Is this team soft?

[Belial]

I don't think it matters anymore. A soft team won the last two cups. The young players graduating are for the most part skilled players who don't play a very physical game.

We are lacking skills though.

This team is probably the most skilled we had since a very long time ago IMO.

 

[Rapala]

I don't think it matters anymore. A soft team won the last two cups. The young players graduating are for the most part skilled players who don't play a very physical game.

We are lacking skills though.

The Pens have a good handful of players who play a heavy game.
Montreal not so much.

 

[The Great Weal]

I couldn't give a **** if this team was soft or tough; talent, speed and character are the best combinations imo.

 

[Wats]

Forwards one of the softest group in NHL. Shaw unfortunately was overrated physically as we saw last year.

Weber is the only player that makes defense tough.

 

[V13]

Well

Players i consider soft

- Pacioretty (for his size he is but he compensate in other areas)
- Plekanec
- Hemsky
- Streit

Players who aren't really intimidating but play with grit and fire and are not afraid of the rough stuff. Little warriors :

- Gallagher
- Lekhonen
- Shaw
- Byron

Players who aren't soft but aren't tough either. In between. Not physical players but not softies.

- Drouin
- Galchenyuk
- Danault
- Mitchell
- Schlemko
- Petry
- Alzner

Players who are both physically intimidating and are either tough or can play a physical game :

- Weber
- McCarron
- Benn
- Martinsen
- Davidson

May have missed a few. That's how i see it so feel free to disagree

So overall the Habs are not soft but they aren't physical juggernauts either. Average i would say.

 

[phoque taupe]

There is only on word to describe us and I'm gonna spell it out for you.

 

[Kojo]

We have a couple of small players but they are nimble.

 

[OldCraig71]

I think we lack skills as well as grit/toughness.

 

[Stive Morgan]

Mentally soft

 

[Kojo]

I think we lack skills as well as grit/toughness.

This team has grit and toughness beginning with Price, then what's his face.

 

[Lshap]

This reads like a leftover thread from 2011. Back then, the Habs had the softest D in the league. We were 'smurfs' in a big-bad NHL. Size and fighting mattered, and we were obsessed with getting bigger, meaner players. Today toughness is mostly being tough on the puck. There's little room for goons and speed can operate more freely.

So, no, we're not soft. Habs are much stronger than we used to be along the boards and in our zone, although I'm really going to miss Radulov's relentless puck presence.

 

[Kojo]

Price is just sick. One of the best player in the league and we have him.

 

[MSLs absurd thighs]

Let's see this part by part;

On Offense, we have Shaw, McCarron (possibly), Martinsen who are no pushovers.
On D, Weber, Alzner and Benn won't take **** from anyone.

All in all, I think this team could use more muscle, but looking by today's standards, who is that physical anyway?

Boston has Chara Miller Marchand and McQuaid. Some occasional grit from Backes.
Ottawa lost Neil and Methot. They have Borowiecki. Fair enough.
Toronto has Matt Martin. Their D is as soft as wet paperbags.
Tampa gained Girardi and Kunitz this summer. They have Sustr. But who is that intimidating out there?
Same for Florida who lost Thornton.
Buffalo has Evander Kane, but lost a big piece in Foligno. Bogosian is not intimidating. Gorges neither. Beaulieu is dangerous when he fights but couldn't kill a bee with his bodychecks.

And any team feeling like they can use more muscle can give a PTO to Chris Neil.

I'm all for toughness and being a tough team to play against. But I don't feel like it's a particularly bad need right now. Not with what the other teams did around us.

 

[nhlfan9191]

Some posters are concerned with the size of our forwards and their ability to be effective out there, do you think this is an issue?

We have some really soft players, but the team as a whole isn't near as soft as we've been in the past. The problem is we sacrificed more speed then we've added size.

 

[habsgirl5000]

we are the softest team in the league,

we lost our toughest forward in Radulov,

we also lost our best hitter in Emelin

 

[mariolemieux66]

Mentally soft

That's it!

 

[Beendair Donedat]

Easily the softest group of forwards in the NHL and have been for quite awhile.

People like to point out various teams that have won the Cup and say: "Well look they're soft up front."

The difference being those teams that have won cups have elite talent up front.

We don't. At all.

Our best forward, is our most disappearing when the going gets tough forward.

I think that our captain should be someone who excels in the tougher games. Someone who leads by example.

Unfortunately the example being set isn't a good one.

We need a powerforward that can play in our top 6 desperately.

 

[Captain Mountain]

Why do people assume soft=don't hit?

 

[1909]

It is not a physical team, indeed.

Habs have still lots of their forwards 5'11 and under, and their biggest guy upfront won't afraid anyone around the league - McCarron and Martinsen, two borderline NHL players.

on D, only Weber is a real stud, and he is not hitting like he used to.

We don't need goons, but a guy like Kassian would had been a solution. Too bad !

 

[Maitz]

Yes but in the NHL today I don't see it being a bad thing.

 

[Hannibal]

Yes, small and easy to play against.

I want Lernout and MacCarron on this team.

 

[habsgirl5000]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlEzIxrm9NI

 

[Habs Halifax]

Well

Players i consider soft

- Pacioretty (for his size he is but he compensate in other areas)
- Plekanec
- Hemsky
- Streit

Players who aren't really intimidating but play with grit and fire and are not afraid of the rough stuff. Little warriors :

- Gallagher
- Lekhonen
- Shaw
- Byron

Players who aren't soft but aren't tough either. In between. Not physical players but not softies.

- Drouin
- Galchenyuk
- Danault
- Mitchell
- Schlemko
- Petry
- Alzner

Players who are both physically intimidating and are either tough or can play a physical game :

- Weber
- McCarron
- Benn
- Martinsen
- Davidson

May have missed a few. That's how i see it so feel free to disagree

So overall the Habs are not soft but they aren't physical juggernauts either. Average i would say.

Agreed. Good breakdown too. I also voted average.

 

[Burke the Legend]

Above average toughness/grit. People carry the old stereotype of the team as soft smurfs but in reality MB has really improved toughness overt he past 5 years, which was one of his goals. There are teams lots of teams with softness issues around the league, Montreal isn't one of them.

 

[76]

Not soft but could benefit from using some size (Mccarron, De La Rose, Holland, Martinsen) and I think Julien will consider it that way as well.