own on our team, I don't think they see another year in Europe as a problem AND they'd have to move out Dvorak or Evans to make keeping him make sense. Kapanen, Beck, and Heineman shouldn't be in Montreal to spend two thirds of the games in the press box. So I pretty much feel that the top 13 forwards are locked in as a group. Could we see Roy or Armia slide up or Newhook slide down? Sure. But the 13 remain the 13 unless there's roster movement.
On D, I think we're also locked in with 5 guys: Matheson and Guhle as the top pairing, Savard as the 2nd-pairing RHD, and Xhekaj and Barron being somewhere on the team. Hutson has won a job. He's been our best player in each of the games he's played so far and he more than handled himself at the end of last year. This team's biggest area for improvement remains the PP, and Hutson is one guy who brings the possibility of an upgrade there. So his presence in the line-up could also spark the likes of Suzuki, Slaf, Laine, or CC to take the next step and add another 10-12 points to their totals by the end of the year. The question for Hutson this year was always going to be whether he could hold his own in the D zone, and he's done that in spades so far. He's playing a game that's adapted to his size, getting on pucks quickly and making smart and fast decisions to move the puck before his size becomes an issue. I think he handles himself better than someone like Mark Streit did and honestly not that much different than someone like Quinn Hughes, Erik Karlsson, or Andrei Markov. None of those guys was overly physical and none took contact that well, but they were smart puck movers. Hutson is showing he can do that too, and I have no concerns about his getting a regular turn at even strength. As with the forwards, Hutson isn't here to be the extra D man in the press box, so he'll be in the starting 6. Whether they keep Hutson with Savard or rotate Xhekaj through that spot too, I don't know, but in my view, Hutson is staying. If the 3rd pairing righty is a player who is weak defensively like Mailloux or Barron, then it makes more sense to play Hutson with Savard and play Xhekaj or Struble on the 3rd pairing, but we'll see. For his part, Struble is akin to Joshua Roy for me. He hasn't stood out in camp, but he's also been fine and done what's asked of him, and I think the default is that he has a job to lose. No one else has done anything to take that away from him yet. So that's my 7. Reinbacher and Engstrom aren't ready. Both are pegged to get minutes in Laval and maybe be call-ups at some point. Trudeau likely falls in the same category. The only question on the back end is what the Habs end up doing with Mailloux. He played well in Laval last year, but the NHL seems like a big step for him on account of his poor defensive awareness. If he stays as an 8th D man, it means he'll be playing sparingly and it means there will probably be growing pains for him. Barring injury, I can see him staying with us for 15-20 games and then being sent down to get more regular work. I'd be surprised if Mailloux plays the full season in Montreal if everyone stays healthy.
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Post by habsalways on Sept 27, 2024 17:33:53 GMT
As it stands, I don't see a lot of movement in the expected line-up. We're heading towards Caufield-Suzuki-Slafkovsky Newhook-Dach-Laine Roy-Dvorak-Anderson Armia-Evans-Gallagher Pezzetta Matheson-Guhle Hutson-Savard Xhekaj-Barron Struble Now they could technically keep another player, but if that happens, my guess is that it would end up being ABB (who I'd guess will either be the 14th forward or else be a late cut and possible captain of the Rocket). But barring a trade or injury, the only guy out of that top 13 who is waiver-exempt and has any chance of being substituted out is Roy and I don't think they'll even make that change. Roy has been fine in the pre-season, and while he's probably been outplayed by Kapanen and in the same range as Beck and Heineman, the fact is that Roy has a bit more experience at the NHL level already and was expected to be a front-runner for a roster spot this year. I think the Habs will be perfectly content to let Beck start in the AHL and Kapanen play in Sweden. I don't think they're in a rush to include them on the NHL roster, and this season, despite the hopes of some fans, is still about development and taking the next step but not about challenging for a Cup or making sacrifices to scrape into the post-season. The Habs will do what's right for each individual player and while Kapanen could probably hold his own on our team, I don't think they see another year in Europe as a problem AND they'd have to move out Dvorak or Evans to make keeping him make sense. Kapanen, Beck, and Heineman shouldn't be in Montreal to spend two thirds of the games in the press box. So I pretty much feel that the top 13 forwards are locked in as a group. Could we see Roy or Armia slide up or Newhook slide down? Sure. But the 13 remain the 13 unless there's roster movement. On D, I think we're also locked in with 5 guys: Matheson and Guhle as the top pairing, Savard as the 2nd-pairing RHD, and Xhekaj and Barron being somewhere on the team. Hutson has won a job. He's been our best player in each of the games he's played so far and he more than handled himself at the end of last year. This team's biggest area for improvement remains the PP, and Hutson is one guy who brings the possibility of an upgrade there. So his presence in the line-up could also spark the likes of Suzuki, Slaf, Laine, or CC to take the next step and add another 10-12 points to their totals by the end of the year. The question for Hutson this year was always going to be whether he could hold his own in the D zone, and he's done that in spades so far. He's playing a game that's adapted to his size, getting on pucks quickly and making smart and fast decisions to move the puck before his size becomes an issue. I think he handles himself better than someone like Mark Streit did and honestly not that much different than someone like Quinn Hughes, Erik Karlsson, or Andrei Markov. None of those guys was overly physical and none took contact that well, but they were smart puck movers. Hutson is showing he can do that too, and I have no concerns about his getting a regular turn at even strength. As with the forwards, Hutson isn't here to be the extra D man in the press box, so he'll be in the starting 6. Whether they keep Hutson with Savard or rotate Xhekaj through that spot too, I don't know, but in my view, Hutson is staying. If the 3rd pairing righty is a player who is weak defensively like Mailloux or Barron, then it makes more sense to play Hutson with Savard and play Xhekaj or Struble on the 3rd pairing, but we'll see. For his part, Struble is akin to Joshua Roy for me. He hasn't stood out in camp, but he's also been fine and done what's asked of him, and I think the default is that he has a job to lose. No one else has done anything to take that away from him yet. So that's my 7. Reinbacher and Engstrom aren't ready. Both are pegged to get minutes in Laval and maybe be call-ups at some point. Trudeau likely falls in the same category. The only question on the back end is what the Habs end up doing with Mailloux. He played well in Laval last year, but the NHL seems like a big step for him on account of his poor defensive awareness. If he stays as an 8th D man, it means he'll be playing sparingly and it means there will probably be growing pains for him. Barring injury, I can see him staying with us for 15-20 games and then being sent down to get more regular work. I'd be surprised if Mailloux plays the full season in Montreal if everyone stays healthy. Forwards likely shake out as you've stated. Barring a shakeup trade of one of the vets that is. On D ... Matheson, Savard, Guhle , Hutson, Baron, Wifi and Struble are here for the season. One of Reinbacher or Mailloux likely starts the season with the Habs till Guhle is back. Given how they've played in preseason, I personally think Reinbacher has the edge to stay for a few games over Mailloux. Having said that, I won't be suprised of MSL instead goes with Mailloux and gives him a chance alongside Wifi to cover his defensive issues. Goalies isn't even a question mark. Monty and Primeau for sure, with Price on the IRL  |
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Post by maasart on Sept 27, 2024 17:40:05 GMT
As it stands, I don't see a lot of movement in the expected line-up. We're heading towards Caufield-Suzuki-Slafkovsky Newhook-Dach-Laine Roy-Dvorak-Anderson Armia-Evans-Gallagher Pezzetta Matheson-Guhle Hutson-Savard Xhekaj-Barron Struble Now they could technically keep another player, but if that happens, my guess is that it would end up being ABB (who I'd guess will either be the 14th forward or else be a late cut and possible captain of the Rocket). But barring a trade or injury, the only guy out of that top 13 who is waiver-exempt and has any chance of being substituted out is Roy and I don't think they'll even make that change. Roy has been fine in the pre-season, and while he's probably been outplayed by Kapanen and in the same range as Beck and Heineman, the fact is that Roy has a bit more experience at the NHL level already and was expected to be a front-runner for a roster spot this year. I think the Habs will be perfectly content to let Beck start in the AHL and Kapanen play in Sweden. I don't think they're in a rush to include them on the NHL roster, and this season, despite the hopes of some fans, is still about development and taking the next step but not about challenging for a Cup or making sacrifices to scrape into the post-season. The Habs will do what's right for each individual player and while Kapanen could probably hold his own on our team, I don't think they see another year in Europe as a problem AND they'd have to move out Dvorak or Evans to make keeping him make sense. Kapanen, Beck, and Heineman shouldn't be in Montreal to spend two thirds of the games in the press box. So I pretty much feel that the top 13 forwards are locked in as a group. Could we see Roy or Armia slide up or Newhook slide down? Sure. But the 13 remain the 13 unless there's roster movement. On D, I think we're also locked in with 5 guys: Matheson and Guhle as the top pairing, Savard as the 2nd-pairing RHD, and Xhekaj and Barron being somewhere on the team. Hutson has won a job. He's been our best player in each of the games he's played so far and he more than handled himself at the end of last year. This team's biggest area for improvement remains the PP, and Hutson is one guy who brings the possibility of an upgrade there. So his presence in the line-up could also spark the likes of Suzuki, Slaf, Laine, or CC to take the next step and add another 10-12 points to their totals by the end of the year. The question for Hutson this year was always going to be whether he could hold his own in the D zone, and he's done that in spades so far. He's playing a game that's adapted to his size, getting on pucks quickly and making smart and fast decisions to move the puck before his size becomes an issue. I think he handles himself better than someone like Mark Streit did and honestly not that much different than someone like Quinn Hughes, Erik Karlsson, or Andrei Markov. None of those guys was overly physical and none took contact that well, but they were smart puck movers. Hutson is showing he can do that too, and I have no concerns about his getting a regular turn at even strength. As with the forwards, Hutson isn't here to be the extra D man in the press box, so he'll be in the starting 6. Whether they keep Hutson with Savard or rotate Xhekaj through that spot too, I don't know, but in my view, Hutson is staying. If the 3rd pairing righty is a player who is weak defensively like Mailloux or Barron, then it makes more sense to play Hutson with Savard and play Xhekaj or Struble on the 3rd pairing, but we'll see. For his part, Struble is akin to Joshua Roy for me. He hasn't stood out in camp, but he's also been fine and done what's asked of him, and I think the default is that he has a job to lose. No one else has done anything to take that away from him yet. So that's my 7. Reinbacher and Engstrom aren't ready. Both are pegged to get minutes in Laval and maybe be call-ups at some point. Trudeau likely falls in the same category. The only question on the back end is what the Habs end up doing with Mailloux. He played well in Laval last year, but the NHL seems like a big step for him on account of his poor defensive awareness. If he stays as an 8th D man, it means he'll be playing sparingly and it means there will probably be growing pains for him. Barring injury, I can see him staying with us for 15-20 games and then being sent down to get more regular work. I'd be surprised if Mailloux plays the full season in Montreal if everyone stays healthy. Agree with all of this. I also have to say, this group of Suzuki, Slafkovsky, Dach, CC & Laine is pretty exciting. (I like newhook too i just think he's a step below those 5). All 5 of those guys could - and maybe should, if healthy - score 60 points with the potential of several of them being upwards of 75-80 points - maybe more. When was the last time we had this kind of quality in our top 5? early 90s? And next year we might add Demidov? Wow. |
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Post by ramcharger440 on Sept 27, 2024 18:11:27 GMT
I also agree with all of this it is a logical lineup and should be a fairly strong one with the odd stinker here and there. Add Demidov to this if he is ready and lose a couple of old contracts and we will be even a bit better so on the right track for sure. If Hutson does what it looks like he can and the first and second line play up to the potential they have it will be a great season if there are too many stumbles we will be in the middle of nowhere not at the bottom but out of the playoffs hopefully for the last time for a good stretch!
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Post by archey on Sept 27, 2024 19:01:56 GMT
If RHP is gone it's news to me.
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Post by maasart on Sept 27, 2024 20:09:31 GMT
If RHP is gone it's news to me. He broke his leg this summer (July?) and required surgery. They said 4+ months recovery so i dont think he'll be back before like November at the earliest. |
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Post by BigTed3 on Sept 27, 2024 20:29:04 GMT
I also agree with all of this it is a logical lineup and should be a fairly strong one with the odd stinker here and there. Add Demidov to this if he is ready and lose a couple of old contracts and we will be even a bit better so on the right track for sure. If Hutson does what it looks like he can and the first and second line play up to the potential they have it will be a great season if there are too many stumbles we will be in the middle of nowhere not at the bottom but out of the playoffs hopefully for the last time for a good stretch! Next season is where it gets even more interesting, with Demidov potentially able to shake up the top 6. Evans, Armia, and Dvorak are all likely gone, so that means there are openings for at least 3 forwards... Demidov is likely one. Kapanen, Beck, and Heineman would all be in the mix too. Could be looking at something like
Caufield-Suzuki-Slafkovsky Demidov-Dach-Laine Roy-Newhook-Heineman Beck-Kapanen-Anderson/Gallagher
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Post by maasart on Sept 27, 2024 20:30:54 GMT
I also agree with all of this it is a logical lineup and should be a fairly strong one with the odd stinker here and there. Add Demidov to this if he is ready and lose a couple of old contracts and we will be even a bit better so on the right track for sure. If Hutson does what it looks like he can and the first and second line play up to the potential they have it will be a great season if there are too many stumbles we will be in the middle of nowhere not at the bottom but out of the playoffs hopefully for the last time for a good stretch! Next season is where it gets even more interesting, with Demidov potentially able to shake up the top 6. Evans, Armia, and Dvorak are all likely gone, so that means there are openings for at least 3 forwards... Demidov is likely one. Kapanen, Beck, and Heineman would all be in the mix too. Could be looking at something like
Caufield-Suzuki-Slafkovsky Demidov-Dach-Laine Roy-Newhook-Heineman Beck-Kapanen-Anderson/Gallagher
Your lines look right (based on what we know now & barring major trades) but i do think that CC-Suzuki-Slaf will be broken up by next year. I have a feeling its going to be: Slaf - Suzuki - Demidov CC - Dach - Laine Although, honestly, there's positives to just about any configuration of those 4 wingers with those 2 centres. |
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Post by claremont on Sept 27, 2024 22:51:30 GMT
As it stands, I don't see a lot of movement in the expected line-up. We're heading towards Caufield-Suzuki-Slafkovsky Newhook-Dach-Laine Roy-Dvorak-Anderson Armia-Evans-Gallagher Pezzetta Matheson-Guhle Hutson-Savard Xhekaj-Barron Struble Now they could technically keep another player, but if that happens, my guess is that it would end up being ABB (who I'd guess will either be the 14th forward or else be a late cut and possible captain of the Rocket). But barring a trade or injury, the only guy out of that top 13 who is waiver-exempt and has any chance of being substituted out is Roy and I don't think they'll even make that change. Roy has been fine in the pre-season, and while he's probably been outplayed by Kapanen and in the same range as Beck and Heineman, the fact is that Roy has a bit more experience at the NHL level already and was expected to be a front-runner for a roster spot this year. I think the Habs will be perfectly content to let Beck start in the AHL and Kapanen play in Sweden. I don't think they're in a rush to include them on the NHL roster, and this season, despite the hopes of some fans, is still about development and taking the next step but not about challenging for a Cup or making sacrifices to scrape into the post-season. The Habs will do what's right for each individual player and while Kapanen could probably hold his own on our team, I don't think they see another year in Europe as a problem AND they'd have to move out Dvorak or Evans to make keeping him make sense. Kapanen, Beck, and Heineman shouldn't be in Montreal to spend two thirds of the games in the press box. So I pretty much feel that the top 13 forwards are locked in as a group. Could we see Roy or Armia slide up or Newhook slide down? Sure. But the 13 remain the 13 unless there's roster movement. On D, I think we're also locked in with 5 guys: Matheson and Guhle as the top pairing, Savard as the 2nd-pairing RHD, and Xhekaj and Barron being somewhere on the team. Hutson has won a job. He's been our best player in each of the games he's played so far and he more than handled himself at the end of last year. This team's biggest area for improvement remains the PP, and Hutson is one guy who brings the possibility of an upgrade there. So his presence in the line-up could also spark the likes of Suzuki, Slaf, Laine, or CC to take the next step and add another 10-12 points to their totals by the end of the year. The question for Hutson this year was always going to be whether he could hold his own in the D zone, and he's done that in spades so far. He's playing a game that's adapted to his size, getting on pucks quickly and making smart and fast decisions to move the puck before his size becomes an issue. I think he handles himself better than someone like Mark Streit did and honestly not that much different than someone like Quinn Hughes, Erik Karlsson, or Andrei Markov. None of those guys was overly physical and none took contact that well, but they were smart puck movers. Hutson is showing he can do that too, and I have no concerns about his getting a regular turn at even strength. As with the forwards, Hutson isn't here to be the extra D man in the press box, so he'll be in the starting 6. Whether they keep Hutson with Savard or rotate Xhekaj through that spot too, I don't know, but in my view, Hutson is staying. If the 3rd pairing righty is a player who is weak defensively like Mailloux or Barron, then it makes more sense to play Hutson with Savard and play Xhekaj or Struble on the 3rd pairing, but we'll see. For his part, Struble is akin to Joshua Roy for me. He hasn't stood out in camp, but he's also been fine and done what's asked of him, and I think the default is that he has a job to lose. No one else has done anything to take that away from him yet. So that's my 7. Reinbacher and Engstrom aren't ready. Both are pegged to get minutes in Laval and maybe be call-ups at some point. Trudeau likely falls in the same category. The only question on the back end is what the Habs end up doing with Mailloux. He played well in Laval last year, but the NHL seems like a big step for him on account of his poor defensive awareness. If he stays as an 8th D man, it means he'll be playing sparingly and it means there will probably be growing pains for him. Barring injury, I can see him staying with us for 15-20 games and then being sent down to get more regular work. I'd be surprised if Mailloux plays the full season in Montreal if everyone stays healthy. There will be some cap gymnastics at the beginning of the season as it is advantageous for some minor cap accrual to not have Price on LTIR. I expect a a 20 man roster to start the season for either first game or handful of games before Price is pushed to LTIR. RHP is pushed to LTIR then Roy and the 7th defenseman (Struble or Mailloux are probably paper pushed to Laval / waiver exempt as doubt it is Xhekaj) I believe there is still a minor battle for the 7th d-man between Struble and Mailloux, with Struble having the upper hand at present. Struble gives the team another strong physical d-man whereas Mailloux provides some offensive upside (yet to be seen in his 2 exhibition games). I have no doubt that Reinbacher starts in Laval for developmental purposes. We know that it is inevitable that the team will have defensive injuries - last year we had 8 defenseman that played over 44 games and it was not uncommon to see MSL having 2 d-men in the press box at some times, so agree with the thought on what is the best plan for Mailloux - play sporadically with some rotation by committee and practice with the team, or take away some top pairing minutes from Reinbacher in Laval? Conceivably we could go with 13 forwards, 8 D, 2G, but contradicting the previous thought for keeping Mailloux up, it seems preferential to roster 14 forwards, 7 D, 2 G. I suspect Mailloux goes to Laval until an injury occurs, or Savard is traded near the deadline, and is asked to be patient. Reinbacher can play 2nd pairing minutes in Laval to work on his game. I agree with your thoughts on 14 forwards, but I do question the purpose of ABB - he strikes me as just temporary filler and another smaller working forward - dime a dozen. If Heineman is ready, I would promote Heineman up over ABB. |
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Post by claremont on Sept 27, 2024 23:30:21 GMT
Next season is where it gets even more interesting, with Demidov potentially able to shake up the top 6. Evans, Armia, and Dvorak are all likely gone, so that means there are openings for at least 3 forwards... Demidov is likely one. Kapanen, Beck, and Heineman would all be in the mix too. Could be looking at something like
Caufield-Suzuki-Slafkovsky Demidov-Dach-Laine Roy-Newhook-Heineman Beck-Kapanen-Anderson/Gallagher
Your lines look right (based on what we know now & barring major trades) but i do think that CC-Suzuki-Slaf will be broken up by next year. I have a feeling its going to be: Slaf - Suzuki - Demidov CC - Dach - Laine Although, honestly, there's positives to just about any configuration of those 4 wingers with those 2 centres. Next season's forwards are definitely intriguing and there could be even 4 forward openings if Gallagher is deemed replaceable, expensive and perhaps bought out or discount traded to give him a chance to win elsewhere. Gallagher's cap hit on a buyout next summer is $1.75M for years 1, 3, and 4 with the bigger cap hit of $4.25M in 2026-27 or year 2 of the buyout. Given that this year we have a dead cap hit of $4.269M, that $4.25M may not be a showstopper but we do have some richer cap hits coming next year in Guhle, Slaf, (alternatively is Anderson traded at a discount or bought out if he struggles this year?) We have a ton of RWingers, and several that are LW with right hand shots. Indeed Laine is often listed as a LW but has a Right hand shot, Demidov is a RW with a left hand shot, so is Joshua Roy. Pure Left wingers are Slafkovsky, Heineman. Newhook may not be a centre with the faceoff excellence of Beck and may slide to the left hand side. Kapanen like Beck is pretty good at the face off dot and like Beck is a right hand shot. Suzuki and Dach are Right handed Centers, and so is Michael Hage on the long term. That's a lot of RH depth - Are RH wingers interchangeable to Left wing - works for some but not all, but it's a good problem to have. With all that excess RW and RW centre depth, it sure makes Mesar loook like trade bait / longshot to make the jump. I would like to see Tuch or Florian Xhekaj as a 4th llne LW in the future - that would give some more beef if they can keep up on the skill / skating side. |
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Post by BigTed3 on Sept 28, 2024 20:20:44 GMT
Next season is where it gets even more interesting, with Demidov potentially able to shake up the top 6. Evans, Armia, and Dvorak are all likely gone, so that means there are openings for at least 3 forwards... Demidov is likely one. Kapanen, Beck, and Heineman would all be in the mix too. Could be looking at something like Caufield-Suzuki-Slafkovsky Demidov-Dach-Laine Roy-Newhook-Heineman Beck-Kapanen-Anderson/Gallagher
Your lines look right (based on what we know now & barring major trades) but i do think that CC-Suzuki-Slaf will be broken up by next year. I have a feeling its going to be: Slaf - Suzuki - Demidov CC - Dach - Laine Although, honestly, there's positives to just about any configuration of those 4 wingers with those 2 centres.
Absolutely. I've said this before too, but I'd prefer to see CC with Dach even this year. I know Nick and CC want to play together, but I see value in splitting them up when you have a capable 2C as an alternative. One of them is going to get better match-ups, and Dach is a better possession driver and puck winner than Suzuki. Suzuki has better vision and hands, but I think he'd do well to play with the likes of Laine and Slafkovsky, for example.
Demidov is interesting, because there have been rumors floating around that the Habs think he can be a center, in which case the whole process of aligning the top 6 is turned on its head. In that case, could you see Dach reunited with CC and Suzuki while Slaf-Demidov-Laine becomes a monster offensive line, maybe even your 1st line? Roy and Heineman seem well-suited to playing on a third line, but one thing I'm surprised about is the fact they're pushing Newhook to the 2nd line wing this year. He doesn't really have a future there, so is the 3rd line going to be Roy-Newhook-Heineman? Is it going to eventually be Roy-Kapanen-Heineman or Roy-Beck-Heineman? With Kapanen and Beck both progressing well, they're almost lining themselves up to be the 3C and 4C of the future in some order, which makes you wonder a bit where Newhook is going to fit in longterm or whether he ends up getting bumped out of the line-up the way he was in Colorado. If Demidov is really the last cog in the top 6, then you need to start counting out who the next best 6 guys are and that starts with Roy, Kapanen, Beck, Heineman, Hage, Tuch, Xhekaj, Koivu, etc. I'm not seeing a big opening here for the likes of Mesar, Kidney, Farrell, Davidson, etc.
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Post by HTL on Sept 29, 2024 1:02:44 GMT
Looking like Hughes will have no need for cap gymnastics if his goal was not to get into Price's money.
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Post by jenniferrocket on Sept 29, 2024 1:31:52 GMT
If Toronto had bothered to play any of their regular NHLers tonight, I think they would've smashed us. Tonight's game (I know, I know... pre-season) didn't inspire much confidence in the players on the ice. Josh Anderson still looks like an over-paid fourth liner.
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Post by selteeck on Sept 29, 2024 1:55:13 GMT
Just fire Rynbend
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Post by BigTed3 on Sept 29, 2024 2:15:50 GMT
They moved Anderson up to take Laine's spot, but that's not a good plan. He didn't look good there, and we've seen that show before. I think at this point, you have to consider moving CC to the Dach line. Maybe we run
Newhook-Suzuki-Slafkovsky
Caufield-Dach-Heineman
Maybe we run Roy in the top 6 instead of Heineman or Newhook. But I don't think you can have Newhook-Dach-Anderson as a 2nd line.
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Post by maasart on Sept 29, 2024 2:36:21 GMT
They moved Anderson up to take Laine's spot, but that's not a good plan. He didn't look good there, and we've seen that show before. I think at this point, you have to consider moving CC to the Dach line. Maybe we run Newhook-Suzuki-Slafkovsky Caufield-Dach-Heineman Maybe we run Roy in the top 6 instead of Heineman or Newhook. But I don't think you can have Newhook-Dach-Anderson as a 2nd line. Agree. I think Anderson may bounce back but i dont think that line works. Id consider Newhook - Dach - Roy as my top choice or maybe someone like Kapanen or even Mesar if they feel he's earned a look. he's been better than the stats show in the preseason but he has been playing with less skilled players. |
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