Post-Game Talk: Gorton & Hughes End of Season Media Avail 9:30Am EST

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

Long term?

Is that enough elite talent in the top 6?

Caufield - Suzuki - Slaf
Roy - Dach - Newhook

It could actually end up being a drool worthy top 6. No guarantees but the potential is there. My only worry is Dach's health honestly.

 

[26Mats]

Newhook finished the season with 27 points in his last 39 games, which is a 57 point pace over a full year. If not for his injury and being stuck with Anderson to start the first month and a half, he likely hits 50 points this year as a 22/23 year old. I'd say he definitely showed he can be a top 6 guy and there is still room for improvement.

Roy is still young so it is too early to say whether he can be a top 6 guy, but he certainly showed a lot of good things as a 20 year old.

I agree that Roy and Newhook are 2nd line material.

But if we're looking for more elite talent upfront, where are we looking for it? It has to be upgrades to Dach's wings, no? And wouldn't it be great to have Newhook and Roy as two-thirds of the third line if we can swing that under the cap?

 

[le_sean]

It could actually end up being a drool worthy top 6. No guarantees but the potential is there. My only worry is Dach's health honestly.

I like Newhook but I can’t see him being Top 6 on a really good team. It’s fine for now, but I’d hope for a better player in that spot and him leading a really good 3rd line.

 

[26Mats]

I don't think long-term really applies at this point (or ever really applies for a top-6 group).

I think what that top 6 shows is that, if everything breaks right and players continue to develop, Montreal has a potentially strong top-6 internally (without needing to trade, draft or sign someone). I don't think it means that it can't/wouldn't be improved on or changed, but more that Montreal's shifting to another stage of the rebuild. That doesn't mean the rebuild is over.

For frame of reference, I'm thinking of the Devil's after 2020-2021. They had a lot of talent at forward (Hischier, J. Hughes, Bratt, Sharangovich, Zacha) plus good forward prospects, and some decent D. But they still weren't ready to compete and continued to add in other areas.

Its the difference between just trying to cobble together lines that work and figuring out what you need to take the next step.

I think we can add top 6 talent for the long term at the draft.

And also add short and medium term top 6 talent via trades and free agency.

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

I agree that Roy and Newhook are 2nd line material.

But if we're looking for more elite talent upfront, where are we looking for it? It has to be upgrades to Dach's wings, no? And wouldn't it be great to have Newhook and Roy as two-thirds of the third line if we can swing that under the cap?

I would be looking for a centre to take over after Dach's next injury.

 

[Jee]

I like Newhook but I can’t see him being Top 6 on a really good team. It’s fine for now, but I’d hope for a better player in that spot and him leading a really good 3rd line.

Bro made Gally and Armia look great again. Don't sleep on Nouveaucrochet, I can only imagine him being even better with Roy and Dach.

 

[BLONG7]

but what about Anderson and Gallagher and Dvorak?

Almost 17M in tough old deadweight sort of..............................
Gally finished the year much better, but that contact is bad..............
Anderson I feel is a proud guy, and look for him to rebound with 15-20 goals.....
Dvo, well not sure what to say about this guy, At 4.5M he doesn't seem to fit anywhere.....does he have value?

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

I like Newhook but I can’t see him being Top 6 on a really good team. It’s fine for now, but I’d hope for a better player in that spot and him leading a really good 3rd line.

I don't know he seemed to produce very well with two not so great wingers while being at C and still being only 23.

It's pretty clear that he still has plenty of room to grow his game. Plus playing with better players and on the wing?...He'll look that much better.

Sure if we legit get someone better than by all means but I'm pretty confident in this top 6.

I'd still prefer a forward with our pick but honestly if we get a D man I'll be more than fine with it.
I said it as early as last year at this time that we could potentially be all right with what we have forward wise.

If we draft BPA we'll be aces.

 

[dinodebino]

Just listen to the questions. Those questions ASK to be answered that way. Insane how uninformed and dumb the journalists are.

Read le Journal this morning; their beat writer said that the fans’ patience is running thin. Wtf was that about? He knows nothing of the fan’s appreciation of the situation.

They have a known agenda. They have an older readership that is nostalgic about the Habs of old. Go read some of the posters on a some Habs-related posts made by local media scribes. They are catering to the boomers who think the Habs are in shambles because ‘dans le temps, on gagnait des coupes’!

 

[Tyson]

It is so refreshing to have competent management. Hughes and Gorton truly are a cut above

 

[Team_Spirit]

Fowler definitely has starter potential, Dobes as well but to a lesser degree. I'm not as familiar with Volokhin.

He has the weirdest cage

 

[salbutera]

So when the PP drastically does an uptick next season with Hutson QBing it will Burrows all of a sudden be hailed a genius?

What’s the saying “show me a good Goalie and I’ll show you a good coach”….

 

[WeThreeKings]

The most telling things for me would be:

• They view this as a big summer but as a transitional summer for them and that next summer will be their big one to really push the team forward. So while expectations have changed they aren't rushing anything.
• The draft is really about finding their forward; they'd have to be pushed into a situation where they have no choice but to take a defenseman and even in that, they'd look to move around the board rather than just take the D man.

I think we can narrow our focus pretty confidently on forwards.

 

[Skip Bayless]

Me thinks this is the summer where Hughes will get rid of certain redundancy within the system. Maybe start working towards a more physical bottom 6.

Not sure we land the long awaited top 6 fwd, but we’ll see.

 

[Supersonic]

Me thinks this is the summer where Hughes will get rid of certain redundancy within the system. Maybe start working towards a more physical bottom 6.

Not sure we land the long awaited top 6 fwd, but we’ll see.

I think paying someone to take Anderson is focus #1

Addition by subtraction

 

[salbutera]

 

[26Mats]

I would be looking for a centre to take over after Dach's next injury.

Well for sure Dach can play wing if we were to get a great center. If we get Lindstrom or Catton, either should be able to also take over for Dach if that's the way it plays out, or play on his wing.

 

[Scintillating10]

MSL contract extended (2 years).

3 more years now.

I was kind of hoping Roy would coach someday.

 

[yianik]

MSL contract extended (2 years).

3 more years now.

YES

 

[Redux91]

They were never gonna buy out Anderson,

They'll still find a way to get rid of him, even if it costs a draft pick, so be it

He cannot be allowed to be on this team next year, that much is evident

We can handle Gallagher and 1 more year of Armia, we cannot handle all 3 again. It's not happening

 

[GrandmaCookie]

He has the weirdest cage

We have a 6’3 russian goaltending prospect didn’t know that that is dope.

 

[Scintillating10]

They were never gonna buy out Anderson,

They'll still find a way to get rid of him, even if it costs a draft pick, so be it

He cannot be allowed to be on this team next year, that much is evident

We can handle Gallagher and 1 more year of Armia, we cannot handle all 3 again. It's not happening

He wouldn't trade Anderson couple years ago when he had the chance why now? Armia and Gallagher turned their seasons around, a year ago you said same thing about them

 

[Ezpz]

I would be looking for a centre to take over after Dach's next injury.

It's important to have centers who can play wing for this reason. We had four natural centers to start the year and played much of it without that. We were lucky that newhook still was 49% on the draw but it could have bit us hard.

I would say our centers being largely great at faceoffs was a big reason we took a big step forward even sans Dach.

Guys like Gally and Anderson weren't able to step in because they are exclusively wingers. Obviously both suffered from moving around a lot with inexperienced centers and obviously Josh lost his marbles in January or February after busting his ass for the first half.

I would expect a stronger center line to let a bunch of our wingers bounce back.

 

[dinodebino]

The most telling things for me would be:

• They view this as a big summer but as a transitional summer for them and that next summer will be their big one to really push the team forward. So while expectations have changed they aren't rushing anything.
• The draft is really about finding their forward; they'd have to be pushed into a situation where they have no choice but to take a defenseman and even in that, they'd look to move around the board rather than just take the D man.

I think we can narrow our focus pretty confidently on forwards.

Best takes of the PC.

 

[Ezpz]

They were never gonna buy out Anderson,

They'll still find a way to get rid of him, even if it costs a draft pick, so be it

He cannot be allowed to be on this team next year, that much is evident

We can handle Gallagher and 1 more year of Armia, we cannot handle all 3 again. It's not happening

Last year and early this season Gally was much worse and managed to at least be serviceable by the end. I doubt Josh goes anywhere. More likely they sell Armia high.

I would guess the exits will be guys like Ylonen who didn't claim a spot even with all the depth issues. RHP also didn't earn a starting roster spot for next season.