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Post by BigTed3 on Jul 30, 2023 23:53:52 GMT
Post your favorite line combinations
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Post by maasart on Jul 31, 2023 4:19:36 GMT
I still dont think we know who our starting 12 forwards will be but im really curious who plays #2-4 centre. I think Dvo is one of them.
but that leaves us with two centre spots for Monahan, Dach, Newhook and Evans. I think there's a decent chance Dach plays RW and a good chance Evans ends up 4th line LW.
There's also a possibility Evans or Dvo gets traded. Going to be interesting.
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regis
Le Gros Bill
Posts: 1,095
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Post by regis on Jul 31, 2023 7:09:58 GMT
Starting 14 forwards , some combination of the following , barring injuries
Suzuki, Caufield, Dach , Anderson, monahan, newhook, armia, Gallagher, Dvorak, Hoffman, RHP , Evans , Slafkovsky , pezzetta
I’m thinking Management is actively trying to move one or more players ( to free up a spot for a young prospect(s) ) but seeing as those players ( the usual suspects ) weren’t moved at last years trade deadline, or so far during the summer , and there is still quite a few UFA not signed that we may be stuck with what we got . Now they could just not protect players , and hope someone takes them , but seems like teams are up against the cap or the guys we want them to get rid aren’t very attractive to other teams .
It Will be interesting to see the decisions Hughes and Co make
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Post by maasart on Jul 31, 2023 15:12:51 GMT
Starting 14 forwards , some combination of the following , barring injuries Suzuki, Caufield, Dach , Anderson, monahan, newhook, armia, Gallagher, Dvorak, Hoffman, RHP , Evans , Slafkovsky , pezzetta I’m thinking Management is actively trying to move one or more players ( to free up a spot for a young prospect(s) ) but seeing as those players ( the usual suspects ) weren’t moved at last years trade deadline, or so far during the summer , and there is still quite a few UFA not signed that we may be stuck with what we got . Now they could just not protect players , and hope someone takes them , but seems like teams are up against the cap or the guys we want them to get rid aren’t very attractive to other teams . It Will be interesting to see the decisions Hughes and Co make Pretty much agree with this. I think Hughes will try to move some guys but as we saw when he shipped off Toffoli vs. some dead weight, we may end up having to move someone of value (Anderson?) in order to actually get any interest. I still think there may be someone interested in Hoffman or Dvo or even Armia but we likely have to take crap back. Also, is that your dog in the profile pic Regis? Beautiful.
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regis
Le Gros Bill
Posts: 1,095
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Post by regis on Jul 31, 2023 15:58:24 GMT
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Post by maasart on Jul 31, 2023 16:34:35 GMT
Yeah, while i think long-term Dvorak, Armia and Savard are all likely not key pieces, scratching them now is about 0.000001% likely. It would be foolish too as at least Dvo and Savard should have some value - maybe not as much as fans want but some. scratching them would make them virtually worthless. Like you, I dont see it happening either. Haha, good advise about most dogs! lol.
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Post by seth505 on Jul 31, 2023 20:15:16 GMT
I feel like it's a pretty tough situation (unless we have 65 injuries again). A) The positive for playing all the young guys: They actually get NHL time, experience and level up as a group. Theoretically, until they are contenders in a few years. B) The positive for playing vets. Maybe they play decent and you end up dealing them for good/young assets.
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Post by maasart on Jul 31, 2023 22:10:26 GMT
I feel like it's a pretty tough situation (unless we have 65 injuries again). A) The positive for playing all the young guys: They actually get NHL time, experience and level up as a group. Theoretically, until they are contenders in a few years. B) The positive for playing vets. Maybe they play decent and you end up dealing them for good/young assets. Agree on all points. I think that Hughes (and MSL) will err on the side of playing vets but wont be concerned about playing rookies if we do, in fact, move them. I could see them waiving a guy like Hoffman if they believe he wont be worth anything at the deadline but i think guys like Armia and Savard - even if they dont go up in value - will probably remain in the lineup because they are neutral players. They dont drive play but they mostly dont hurt us & they are players coaches like to have because they can eat minutes without making them look foolish.
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Post by ramcharger440 on Aug 6, 2023 21:42:58 GMT
Well with Hoff and Pitlick gone there is more room up front for sure! time to make one of the young guys a full timer! I feel like it is Ylonen's spot to lose? I t would be great to unload Armia too just to get as many spots open as possible so they can build up together.
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Post by BigTed3 on Aug 6, 2023 22:25:05 GMT
Well with Hoff and Pitlick gone there is more room up front for sure! time to make one of the young guys a full timer! I feel like it is Ylonen's spot to lose? I t would be great to unload Armia too just to get as many spots open as possible so they can build up together. I don't think Pitlick was ever going to be in the starting 12 even if he was here (probably part of the reason he asked for a trade). But getting rid of Hoffman sure is nice. If it were my choice, I'd be floating around the idea of
Caufield-Monahan-Dach Slafkovsky-Suzuki-Anderson
Newhook-Dvorak-Ylonen RHP-Evans-Gallagher Armia
Matheson-Savard Guhle-Petry Harris-Kovacevic Xhekaj
Montembeault Allen DeSmith
Wideman and Pezzetta go on waivers to start in the AHL, no big deal if either is lost. No spot for Heineman, Beck, Roy, Barron, Mailloux, etc. to start the season. But still fodder now to trade some of Dvorak, Allen, Anderson, Savard, Evans, or Armia to make more roster space. If you trade Dvorak or Evans, for example, it opens up the possibility of shifting Newhook to 3C and moving RHP up the line-up or of getting Beck onto the roster. Dvorak's injury could be an issue though.
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Post by ramcharger440 on Aug 6, 2023 22:54:19 GMT
Well with Hoff and Pitlick gone there is more room up front for sure! time to make one of the young guys a full timer! I feel like it is Ylonen's spot to lose? I t would be great to unload Armia too just to get as many spots open as possible so they can build up together. I don't think Pitlick was ever going to be in the starting 12 even if he was here (probably part of the reason he asked for a trade). But getting rid of Hoffman sure is nice. If it were my choice, I'd be floating around the idea of
Caufield-Monahan-Dach Slafkovsky-Suzuki-Anderson
Newhook-Dvorak-Ylonen RHP-Evans-Gallagher Armia
Matheson-Savard Guhle-Petry Harris-Kovacevic Xhekaj
Montembeault Allen DeSmith
Wideman and Pezzetta go on waivers to start in the AHL, no big deal if either is lost. No spot for Heineman, Beck, Roy, Barron, Mailloux, etc. to start the season. But still fodder now to trade some of Dvorak, Allen, Anderson, Savard, Evans, or Armia to make more roster space. If you trade Dvorak or Evans, for example, it opens up the possibility of shifting Newhook to 3C and moving RHP up the line-up or of getting Beck onto the roster. Dvorak's injury could be an issue though.
Oh I agree Pitlick was not going to be a starter but it is still nice to move on from him as much for him to get a shot somewhere as it is to make room for us! As for the lines you posted they are looking all right! Personally I see Dach as a center he is a great passer and moves well while in control of the puck. I also think there is pretty much no way the split CC and Suzuki they work great together and with at least one more offensive line to back them they will have more space to play. Not sure Monahan could survive being a #1 center for very long I think he has a lot of good hockey in front of him but not at those kind of minutes and coverage. One last thing I feel we are going to have to have at least one of Xhekaj or Pezz in the lineup so non of our skill guys has to do any dirty work if they even can?
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Post by BigTed3 on Aug 6, 2023 23:59:00 GMT
^^ I've posted about CC and Suzuki before, but while they seemingly produce nice moments on the ice, they didn't perform well as a duo unless Dach was with them. So you could keep that entire trio together, but then your 2nd line might need some work. Ultimately, I'm not against their playing together and I think MSL will keep them together to appease them, simply because they seem to like playing together. But for my 2 cents, I think the Habs are better off splitting them up. Make the opposition choose which one to match up against. Dach really seemed to be more of a key to keeping CC going than Suzuki IMO, so I kept that duo together instead. I think Slaf has to take a big step to make this lineup competitive, so I want to know what he can do with Suzuki.
As for Monahan, I kept him at center for a couple of reasons... his playing center took pressure off Suzuki. He's also the veteran on that line. And lastly, he's the guy whose value we need to boost, just like last year. Is he a 1C? Not in an ideal world. But I think this year's lineup is less about a true 1st line, 2nd line, and 3rd line and more about balance.
On D, I listed Xhekaj as the 7th D man, just because I think Harris-Kovy is a better duo than Xhekaj-Kovy. But I would expect there to be some amount of rotation between Harris, Xhekaj, Kovy, and maybe even to rest Petry in this scenario, so I'd think Xhekaj would still get 50-60 games, maybe more if other guys are hurt.
I also think the line-up we have to start the season will be very different by year's end. I believe the Habs will look to move at least one of Allen or DeSmith. They'll look at moving not just Petry but also Savard. And they'll look at moving the likes of Dvorak, Evans, Anderson, and Armia on top of just Monahan up front. So by season's end we could well see Dach and Newhook at center and opportunity for Ylonen, RHP, Heineman, Roy, Farrell, etc. to crack the top 9 at wing.
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Post by habulator on Aug 7, 2023 23:56:18 GMT
Well with Hoff and Pitlick gone there is more room up front for sure! time to make one of the young guys a full timer! I feel like it is Ylonen's spot to lose? I t would be great to unload Armia too just to get as many spots open as possible so they can build up together. I don't think Pitlick was ever going to be in the starting 12 even if he was here (probably part of the reason he asked for a trade). But getting rid of Hoffman sure is nice. If it were my choice, I'd be floating around the idea of
Caufield-Monahan-Dach Slafkovsky-Suzuki-Anderson
Newhook-Dvorak-Ylonen RHP-Evans-Gallagher Armia
Matheson-Savard Guhle-Petry Harris-Kovacevic Xhekaj
Montembeault Allen DeSmith
Wideman and Pezzetta go on waivers to start in the AHL, no big deal if either is lost. No spot for Heineman, Beck, Roy, Barron, Mailloux, etc. to start the season. But still fodder now to trade some of Dvorak, Allen, Anderson, Savard, Evans, or Armia to make more roster space. If you trade Dvorak or Evans, for example, it opens up the possibility of shifting Newhook to 3C and moving RHP up the line-up or of getting Beck onto the roster. Dvorak's injury could be an issue though.
Agree with much of your post but I think Pezz has to be at least a 13th forward on this team. Our division is a little tougher now with Toronto loading up with some grit, (Reeves) Lucic back in Boston. If needed we have to have someone who will answer the bell if guys are taking liberties with our smaller guys. We have Arber, Anderson can go but I'd just as soon not have him fighting. Hopefully we can get our power play on track - that's the best way to keep teams honest.
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Post by BigTed3 on Aug 8, 2023 0:05:48 GMT
I think you can definitely make an argument for Pezzetta being an ideal 13th or 14th forward as an energy guy and a player you can stuff in the press box and play sparingly without ruining a young guy's development. In the case of my lineup, there are two reasons he's not there though:
1. I have 3 goalies on the roster to start the year. Now in practice, they could trade one or demote DeSmith, but if they hold onto all three to try and wait for a trade later in the year, it means there is only room for one extra forward.
2. Of the 13 forwards I have on the roster, only Slafkovsky and RHP are waiver-exempt. I think the Habs want Slafkovsky to play in the NHL (though my own opinion differs from theirs a bit - I'm okay with his staying if he gets more opportunity in the top 6, but otherwise I want him getting minutes in Laval) and RHP has earned the chance to stay. I'd be more remiss to lose a Ylonen than a Pezzetta on waivers, and I think the other guys either just aren't going to get released or bring more to the table than Pezzetta. If we lose Pezzetta we lose Pezzetta.
If the Habs make roster moves prior to the season and are able to retain 14 forwards, I think Pezzetta has good odds of being the 14th guy FWIW.
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Post by ChiLla on Aug 8, 2023 11:44:35 GMT
Just for fun, unlikely to happen. However, assuming Petry actually stays, Dvorak misses the start of the season, and everbody else is ready to go, I wouldn't mind trying something like this until Dvorak comes back: Slafkovsky - Suzuki - Caufield Newhook - Dach - Anderson Andersson - Monahan - Gallagher Pezzetta - Evans - Armia RHP/Ylonen/Heineman
Matheson - Savard Guhle - Petry Harris - Kovacevic Xhekaj
Montembeault Allen DeSmith
Some random thoughts:
- 1st line: I'd like to see what Slafkovsky can do with skilled players on his line. This isn't about just handing him a spot on the #1 line, he'll have to earn it. And if he doesn't, down the lineup he goes. He also played some RW in the past, so Caufield and Slafkovsky could be switched around.
- 2nd line: Lots of moving parts obviously, but I have a feeling that Dach and Newhook could work very well together, with either one playing C. They may need a shooter though, which could be Heineman or Ylonen, but that's rather problematic in terms of defense. Hence Anderson, because Armia is... well... Armia... and he's just too slow for the kids.
- 3rd line: Probably not the ideal linemates/role for Monahan but I think he's better suited at 3C than anybody else until Dvorak returns, unless Beck really surprised at camp. Lias Andersson could also be an option but I really haven't seen him play much so it's Monahan at C for now. Gallagher at RW to maximize value relative to his cap hit and simply because we can't have RHP and Gallagher on the same line IMO.
- 4th line: Not set in stone at all, any one of RHP/Ylonen/Heineman could be options as well. We could go with some speed/scoring and switch to Pezzetta/Armia against bigger/more physical teams when needed.
- Defence: Matheson/Petry could be fun together (or a complete disaster) but I'd rather have Petry next to Guhle.
- Goalie: No idea
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Post by HTL on Aug 8, 2023 14:27:29 GMT
A little more clarity up front now with the latest trade, so here is what i think i'd start out with,,,
1. Caufield-Nick-Dach
2. Slafkovsky-Monahan-Anderson
3. RHP-Newhook-Gally
4. Armia/Pez-Evans-Ylonen
DVO
First line clicked well last year and i would look to see if they can maintain that chemistry. Second line looks like it could be a big line to contain and i might even be tempted to switch it around once in awhile between Slaf and RHP Third line not the biggest but could work matching up with other team's 3rd lines. Battle between RHP and Gally as to who bugs the goalie the most. Again Slaf could also work well there. Fourth not written in stone by any means. Guys could move up with injuries. DVO from the sounds of it might have to work his way back into the lineup from the rumours of injury. Also assuming he's not traded.
D and Goal still in the works
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Post by HTL on Aug 8, 2023 20:39:19 GMT
On D, assuming we keep Petry, i would go,,,
Matheson - Guhle Savard - Harris Petry - Wifi Kovacevik
Waive Barron and Wideman
All three pairings have an element of toughness to clear the front of the net and i would make sure Kovy gets his ice by rotating guys in and out, depending on the team we're facing. Barron gets huge minutes in Laval on the top pairing and is the 1st callup if we run into injuries. Wideman? Who really cares other than he's probably the ideal #7 guy.
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Post by ramcharger440 on Aug 8, 2023 22:17:55 GMT
As for me I see Dach as a center I would line them up like this and see what happens.
CC Suzuki Newhook
Slaf Dach Anderson
RHP Monahan Gally
Pezz DVO Ylo
Matheson Guhle
Petry Wifi
Savard Harris
Give this lineup a couple of games to gel and make adjustments from there. Of course Petry will probably be gone and we will probably have to make room for Armia...... I think Newhook could work out on the wing with Zuke and CC he has wheels and he is pretty skilled!
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Post by maasart on Aug 8, 2023 23:44:07 GMT
Well with Hoff and Pitlick gone there is more room up front for sure! time to make one of the young guys a full timer! I feel like it is Ylonen's spot to lose? I t would be great to unload Armia too just to get as many spots open as possible so they can build up together. I don't think Pitlick was ever going to be in the starting 12 even if he was here (probably part of the reason he asked for a trade). But getting rid of Hoffman sure is nice. If it were my choice, I'd be floating around the idea of
Caufield-Monahan-Dach Slafkovsky-Suzuki-Anderson
Newhook-Dvorak-Ylonen RHP-Evans-Gallagher Armia
Matheson-Savard Guhle-Petry Harris-Kovacevic Xhekaj
Montembeault Allen DeSmith
Wideman and Pezzetta go on waivers to start in the AHL, no big deal if either is lost. No spot for Heineman, Beck, Roy, Barron, Mailloux, etc. to start the season. But still fodder now to trade some of Dvorak, Allen, Anderson, Savard, Evans, or Armia to make more roster space. If you trade Dvorak or Evans, for example, it opens up the possibility of shifting Newhook to 3C and moving RHP up the line-up or of getting Beck onto the roster. Dvorak's injury could be an issue though.
I like it. I think its actually a balanced lineup & if Monahan can run with that 1st line centre role you either: are confident he is healthy finally & could conceivably offer him a 2-3 year deal - or - you have just upped his trade value dramatically. That top 4 is actually better than it should be (although i dont think Petry makes it to training camp, let alone the season before he is dealt) I have a feeling Newhook will be tried at centre. I like the idea of keeping Dvo there to up his value but i also think there's a possibility he's moved before the season starts.
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Post by BigTed3 on Aug 8, 2023 23:46:14 GMT
In terms of what the Habs WILL do, I think they view their top 6 forwards as being Suzuki, CC, Dach, Monahan, Anderson, and Newhook. I don't know if they'll use them all in the top 6 or try to spread them out, and Dvorak's injury might play into whether three of those players need to play center. But I think that's how the Habs view who their best players are at this moment. We also know they were trying out Evans-Gallagher as a duo last year and they seem to want to keep Slafkovsky's role somewhat limited as he grows, so I think they view all 3 of those guys as being bottom 6 elements to start. Barring trades or injuries, I can see them going with something along the lines of
Caufield-Suzuki-Anderson Newhook-Monahan-Dach Slafkovsky-Dvorak-Armia RHP-Evans-Gallagher Ylonen, Pezzetta
Matheson-Savard Guhle-Petry Harris-Kovacevic Xhekaj
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