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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Mar 8, 2018 17:19:57 GMT -5
I know that most of their "best" players are up with the big club, but man, this team is unwatchable. I can safely say that there is not one player on that roster that will get more than a cup of coffee in the NHL. I can't believe that they are still attracting more than respectable crowds, but mark my words, it won't last much longer if they don't get a massive infusion of future NHL talent. I for one am not alone in placing much blame on Sly, but he hasn't really got much help from his foxhole buddies. Anyone who thinks that this organisation can turn this around quickly is delusional. The Habs are bereft of talent on all levels, that it will take more than a miracle kidnapping of John Tavares and a return to form of Price and Weber. Bottom line is that the Habs are currently the Ballard era Leafs. As much as I hate the current state of the team, I will always watch, continue to participate and debate on this forum. I will not however open up my wallet for this team until I start to see something resembling a real turn of the current path. Hopefully, it will start this off season. I like the Ballard comparison ... the team might be worse off than the Hab's teams of the late-90's ... those were awful teams, but what caused me to rub my head was the domination the Leafs had over us ... every time Toronto came to Montreal it was almost assured that the Leafs would win and both fan bases knew it ... it's been bad before, but even back then I can't remember the fans being as distanced from the team like they are now ... I think that could have been avoided had Marc Bergevin not marketed a team he couldn't deliver on ... a bit more honesty would have gone a long way in my books, too ... honesty is a sign of character in a person, no ... Cheers. |
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Post by seventeen on Mar 8, 2018 18:31:47 GMT -5
Bottom line is that the Habs are currently the Ballard era Leafs. As much as I hate the current state of the team, I will always watch, continue to participate and debate on this forum. I will not however open up my wallet for this team until I start to see something resembling a real turn of the current path. Hopefully, it will start this off season. "Talk is cheap" is valid in more ways than one. We can discuss, vent, etc on this forum and thanks to Spiro and Cranky it doesn't cost the rest of us anything. Just don't buy any Habs stuff until they fix this mess. Be cheap. And tweet Geoff and let him know. We love the Habs but not the guys running the club. |
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Post by Anardil1 on Mar 8, 2018 22:06:19 GMT -5
I forgot to add a couple of comments that were said during last night's telecast of the game. The Rocket are the worst home team in the AHL, and they're the last team in the league yet to register 10 wins on home ice...Piling on I know. But hey! Molson & Co say everything's fine and dandy.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Mar 8, 2018 22:17:26 GMT -5
I forgot to add a couple of comments that were said during last night's telecast of the game. The Rocket are the worst home team in the AHL, and they're the last team in the league yet to register 10 wins on home ice...Piling on I know. But hey! Molson & Co say everything's fine and dandy. T-shirt guy from tonight. His views on the folks in charge are quite clear lol. |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Mar 10, 2018 20:22:11 GMT -5
Rychel has his 5th goal and his 7th point tonight in five games with the Rocket, with still some time to play tonight. Edit: The Rocket were playing last place Belleville and had a nice 3-0 lead after one. Final score 5-3 Sens.  |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Mar 20, 2018 13:41:26 GMT -5
Laval has signed a couple of offensively inclined players to amateur tryout contracts today.
Anthony Beauregard is a 22 year old RW that finished his second season with Concordia University (he was over 2 points a game this season) after a four year stint in the Q with Val D'Or. He had 93 points in 67 games in his last season with Val D'Or in 2015-16.
Nikita Korostolev is 21 Russian-born RW who finished up his overage season with Peterborough of the OHL. He had 75 points in 64 games which is better production (on a much weaker team) than either recent signee Will Bitten or Michael Pezzetta. He was originally drafted by the Leafs in the 7th round in 2015 but not signed as they were up against their 50 contract limit due to their abundance of draft picks that needed to be signed ahead of him.
The Habs are dipping into the free agency market a bit to try and see if they can add some depth, and this will be important for Laval going forward. The Habs only have 43 guys under NHL contract right now out of the 50 contract limit. It is not hard to see why Laval is quite gutted and keeps signing guys out of Brampton in the ECHL to PTO's to fill out their roster. In a normal world, our AHL affiliate would be supplying their ECHL counterpart with players, not raiding them of their best ones.
These guys may amount to nothing, or may even just be short-term AHL depth, but at least some players with some sense of the opposing team's net are getting a shot as the AHL season plays out. There are rumours that the Habs are looking at other players, but with CHL playoffs starting and the NCAA tournament starting this weekend, there still are a lot of possible free agents whose seasons are not over yet.
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Post by jkr on Mar 20, 2018 16:53:26 GMT -5
I forgot to add a couple of comments that were said during last night's telecast of the game. The Rocket are the worst home team in the AHL, and they're the last team in the league yet to register 10 wins on home ice...Piling on I know. But hey! Molson & Co say everything's fine and dandy. T-shirt guy from tonight. His views on the folks in charge are quite clear lol. The guy has to start selling these. I'd buy that one. |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Mar 21, 2018 16:23:45 GMT -5
Hey, but he does have one playoff game won in that stretch. That's good enough right? Marc has a vision and a plan after all.
Anyway, this picture is why a number of us are totally baffled as to how Sly still has a job...and how he was extended when Berg could have cut the cord easy peasie.
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Post by Cranky on Mar 21, 2018 16:56:15 GMT -5
If you look at Korostolev bio on Eliteprospects it seems that he was a for sure top 6, which is bunk as far as a scouting report.
This goes back to my argument that these scouts are nothing special. They see the mechanics of the skills just like anyone else. All they can do is use their experience to predict a bit higher probability of NHL success, but no certainty.
The prospects that stand out are easily "found" because by definition, they are much better then their peers. Dahlin can make his junior defenders look like fools. And? It's apparent to everyone and if you add working knowledge of hockey, it's not rocket science to see why he is elite.
Back to Nikita Korostolev. Let's see if he has anything past AHL lifer in him. At his age, it's up to him.
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Post by seventeen on Mar 22, 2018 0:23:53 GMT -5
Not crazy about his scoring chart. Little improvement from his draft year onwards. If his overage stats were his draft +1 stats, that would be good, but not 2 years later. Oh well. Little to lose, right?
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Post by seventeen on Mar 22, 2018 0:26:07 GMT -5
Hey, but he does have one playoff game won in that stretch. That's good enough right? Marc has a vision and a plan after all. Anyway, this picture is why a number of us are totally baffled as to how Sly still has a job...and how he was extended when Berg could have cut the cord easy peasie. Zadarnowski defended Lefebvre’s numbers this year because of injuries and call ups but acknowledged my reply that Utica had similar problems and they’re in the playoffs. |
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Post by Cranky on Mar 22, 2018 15:54:03 GMT -5
This chart is exactly how I feel about the Habs. My interest and hope in them has sunk to new lows.
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Post by seventeen on Mar 22, 2018 16:04:47 GMT -5
Better than if that was your stock portfolio
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Mar 23, 2018 9:47:38 GMT -5
The Rocket are playing out their version of a miserable season as well. They take on Charlotte tonight and will have a trio of new faces in the lineup. Free agent tryouts Beauregard and Korostolev will make their AHL debut. Draft pick Jeremiah Addison will make his season debut as he has missed the entire season due to a bad pre-season shoulder injury. It seems ages ago since he last played a meaningful game and was seen hoisting the Memorial Cup alongside then-teammate Sergachev last May.
Diminutive centre Beauregard was Canadian University hockey's top player and top scorer (by a fair margin). It will be interesting to see how he holds up against tougher competition.
Good to see them auditioning some free agents to potentially beef up Laval's roster next season with a bit more skill and depth. It doesn't hurt.
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Mar 24, 2018 10:56:11 GMT -5
Hey, but he does have one playoff game won in that stretch. That's good enough right? Marc has a vision and a plan after all. Anyway, this picture is why a number of us are totally baffled as to how Sly still has a job...and how he was extended when Berg could have cut the cord easy peasie. Zadarnowski defended Lefebvre’s numbers this year because of injuries and call ups but acknowledged my reply that Utica had similar problems and they’re in the playoffs. And if Geoff Molson and/or Marc Bergevin use this excuse at the end of the season, they'll distance more fans from the team than ever before (IMHO) ... we're in real trouble if we here this at the end-season presser ... Cheers. |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Mar 24, 2018 11:47:21 GMT -5
Carriere thinks the Laval season was a success based on the number of kids playing for the Habs. Huh? The coaches did well? WTF?? Thanks Dad. Chalk up another delusional one in the foxhole. Why can’t these guys be honest and say what we all see, that the teams are a mess and need to get better? Back up the truck and ship them all out. En francais. www.rds.ca/hockey/rocket/malgre-tout-carriere-dresse-un-bilan-positif-1.6005520 |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Mar 24, 2018 11:49:44 GMT -5
Rocket lost 3-2 in extra time. Addison with a goal in his first game this season. Rychel and tryout Korostolev had assists in the game.
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Post by seventeen on Mar 24, 2018 12:35:19 GMT -5
What they seem to avoid talking about is the constant losses, both in Laval and Montreal. To hear them talk, you'd think we were real SC contenders instead of bottom feeders. I've got to get ahold of the drugs they're using.
"Yes, I know the shock wave will hit us in 10 seconds, but look how beautiful the sky is".
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Post by frozone on Mar 24, 2018 13:37:05 GMT -5
Carriere thinks the Laval season was a success based on the number of kids playing for the Habs. Huh? The coaches did well? WTF?? Thanks Dad. Chalk up another delusional one in the foxhole. Why can’t these guys be honest and say what we all see, that the teams are a mess and need to get better? Back up the truck and ship them all out. En francais. www.rds.ca/hockey/rocket/malgre-tout-carriere-dresse-un-bilan-positif-1.6005520Unreal. If the farm team is constantly forced into injury callups, then maybe we should also think of firing the entire medical and conditioning staff. I get it, injuries happen... but there's also been a track record of poorly handled and misjudged injuries. Dr. Mulder is beyond reproach it seems so I hesitate to point the finger anywhere close to his direction. He might work miracles, and I trust his credentials, but I'd really like to know why Shaw was allowed to come back too early, why Danault was allowed to come back too early, why Galchenyuk was allowed to come back too early, why Price is playing right now... should I go on? Regardless of the injuries, this is still the most stacked AHL team that Sly has worked with to date imo. He's gotta go. |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Mar 26, 2018 12:08:38 GMT -5
Heading into yesterday's tilt with the Belleville Sens, there were only three teams with a worse record than the Rocket. One was the Sens, albeit by only two points. All in all it at least looked like a close game on paper. The team had made headlines earlier in the weekend when Coach Lefebvre had stormed off the ice in practice. Well, yesterday's game was a gong show. The final score was 8-2 and Lindgren was in net for all eight goals. Cracknell and Rychel had the Laval goals.
The silver lining for me? Rychel has really flourished in his short time in Laval. In 55 games with the Marlies this year prior to the trade, he had managed 10 goals. He now has 8 more in 13 games with a really bad Laval Rocket team. The Habs still have one call-up from the AHL available and if they do not use it on Rychel to at least give him a few game audition, then that would be a shame. Meanwhile McCarron is up with the Habs doing a lot of what he was doing with the Rocket - not a whole lot.
The Rocket will finish up their inaugural season a few games after the Habs, but the two are almost mirror images of each other in terms of futility. The fans have shown up in their shiny new arena in decent numbers this season, but you have to wonder how long that lasts if the on-ice product continues along this disturbing track.
It is hard to develop a winning attitude and playoff experience with your prospects when they get no exposure to it at the main farm team.
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Post by seventeen on Mar 26, 2018 13:29:00 GMT -5
The kids are missing a huge part of the development process by not making the playoffs. I don't care how many excuses one comes up with, missing the playoffs 4 out of 5 years, with the 5th year making it because of a rule change and then getting bounced in 3 games, is not conducive to good development. I don't know what it is about Lefebvre. Maybe he spent too much time with Therrien, but it sounds as if his line-up choices contain the same question marks and his meritocracy may also not have any merit. You can't be that bad without it being something the matter with him. Unfortunately, it affects the whole organization. Failing to do something about it is another black mark against Bergevin. It was obvious there was a problem when Bergevin said it wasn't Lefebvre's job to win, just to develop the kids. ? Teach them how to lose, Sly. That will develop good habits in them. I shouldn't be nearly so hard on Lefebvre, because he is what he is. It's Bergevin who continues to tolerate it who is the problem. |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Mar 27, 2018 10:08:09 GMT -5
The Habs are doing one thing right at this point in the season, as they now have four NCAA/CHL/CIS guys on amateur tryout contracts to give them a look in what is a write-off season anyway. Normally the Habs have only given out ATO's to their own drafted guys whose seasons have finished. Normally we only see players like this as invitees at the development and rookie camps. They are getting a bit of an early look at kids in real game situation.
Now, the likelihood of finding the next hidden gem is not great, but the team does need to add some better depth to Laval for next season. There are guys who will are pending UFAs and RFAs and the team needs to figure out if they are going to try and keep guys or bring in some new blood. After all, with the team currently at 43 NHL contracts, there is ton of room to add some depth players.
Here are the guys on ATOs as of now:
Anthony Beauregard, RW, Concordia University (CIS)
Nikita Korostolev, RW, Peterborough (OHL)
Johnny Austin, LHD, University of Connecticut (NCAA)
Bailey Webster, RHD, Saint John (QMJHL)
There are a few other names floating around on social media/message boards in which the Habs are supposed to be interested. We shall watch and see if any other players are either signed to try-out deals or signed to NHL entry level deals as free agents. They may also just invite a number of guys to the July development camp first to see if they like them enough for a contract, either at the AHL or NHL level.
A bunch of the Habs undrafted free agent picks in the past have amounted to nothing, but most recently McNiven, Lindgren and Carr have worked out okay. Desharnais was a very good find back in the day as well.
Something to talk about rather than how bad our two teams are doing and how much our management sucks!! I am getting into prospect playoff and draft mode now.
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Post by blny on Mar 27, 2018 11:04:20 GMT -5
That tshirt is bloody awesome!
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Mar 28, 2018 11:15:28 GMT -5
These days I don't make a big deal when there are Laval Rocket games available on TV (RDS has shown a number of them this season - but I cancelled my RDS as it just did not seem worth it!!). They are on TV tonight.
7:00 pm EDT against the Marlies on TSN2 and RDS.
I am watching to check out Rychel and the tryouts like Beauregard and Korostolev. Not much else to see!!
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Post by blny on Mar 28, 2018 11:27:14 GMT -5
These days I don't make a big deal when there are Laval Rocket games available on TV (RDS has shown a number of them this season - but I cancelled my RDS as it just did not seem worth it!!). They are on TV tonight. 7:00 pm EDT against the Marlies on TSN2 and RDS.
I am watching to check out Rychel and the tryouts like Beauregard and Korostolev. Not much else to see!! Thanks for the heads up. Rychel has definitely been playing to impress. Korostolev was a Leafs pick that went unsigned. www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=183258 |
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Post by jkr on Mar 28, 2018 13:13:37 GMT -5
That tshirt is bloody awesome! What T shirt? |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Mar 28, 2018 15:49:47 GMT -5
Adam Plant is an undersized guy who finished his four years at Denver, a very good NCAA program, and he played his junior A hockey in the BCHL. He will be on an AHL contract next season, so does not count against the 50 NHL contract limit.
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Post by blny on Mar 28, 2018 21:22:51 GMT -5
That tshirt is bloody awesome! What T shirt? The one you think buddy should be selling.  |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Mar 29, 2018 11:05:01 GMT -5
Adam Plant (see post above) will become the 50th player to suit up for the Rocket this season. That is a big number. I guess that gives Carriere and Lefebvre all the excuses they need to try and justify their existence. I have a different opinion. I get injuries and call-ups, but they are something that every AHL team has to contend with every season. The problem is that even with the influx of better players at the beginning of the season, this team is still near the bottom of the entire league. And this is season 6 of this mess, so it is not like the current management and coaches are having an "off year". This is as good as it gets. With guys like Ducharme and Joel Bouchard being floated about, it would be almost criminal to keep our current folks around and potentially lose out those kind of guys to another NHL team. Talk about not scouting your own back yard.
To last night's 5-1 loss to the Marlies: a few observations. This team has one legitimate line, and that has been the case for a while. All the offense revolves around Terry, Cracknell and Rychel. Terry is in the running for leading the AHL in goals and points right now. That is hard to fathom given how bad this team is. But it also shows just how limited this team's offensive options are. Sure they would have two lines if guys like Froese, Carr, Scherbak and McCarron were still around, but the injuries in Montreal and the lack of guys under contract have really gutted this team's depth. That is on management. Back to the scoring title. The top goal scorer and point getter actually has very modest numbers compared to their NHL counterpart, given very similar number of games. The reality is that if you are ripping up the AHL in scoring, then you tend to get called up. And finally, this was game 10 of 12 against the Marlies. No wonder they Marlies have the best record in the AHL, they get to feast on the Rocket a TON all season. That AHL unbalanced schedule is something!!
When you look at the Rocket's current 2nd and 3rd lines, you have a bunch of "meh" players that will never amount to much. And I would argue that that extends to the AHL level too. Lots of good skating with the likes of Boucher, Petti, and Eisenschmid, but they don't translate to many offensive chances, let alone actual goals. Lefebvre has the current tryouts and newbies on his fourth line, getting very limited ice time. Last night it was Memorial Cup MVP Jeremiah Addison (who scored in his first game back this season) and tryouts Korostolev and Beauregard. I did not get enough of an assessment of those kids, whom I was hoping would get a bit more profile as the two tryouts are essentially on an audition for some form of contract for next season - either NHL or AHL.
The defense is a mess. Taormina is fun to watch as he is all about offense. He skates well, pinches, and jumps into the play a ton. The trouble is he is not a great defender. That is why the defending AHL defenseman of the year is still in the AHL and not in the NHL. Gelinas has a great shot. He is also a real mess in his own end. One-trick pony at best. Again, another reason he is only on an AHL contract this year. Parisi can skate, but his man to man coverage and gap control are not great. Petgrave and Bourque are never going to amount to much, although Bourque does make a decent first pass and does get shots on net. I still wonder why Lefebvre played him so little this season. Not sure how being a healthy scratch in the AHL in your rookie AHL season is better than getting lots of ice time and confidence with your ECHL affiliate. Again, bizarre asset management. New guys Austin and Webster are tryouts and won't get too much ice time.
The goaltending trio of Lindgren, McNiven and Fucale have been exposed a lot this year due to such a poor defense. It is really hard to assess their work this season as a result.
I like that the Habs are taking a far more aggressive look at undrafted free agents already, rather than waiting until the summer at development camps. I think Laval's depth can use a serious influx of talent and skill. There will also be guys available in the summer as UFAs who can bolster the lineup with veteran status similar to the moves to get Taormina, Holland and Froese last summer. The AHL does have a limit of veterans in the lineup, so this is where having a decent prospect pool or good young free agents really is important. Hopefully this will improve in the future as the Habs restock their prospect pool.
The pipeline for new prospects for next season at Laval looks something like this: Bitten, Verbeek, Pezzetta and hopefully Evans and Fleury (they can sign due to his birthdate). Then you likely have Vejdemo, Poehling, Brook and a handful of others following next year and beyond. This year's draft will also have a huge impact on players in the pipeline, as it is looking to be a better and deeper draft than last year (it was not always seen that way) and we have good picks. We should get some good prospects. If you look at our decent haul in 2017, we should be even better this draft. We can always hope!!
I was all over the map in this post (hope you don't mind!), but it is a bit of my end of season ramblings on the state of our farm team and how we need to improve it going forward. It is one thing to say you want to build through the draft, it is another thing to really do it. And when you don't, your AHL farm team is often seriously lacking on the ice.
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Post by PTH on Mar 29, 2018 17:32:10 GMT -5
Interesting and informative post, NWTHabsfan. Always a pleasure reading your updates !
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