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Post by habsorbed on Mar 21, 2022 13:56:28 GMT -5
Well, Artie is moving on - to the Avs. Can't think of a more honest, hard working, and smart hockey player. He will be a big help to any contender and the Avs have done well here. Always felt comfortable when Lechy was on the ice.
Return is good for our future, picking up Avs first rounder from 2020 (Justin Barron) and a 2024 2nd rounder.
Lechy, hope to see you raising a Cup in Colorado this summer and then welcoming you back for our Cup run.
Now if only we can dump Petry, Drouin, and Armia - our future would be very bright!
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Post by Willie Dog on Mar 21, 2022 14:48:28 GMT -5
I agree, lunch pail guy who did what was asked of him... his offensive jump this year was really great to see.
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Post by CentreHice on Mar 21, 2022 15:16:27 GMT -5
Thanks Lehky!
Hope you score a bigger one than this!
Like watching Eller's Cup winner for the Caps.
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Post by habsorbed on Mar 21, 2022 15:24:36 GMT -5
Thanks Lehky! Hope you score a bigger one than this! Like watching Eller's Cup winner for the Caps. It's a good comparison. I see Lecky playing an important role for the Avs, and not just this year. Will be interesting what he signs for a RFA. |
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Post by Cranky on Mar 21, 2022 20:07:06 GMT -5
It would be a mistake to think that players we traded may want to come back. Most of the cases they are here for a few years and far away from their extended families so it's not like there is some kind of family draw to bring them back.
I love to see Lehky and Chiarot back, but unlikely.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Mar 23, 2022 3:02:39 GMT -5
It is not often you see a player’s parent posting a thank you after a player is traded away from a team. This is pretty cool IMO.
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Post by Willie Dog on Mar 23, 2022 7:01:08 GMT -5
It is not often you see a player’s parent posting a thank you after a player is traded away from a team. This is pretty cool IMO. Classy guy... |
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Post by habsorbed on Mar 23, 2022 9:40:07 GMT -5
Very classy! Maybe that's why I feel quite nostalgic about seeing Lecky go - watched and rooted for him as he went from a boy to a man. This could be one of Hughes first gaffs as perhaps this is not a up year for Lecky and his scoring but the beginning of his bloom  |
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Post by Willie Dog on Mar 23, 2022 10:57:55 GMT -5
Very classy! Maybe that's why I feel quite nostalgic about seeing Lecky go - watched and rooted for him as he went from a boy to a man. This could be one of Hughes first gaffs as perhaps this is not a up year for Lecky and his scoring but the beginning of his bloom I think all 4 main guys moved (Toffoli,Lekhy, Chiarot and Kulak) were moved because the price was right and when the habs hopefully become a true contender (4 years+) they will be past or close to the end of their prime |
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Post by Boston_Habs on Mar 23, 2022 11:41:10 GMT -5
Lehkonen is an ideal 3rd line winger on a contending team, which we aren't. I also think guys like that are relatively easy to find so we should be fine without him.
My ideal scenario if I'm running a team is to make sure I have a competitive "top 11" (top 6 forwards, top 4 D, goalie) and those guys are under good contracts with reasonable term. The bottom 6 and bottom D pair can be in a state of more frequent turnover, and ideally your development program is pumping out NHL level talent on a regular basis to support the bottom half of the roster. You want to keep contracts lean and flexible so you are always in a position to make a move and you never feel like you need to commit term for the likes of Joel Armia, Paul Byron, David Savard, etc.
Hughes did well to get a solid return on the deals. One early sign of success over the next 1-2 years is how frequently our prospects are graduating to the NHL and if we are making room for them on the roster. Of course the biggest issue is still top end talent up front and especially on D.
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Post by Tankdriver on Mar 23, 2022 12:55:03 GMT -5
Lehkonen is an ideal 3rd line winger on a contending team, which we aren't. I also think guys like that are relatively easy to find so we should be fine without him. My ideal scenario if I'm running a team is to make sure I have a competitive "top 11" (top 6 forwards, top 4 D, goalie) and those guys are under good contracts with reasonable term. The bottom 6 and bottom D pair can be in a state of more frequent turnover, and ideally your development program is pumping out NHL level talent on a regular basis to support the bottom half of the roster. You want to keep contracts lean and flexible so you are always in a position to make a move and you never feel like you need to commit term for the likes of Joel Armia, Paul Byron, David Savard, etc. Hughes did well to get a solid return on the deals. One early sign of success over the next 1-2 years is how frequently our prospects are graduating to the NHL and if we are making room for them on the roster. Of course the biggest issue is still top end talent up front and especially on D. 100% percent. I call it the Leafs model but I think the just overpaid about 1 million on each of the top 4 forwards which, would of gave them 4 million to find a good defenceman or goalie. Take away Mzarek 3 million and the 4 you would of saved and that covers a Lindholm or Fleury. |
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Post by PTH on Mar 23, 2022 13:46:07 GMT -5
Extra bonus in the deal : Barron speaks pretty good French, and can answer simple questions already... and I suspect with any kind of practice he'll gain some fluency, he wasn't bad at all. Already better than Brian Savage, for example (and Savage was interview-worthy in French).
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Post by seventeen on Mar 23, 2022 14:34:25 GMT -5
Lehkonen is an ideal 3rd line winger on a contending team, which we aren't. I also think guys like that are relatively easy to find so we should be fine without him. My ideal scenario if I'm running a team is to make sure I have a competitive "top 11" (top 6 forwards, top 4 D, goalie) and those guys are under good contracts with reasonable term. The bottom 6 and bottom D pair can be in a state of more frequent turnover, and ideally your development program is pumping out NHL level talent on a regular basis to support the bottom half of the roster. You want to keep contracts lean and flexible so you are always in a position to make a move and you never feel like you need to commit term for the likes of Joel Armia, Paul Byron, David Savard, etc. Hughes did well to get a solid return on the deals. One early sign of success over the next 1-2 years is how frequently our prospects are graduating to the NHL and if we are making room for them on the roster. Of course the biggest issue is still top end talent up front and especially on D. 95%.  . The one point I'm not in complete agreement with is that Lehkonen is not one of those easily replaceable players. He has a superior hockey IQ and his angling on his forechecking is superb. He puts puck carriers into uncertain positions. Do I pass here? Or there? The clear openings are always fluctuating or just narrow enough that a really good pass is necessary to get past him and even then, he's really, really good at knocking pucks out of mid air. Very much like Mark Stone. That 3rd line on a team for a contender is really important. In 2011, Julien stated his 3rd line won them the Cup. Going further back to the Habs dynasty, our third line was Risebrough, Lambert (love the pic, btw) and Tremblay. That line scored a few key goals, one in particular to sink Don Cherry. The Lightning were also rans until they picked up Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow to solidify their own 3rd line. Expensive, but it won them 2 cups. Not all of the bottom 6 is easily replaceable IMO. Bottom line? yep. |
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Post by Cranky on Mar 23, 2022 18:38:26 GMT -5
Lehkonen is an ideal 3rd line winger on a contending team, which we aren't. I also think guys like that are relatively easy to find so we should be fine without him. My ideal scenario if I'm running a team is to make sure I have a competitive "top 11" (top 6 forwards, top 4 D, goalie) and those guys are under good contracts with reasonable term. The bottom 6 and bottom D pair can be in a state of more frequent turnover, and ideally your development program is pumping out NHL level talent on a regular basis to support the bottom half of the roster. You want to keep contracts lean and flexible so you are always in a position to make a move and you never feel like you need to commit term for the likes of Joel Armia, Paul Byron, David Savard, etc. Hughes did well to get a solid return on the deals. One early sign of success over the next 1-2 years is how frequently our prospects are graduating to the NHL and if we are making room for them on the roster. Of course the biggest issue is still top end talent up front and especially on D. Agree and disagree.... What I have a problem with is assuming that whoever we got or draft will develop into as a good a player as the one we lost. In Suzukis case, absolutely, but I would say the majority of the cases the picks/prospect never reach the level of the decent players traded. Chiarot is top 4. Toffoli is top 6 or top 3. Lehky is middle 9 and young. Those are pretty good levels of hockey talent. Unless we got top 5 draft and maybe not even then, very unlikely they will be matched. Only hope is that Chiarot wants to sign back with us for a reasonable contract....which is unlikely. |
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Post by folatre on Mar 23, 2022 19:31:48 GMT -5
That is a nice gesture by Lehkonen's father. One can discern why his son is a dedicated, low maintenance kind of player.
Lehkonen's virtues are impressive: very versatile winger, hard worker, good skater, high hockey IQ in particular manifested in defensive positioning and awareness, ability to chip in offensively, playoff performer, excellent PKer. If a 26 year old NHLer had three or maybe four of those qualities, then perhaps I would say this player is easily replaceable. However, taking into consideration the entire package, I believe that he will be hard to replace.
However, having said that, I do believe that the return justifies making the move now. And Lehkonen will likely get to enjoy two more deep playoff runs before he hits UFA in the summer of 2023.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Mar 23, 2022 22:22:09 GMT -5
Very classy! Maybe that's why I feel quite nostalgic about seeing Lecky go - watched and rooted for him as he went from a boy to a man. This could be one of Hughes first gaffs as perhaps this is not a up year for Lecky and his scoring but the beginning of his bloom I am a huge Lehky fan. Followed him since his incredible SHL playoff run, that he was never able to fully replicate in the NHL. It sucks to get rid of a good player. A good guy. Gally’s best bud. Likely elite at his role. At $2.3 for sure. At $4-5 not so much. Over long term while the Habs are not competing? Nope. While HuGo are still trying to get out from under far worse contracts? Nope. He is a victim of circumstances and wrong place at wrong time. This is a very good business and hockey decision. A 20 year old Barron and a later second round pick is fair for not wasting great Lehky years on a wallowing team that should not compete for a few years. And once the team is ready, he will be a tad older, etc. Ruthless, but smart. |
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Post by habsorbed on Mar 23, 2022 23:55:28 GMT -5
Lehkonen is an ideal 3rd line winger on a contending team, which we aren't. I also think guys like that are relatively easy to find so we should be fine without him. My ideal scenario if I'm running a team is to make sure I have a competitive "top 11" (top 6 forwards, top 4 D, goalie) and those guys are under good contracts with reasonable term. The bottom 6 and bottom D pair can be in a state of more frequent turnover, and ideally your development program is pumping out NHL level talent on a regular basis to support the bottom half of the roster. You want to keep contracts lean and flexible so you are always in a position to make a move and you never feel like you need to commit term for the likes of Joel Armia, Paul Byron, David Savard, etc. Hughes did well to get a solid return on the deals. One early sign of success over the next 1-2 years is how frequently our prospects are graduating to the NHL and if we are making room for them on the roster. Of course the biggest issue is still top end talent up front and especially on D. 95%. . The one point I'm not in complete agreement with is that Lehkonen is not one of those easily replaceable players. He has a superior hockey IQ and his angling on his forechecking is superb. He puts puck carriers into uncertain positions. Do I pass here? Or there? The clear openings are always fluctuating or just narrow enough that a really good pass is necessary to get past him and even then, he's really, really good at knocking pucks out of mid air. Very much like Mark Stone. That 3rd line on a team for a contender is really important. In 2011, Julien stated his 3rd line won them the Cup. Going further back to the Habs dynasty, our third line was Risebrough, Lambert (love the pic, btw) and Tremblay. That line scored a few key goals, one in particular to sink Don Cherry. The Lightning were also rans until they picked up Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow to solidify their own 3rd line. Expensive, but it won them 2 cups. Not all of the bottom 6 is easily replaceable IMO. Bottom line? yep. I always looked at Risborough's line as the 4th line with energy causing havoc. The line being Jarvis, Gainey and others (Houle, Roberts, Wilson) who got a lot more ice time than Mario's line. Regardless, Lechy is a top bottom 6 player which any contender needs and is why Avs gave up so much. What will be interesting to see is how much Lechy gets next year. It is possible that HuGo knew he would be too expensive. Too bad because I would gladly give up Armia and his salary to keep Lechy - damn MB. |
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Post by habsorbed on Mar 23, 2022 23:58:46 GMT -5
Extra bonus in the deal : Barron speaks pretty good French, and can answer simple questions already... and I suspect with any kind of practice he'll gain some fluency, he wasn't bad at all. Already better than Brian Savage, for example (and Savage was interview-worthy in French). I saw that interview - very impressive. And Marty is indicating Barron will be given every opportunity to show himself over the next 20 games. This is going to be fun. |
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Post by Willie Dog on Mar 24, 2022 7:51:53 GMT -5
[Too bad because I would gladly give up Armia and his salary to keep Lechy - damn MB. you and every other Habs fan |
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Post by Willie Dog on Mar 24, 2022 7:58:45 GMT -5
Extra bonus in the deal : Barron speaks pretty good French, and can answer simple questions already... and I suspect with any kind of practice he'll gain some fluency, he wasn't bad at all. Already better than Brian Savage, for example (and Savage was interview-worthy in French). His french was good, seemed the reports who asked him about speaking french was surprised |
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Post by jkr on Mar 24, 2022 8:54:18 GMT -5
That is a nice gesture by Lehkonen's father. One can discern why his son is a dedicated, low maintenance kind of player. I've always thought there was a strong bond there. I'm pretty sure that when asked why he was wearing #62, Lehkonen replied that it marked the year of his father's birth. What I really liked about him was that I trusted him more than anyone else on the team. He wasn't always scoring a lot but he didn't make mistakes. |
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Post by Willie Dog on Mar 30, 2022 20:23:26 GMT -5
Extra bonus in the deal : Barron speaks pretty good French, and can answer simple questions already... and I suspect with any kind of practice he'll gain some fluency, he wasn't bad at all. Already better than Brian Savage, for example (and Savage was interview-worthy in French). I saw that interview - very impressive. And Marty is indicating Barron will be given every opportunity to show himself over the next 20 games. This is going to be fun. Supposedly Sidney Crosby said the Avs will regret trading away Barron. Also Chantal Machabee told Cole Caufield to be himself in interviews... wow... that's culture change Check out the vid |
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Post by Skilly on Mar 31, 2022 7:44:37 GMT -5
I saw that interview - very impressive. And Marty is indicating Barron will be given every opportunity to show himself over the next 20 games. This is going to be fun. Supposedly Sidney Crosby said the Avs will regret trading away Barron. Also Chantal Machabee told Cole Caufield to be himself in interviews... wow... that's culture change Check out the vid Caufield’s answer was revealing “you want me to show more of my personality? It was not always that way here, you know |
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Post by habsorbed on Mar 31, 2022 9:40:28 GMT -5
Sounds like MB was running the Russian army - with same results. And now we got a Selensky operation - where everyone buys in; very refreshing.
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Post by Willie Dog on Mar 31, 2022 15:38:23 GMT -5
The 800 lb. Elephant in the room was Berg & Friends
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Post by seventeen on Mar 31, 2022 16:11:08 GMT -5
The 800 lb. Elephant in the room was Berg & Friends Yeah. Remember the low 5 being banned? The trade of peppy, exuberant, full of life Subban for the silent, politically correct, opinionless Weber? Chucky had a bit too much joy in him. Same with Radulov. You certainly don't want anyone on your team who might actually voice their own opinion. Petry was pushed to the limit before saying something slightly negative about Ducharme. 1984 for Bergie! What an effing waste of 10 years. Price, Subban, Patches, Chuck, Gally, 5 years of Markov. All wasted. |
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Apr 1, 2022 23:03:51 GMT -5
Extra bonus in the deal : Barron speaks pretty good French, and can answer simple questions already... and I suspect with any kind of practice he'll gain some fluency, he wasn't bad at all. Already better than Brian Savage, for example (and Savage was interview-worthy in French). Have to give Northern Ontario a plug ... Brian Savage would have learned his French in Sudbury, ON ... Mrs Dis grew up there, and she said the Greater Sudbury Area was about 50/50 Franco/Anglo split ... no one knew that Jason Ward (round 1 #11 overall in 1997) could speak good French until his first Franco interview on the draft floor ... Ward was born in Chapleau, ON ... Cheers. |
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Post by habsorbed on Jun 27, 2022 14:07:40 GMT -5
Big shout out to Lechy. Always liked the guy and glad to see him find success. Sakic looking like a genius. Let's hope Hughes does with Barron as well.
Wonder what Lechys next contract will be like.
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Post by habsask on Jun 27, 2022 14:57:03 GMT -5
Big shout out to Lechy. Always liked the guy and glad to see him find success. Sakic looking like a genius. Let's hope Hughes does with Barron as well. Wonder what Lechys next contract will be like. Good question. He was the LW on the Avs first line in that game and on the No. 1 power play. Plus he's a clutch player. Same as you habsorbed I liked him a lot and wish him the best for the future. It will be interesting to watch the development (or not) of Barron. Fingers crossed. Cheers |
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Jun 27, 2022 17:51:00 GMT -5
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