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Post by Willie Dog on Aug 19, 2024 19:44:42 GMT -5
From what I gathered, it sounds like it is something in the dressing room of Columbus that caused Laine to want to leave. Maybe issues between him and another player? You beat me to it... lol |
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Aug 19, 2024 20:12:33 GMT -5
Welcome to Montreal ... good luck ...
Cheers.
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Post by Cranky on Aug 19, 2024 20:14:39 GMT -5
I'm just trying to figure out if...
Demigod comes over by Octomber
Dach stays healthy
Laine settles down
We got a completely different team on in scoring. Those one goal game we lost are flipped to wins. We are falling head first into the playoffs.
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Post by folatre on Aug 19, 2024 20:16:49 GMT -5
Columbus has a curious leadership group -- guys who despite being incredibly mediocre producers on the ice are known for being loud rah rah types who played that card way too often while their season went down the drain. And I think Vincent struggled to reign them in and then he ended up taking out his frustration on the play of the younger guys.
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Post by Willie Dog on Aug 19, 2024 21:11:46 GMT -5
Gorton, Hughes and St. Louis met with Laine over the weekend. He says he really wanted to go to Montreal... He said he doesn't want to score 30 goals, he wants to score 40 or 45
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Post by Willie Dog on Aug 19, 2024 21:25:25 GMT -5
From Ken Hughes
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Post by Willie Dog on Aug 19, 2024 21:39:36 GMT -5
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Post by Skilly on Aug 19, 2024 21:51:01 GMT -5
If the Leafs acquired Laine we'd hear about it for days ... I have seen zip on TSN or Sportsnet. There was a brief mention of it on Overdrive, but certainly no live streaming on TSN as an overblown Leafs event
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Post by jkr on Aug 19, 2024 22:00:01 GMT -5
How can these guys even pretend to be impartial? They go ridiculously overboard on a captaincy change & nothing on this?
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Post by Cranky on Aug 19, 2024 22:46:02 GMT -5
Here is an article on Laine. From his history, I'm not sold on Laine being better top 6 solution the someone like Mercer, but he's certainly capable of being one. There is an equal chance of him fizzling out as becoming a monster. If he sees himself as the "older brother of his team", a core of Demidov, Dach, Suzuki, CC, Slaf and Newhook, well, his potential contribution is deadly. He's a legit 50 goal player that is in his prime. And he's got lots of talent around him that will help him get there. Or he's gone in two years... www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/canadiens-laine-says-hes-been-skating-following-off-season-shoulder-procedure/ |
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Post by Habs_fan_in_LA on Aug 19, 2024 23:43:37 GMT -5
I can't even go to the loo...and Hughes flips the world on us. I'm OK with the cost of getting him which is all I cared about. If he's the second coming of Lafleur, great, if he's a flop, no big loss of assets. I'm impressed with Hughes... Outstanding deal. High risk but we only have up our 9th best defenseman. Worst case we lost a spare part for a head case. Best outcome a new leading scorer who is big and strong. |
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Post by seventeen on Aug 19, 2024 23:45:16 GMT -5
No way Barron is getting sent down as he would have to clear waivers. I know I am more bullish on him than others but I think there is a spot for him this year on the team. Plus he is a RD which we are weak on at the moment. It's nice to be able to have a civilized debate. For me, Barron is going to be the first man out. I just didn't see the vision or processing that a Marty player has to have. Hutson has it in spades, Reinbacher has it, especially in his own end and Arber may have worked it out in his Laval stint last year. Arber has other virtues, though, that will keep him in the line-up. Struble is a smart player and a good skater, strong like ox, and a reputed mean streak that he hasn't shown us yet. Now, Barron is mostly battling with Reinbacher and Mailloux for an RHD spot. Mailloux is likely better offensively and has that physical part to his game that isn't part of Barron's. Justin will be 23 in November so he still has time to show he belongs. At some point, Guhle will go back to LHD and Savard will no longer be on the roster, so it would be great to have Reinbacher, Mailloux and Barron manning those right D spots. Prove me wrong, Justin. |
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Post by habsorbed on Aug 20, 2024 0:48:57 GMT -5
If the Leafs acquired Laine we'd hear about it for days ... I have seen zip on TSN or Sportsnet. There was a brief mention of it on Overdrive, but certainly no live streaming on TSN as an overblown Leafs event Both TSN ans SN were covering the story tonight - TSN as the lead story. What is interesting, and confirms we didn't give up much, is that usually trade coverage sets out what both teams got in the trade. Other than mentioning Harris, they did not discuss his stats or prospects. Fact is, and what I like about this trade is that we gave up very little for a potential home run. Harris is pretty good at many aspects of the game but he is never going to be more than #4 dman and we have far better prospects. Ironically, even if Laine is a bust, the prospect we get with the CJB 2nd round pick may very well be better than Harris. Not keen on Laine cap hit but it is only for 2 years and that's when we'll need cap space for some big contracts. If Laine is the real deal then he hopefully remebers who gave him a lifeline and will want to stay at a discoiunt and win a Cup. |
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Post by habsorbed on Aug 20, 2024 1:25:36 GMT -5
One wonders what Waddell was asking for earlier in the summer. Gotta believe HuGo waited this out and Waddell did not want to go into the season with Laine in the room so ahd to settle for Harris and throw in a high draft pick.
Speaking of HuGo's patience and some irony, Laine was traded to CJB for PLD. Fortunately HuGo was patient and did not go after PLD last year. And lo and behold, a year later we have a better player than PLD for similar cap hit but a lesser term. Phew!!!
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Post by Cranky on Aug 20, 2024 1:41:17 GMT -5
I heard through my CIA spies that PLDonkey was crying in his sleep and mumbling "Habs love Laine more then me".
Weird...
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Post by Polarice on Aug 20, 2024 5:59:11 GMT -5
This is a win win for both Laine and the Habs. Laine looking for a fresh start to prove he still has it and the Habs looking for players that can score goals.
Can you imagine Laine and Demidov on the same line?
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Post by Willie Dog on Aug 20, 2024 6:48:16 GMT -5
One of the main reasons Laine came to Montreal was Marty... quite the endorsement for MSL.
Edit: Habs also got to look at his medical file as well... they did their due diligence.
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Post by Willie Dog on Aug 20, 2024 6:59:12 GMT -5
Dach has to be the happiest guy on the team roster...
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Post by Tankdriver on Aug 20, 2024 7:31:27 GMT -5
My only concern in all of this is that I hope when Demidov does come over, he is not paying 3rd line winger for more than a couple of games. He was drafted to be a superstar and needs to play with them so Newhook, Roy, Gallagher or Anderson better not be occupying that second line spot at that time.
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Post by Polarice on Aug 20, 2024 8:19:54 GMT -5
My only concern in all of this is that I hope when Demidov does come over, he is not paying 3rd line winger for more than a couple of games. He was drafted to be a superstar and needs to play with them so Newhook, Roy, Gallagher or Anderson better not be occupying that second line spot at that time. My friend called to tell me about the trade about 1/2 before it leaked. He mentioned at the end of the conversation that a couple of teams reached out to the Habs that were interested in taking some salary. But it would likely cost them that 2nd that they just got and then some. No Idea what bodies the Habs are interested in moving, but from what I was told...the Habs are more than willing to make a deal. Edit....also he also heard the Oilers were not matching those offersheets.  |
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Post by Skilly on Aug 20, 2024 8:44:24 GMT -5
No way Barron is getting sent down as he would have to clear waivers. I know I am more bullish on him than others but I think there is a spot for him this year on the team. Plus he is a RD which we are weak on at the moment. It's nice to be able to have a civilized debate. For me, Barron is going to be the first man out. I just didn't see the vision or processing that a Marty player has to have. Hutson has it in spades, Reinbacher has it, especially in his own end and Arber may have worked it out in his Laval stint last year. Arber has other virtues, though, that will keep him in the line-up. Struble is a smart player and a good skater, strong like ox, and a reputed mean streak that he hasn't shown us yet. Now, Barron is mostly battling with Reinbacher and Mailloux for an RHD spot. Mailloux is likely better offensively and has that physical part to his game that isn't part of Barron's. Justin will be 23 in November so he still has time to show he belongs. At some point, Guhle will go back to LHD and Savard will no longer be on the roster, so it would be great to have Reinbacher, Mailloux and Barron manning those right D spots. Prove me wrong, Justin. I’d be trying to trade another defenseman (or two). That logjam is not sustainable. Mailloux and Reinbacher are NHL ready. I’d be looking to trade Struble/Barron for McGroarty |
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Post by Tankdriver on Aug 20, 2024 9:00:04 GMT -5
It's nice to be able to have a civilized debate. For me, Barron is going to be the first man out. I just didn't see the vision or processing that a Marty player has to have. Hutson has it in spades, Reinbacher has it, especially in his own end and Arber may have worked it out in his Laval stint last year. Arber has other virtues, though, that will keep him in the line-up. Struble is a smart player and a good skater, strong like ox, and a reputed mean streak that he hasn't shown us yet. Now, Barron is mostly battling with Reinbacher and Mailloux for an RHD spot. Mailloux is likely better offensively and has that physical part to his game that isn't part of Barron's. Justin will be 23 in November so he still has time to show he belongs. At some point, Guhle will go back to LHD and Savard will no longer be on the roster, so it would be great to have Reinbacher, Mailloux and Barron manning those right D spots. Prove me wrong, Justin. I’d be trying to trade another defenseman (or two). That logjam is not sustainable. Mailloux and Reinbacher are NHL ready. I’d be looking to trade Struble/Barron for McGroarty Agreed. What's your thought process on Mesar? Package him with one of the above and see if Nashville would bit on Asgarov? |
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Post by habsorbed on Aug 20, 2024 9:49:23 GMT -5
It's nice to be able to have a civilized debate. For me, Barron is going to be the first man out. I just didn't see the vision or processing that a Marty player has to have. Hutson has it in spades, Reinbacher has it, especially in his own end and Arber may have worked it out in his Laval stint last year. Arber has other virtues, though, that will keep him in the line-up. Struble is a smart player and a good skater, strong like ox, and a reputed mean streak that he hasn't shown us yet. Now, Barron is mostly battling with Reinbacher and Mailloux for an RHD spot. Mailloux is likely better offensively and has that physical part to his game that isn't part of Barron's. Justin will be 23 in November so he still has time to show he belongs. At some point, Guhle will go back to LHD and Savard will no longer be on the roster, so it would be great to have Reinbacher, Mailloux and Barron manning those right D spots. Prove me wrong, Justin. I’d be trying to trade another defenseman (or two). That logjam is not sustainable. Mailloux and Reinbacher are NHL ready. I’d be looking to trade Struble/Barron for McGroarty I think this is Barron's moment of truth. If he does not grab a top 4 spot in the next few months he will be traded. I don't like his chances as i don't think he thinks or sees the game well. Bottomline: Habs can not give up on Reinbacher or Mailloux without giving them a full opportunity to show themselves in the NHL. Barron has had plenty of opportunity and so far nada. |
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Post by Skilly on Aug 20, 2024 10:14:38 GMT -5
I’d be trying to trade another defenseman (or two). That logjam is not sustainable. Mailloux and Reinbacher are NHL ready. I’d be looking to trade Struble/Barron for McGroarty Agreed. What's your thought process on Mesar? Package him with one of the above and see if Nashville would bit on Asgarov? I never thought Mesar had a chance with the Habs. And it had nothing to do with his skill and everything to do with his size. A part of me thinks MTL only drafted him to make it easier / more comfortable for Slafkovsky that first training camp. There was no way this team was ever going to ice a team that had Caufield, Gallagher, Mesar and Farrell on the ice at the same time. There was only room for 2 at any given time. And given that we are stuck with Gallagher until 2027, the timeline never fit for Mesar or Farrell. If Mesar could land Askarov in a package deal, then I don’t lose sleep losing him |
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Post by Boston_Habs on Aug 20, 2024 10:23:25 GMT -5
I'm just trying to figure out if... Dach stays healthy Laine settles down It's really those 2 things along with an improved and balanced D rotation. Assuming we get adequate goaltending, I don't think playoffs are out of the question but it would be a dramatic turnaround. The main issue for us has been scoring depth - we were 3rd from the bottom in the Eastern Conference with 236 goals (GFA of 2.83), but we also gave up the second most goals in the conference at 289 and had a -53 GF/GA differential. Only Columbus was worse. I think it's reasonable/hopeful to get to around where Detroit was last year, which would mean 30-40 more goals and shaving 20 or so goals against. I'm hopeful that the goals against can be improved from another year of experience from the D and improving the PK by a few % points. The offense is always hard to predict as we don't have locked in stars that you can pretty much pencil in production (Suzuki is probably the only guy who should give us at least 70 points). Everyone else is TBD: Scorers are streaky so we can't assume Caufield will bounce back, Slaf had a great year with no pressure but now he has expectations and a contract, Dach needs to be healthy and consistent, Laine is still a bit of a crapshoot.... so lots of unknowns on offense but a lot of possibilities and they are talented enough to be a cuspy playoff team, IMO |
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Post by Tankdriver on Aug 20, 2024 10:28:31 GMT -5
Agreed. What's your thought process on Mesar? Package him with one of the above and see if Nashville would bit on Asgarov? I never thought Mesar had a chance with the Habs. And it had nothing to do with his skill and everything to do with his size. A part of me thinks MTL only drafted him to make it easier / more comfortable for Slafkovsky that first training camp. There was no way this team was ever going to ice a team that had Caufield, Gallagher, Mesar and Farrell on the ice at the same time. There was only room for 2 at any given time. And given that we are stuck with Gallagher until 2027, the timeline never fit for Mesar or Farrell. If Mesar could land Askarov in a package deal, then I don’t lose sleep losing him Agree. I feel like that was the only real fail in the Hughes plan since he has been here. I'm still on the fence in regards to the Michkov over Reinbacher pick though. At this point in time, Mesar should be close to making the big team and yet I feel like he is still 2 to 3 years away. |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Aug 20, 2024 11:19:52 GMT -5
You knew he would not get his #29 which is in the rafters, so this did seem the most likely choice.
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Post by frozone on Aug 20, 2024 11:30:51 GMT -5
It's nice to be able to have a civilized debate. For me, Barron is going to be the first man out. I just didn't see the vision or processing that a Marty player has to have. Hutson has it in spades, Reinbacher has it, especially in his own end and Arber may have worked it out in his Laval stint last year. Arber has other virtues, though, that will keep him in the line-up. Struble is a smart player and a good skater, strong like ox, and a reputed mean streak that he hasn't shown us yet. Now, Barron is mostly battling with Reinbacher and Mailloux for an RHD spot. Mailloux is likely better offensively and has that physical part to his game that isn't part of Barron's. Justin will be 23 in November so he still has time to show he belongs. At some point, Guhle will go back to LHD and Savard will no longer be on the roster, so it would be great to have Reinbacher, Mailloux and Barron manning those right D spots. Prove me wrong, Justin. I’d be trying to trade another defenseman (or two). That logjam is not sustainable. Mailloux and Reinbacher are NHL ready. I’d be looking to trade Struble/Barron for McGroarty You’re right. Don’t get me wrong, I’m over the moon with this trade, but our pipeline is still too heavy on D. There’s only so much ice time and opportunities to give around. Now’s the time to be making some decisions on who we want to give the auditions to. I’m with all of you regarding Barron. I like him but he just doesn’t bring anything really special other than silky smooth skating. And unfortunately, there’s no figure skating judges to impress in the NHL. So until the league starts handing out extra points for choreographed routines, Barron is the one to trade (if we trade a RHD that is). On the left, I think it would just depend on what type of return each LHD would fetch. As for McGroarty, I’m a huge yes. But I wouldn’t give up much of anything unless we know he would sign with us. |
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Post by Habs_fan_in_LA on Aug 20, 2024 11:36:53 GMT -5
You knew he would not get his #29 which is in the rafters, so this did seem the most likely choice. Sam Echeverry had this number. |
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Post by Cranky on Aug 20, 2024 11:44:53 GMT -5
I'm just trying to figure out if... Dach stays healthy Laine settles down It's really those 2 things along with an improved and balanced D rotation. Assuming we get adequate goaltending, I don't think playoffs are out of the question but it would be a dramatic turnaround. The main issue for us has been scoring depth - we were 3rd from the bottom in the Eastern Conference with 236 goals (GFA of 2.83), but we also gave up the second most goals in the conference at 289 and had a -53 GF/GA differential. Only Columbus was worse. I think it's reasonable/hopeful to get to around where Detroit was last year, which would mean 30-40 more goals and shaving 20 or so goals against. I'm hopeful that the goals against can be improved from another year of experience from the D and improving the PK by a few % points. The offense is always hard to predict as we don't have locked in stars that you can pretty much pencil in production (Suzuki is probably the only guy who should give us at least 70 points). Everyone else is TBD: Scorers are streaky so we can't assume Caufield will bounce back, Slaf had a great year with no pressure but now he has expectations and a contract, Dach needs to be healthy and consistent, Laine is still a bit of a crapshoot.... so lots of unknowns on offense but a lot of possibilities and they are talented enough to be a cuspy playoff team, IMO Next season will be the most unpredictable we've had in a long time...and Laine is a part of that. We ARE a playoff team if Laine and Dach are healthy and top form. Dach was a beast but is those two game his level of play or an aberration? Is he going to be cautious about getting hurt? Laine can be a 50 goal scorer or crawl back to his head. Your guess is as good as my guess as anyone guess, because it's strictly a guess. Defense is another huge range of guessing. Mailman and Hutson may be the real deal and change the transition game to another level...or may be years away. My safe guess is that it's the same as last year, which isn’t saying much. Then there is the coaching issue. Will we get a solid defensive system that can win one goal games? The current "do your best boys" is not going to get us to the playoffs. It may be "fun" for the players, but they are there to win. So here we are...50% chance we are drafting 5th and 50% we are playoff bound. In all of this, make no mistake, that wasn't as likely pre Laine, but no lock with him either. The ONLY guarantee is that it's brought my level of interest to the highest it's been in DECADES. But will it last till Xmas before the DELETE button is king again? Drop the puck already... |
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