HF Habs: 21-22 lineup

[WinterLion]

Caufield-KK-JA
Toffoli-Suzuki-Poehling/Ylonen
Tatar-Danault-Gallagher
Lekhonen-Evans-Perry

Edmundson-Petry
Romanov-Merrill
Chiarot-Brook/Fleury

Look for:
Upgrades at 1 LD
Upgrades at 2RD
Slight downgrade at 3C but more physicality/cheaper
Upgrade at 2nd wing with a bigger body, faster body.
Upgrade at 4C maybe.

Where's the captain?

 

[Habs Halifax]

You got to bring more than just that though as vets. Our goal scoring woes are still present they are just hidden by Price. We are 12th / 16 for the GF/G in playoffs. Only 4 teams did worse than us and they are all teams who got eliminated in the first round. We are 2nd / 16 for the GA/G and while the defense did better in playoffs than regular season there's a lot of carey in this. We need to score more goals and if we keep sheltering the kids then we will need to sign better vets like Landeskog.

Goal scoring is an issue but that's a top end skill issue. We have to realize we are build from the back end out and how we can't afford to expose Price which we have in many previous seasons. Suzuki and Caufield help and so do the guys we signed.

Our identity is goaltending and defense (like it or not). In previous seasons, we lost to the Rangers and Flyers cause we couldn't score while Price held us in. In this playoffs, we have enough scoring chances. I'd like more but that's not going to be easy to fix without affecting our team strength.

Focus on guys that skate well and are big boys and then mix in guys like Suzuki and Caufield. That to me is where it's at in terms of going on deep runs.

 

[26Mats]

Toffoli Suzuki Caufield
UFA Kotkaniemi Gallagher
Anderson/Lehkonen/Byron(Pick one) Danault Evans
Armia Staal Perry

UFA Weber
Edmundson Petry
Romanov Chiarot
Kulak,Gus/Merrill/cheap UFA

Price
Allen

 

[De Montreal]

Looking at the Rocket statsheet got me thinking : there is a number of candidates to graduate into the NHL next season, there.

• Ryan Poehling
• Jesse Ylonen
• Lukas Vejdemo
• Cale Fleury

Some of them will play this year or already got NHL experience (Leskinen, Primeau, Fleury, most probably Caufield). And then there is some other like Josh Brook, Joel Teasdale and Rafael Harvey-Pinard who might not be quite ready, but are not very far off neither.

For the first time since I dont know when, the pipeline coming from the farm is full. Will there be room for some of them to join the Canadiens next year?

Up front, I think it's fair to say at least one of Danault, Tatar and Drouin is gone, whether it's by the free agent market or trade. Staal and Perry won't be coming back neither. Byron is probably as good as gone too.

So you have Kotkaniemi, Suzuki, Evans, Toffoli, Anderson, Gallagher coming back for sure - then probably Lehkonen, Armia and two of Danault/Drouin/Tatar.

That's two spot : so you have room for Caufield and two others. If Ylonen could play LW he would have a chance but I dont think there's room for him next year, another year in the AHL would benefit him anyway. Poehling as a lefty is more likely.

Toffoli - Suzuki - Caufield
Tatar - Kotkaniemi - Caufield
Poehling - Danault - Gallagher
Lehkonen - Evans - Armia
Vejdemo

And on the backend we will probably see the same group, maybe with Kulak leaving but I think they would keep him as a 7th. Only playing in the farm who would fill a need is a puck-moving one, like Leskinen, but I'm not sure he has NHL upside, or Brook, who might be too green to join the show yet.

My views have not changed much since april, three months later.

Toffoli - Suzuki - Caufield
Poehling- Danault - Gallagher
Lehkonen - Kotkaniemi - Anderson
Armia - Evans - Perry
Byron

It does not look like Tatar or Drouin will be back at the moment. Who knows, if he's ready to go he can slot in instead of Lehkonen.

 

[waitin425]

My views have not changed much since april, three months later.

Toffoli - Suzuki - Caufield
Poehling- Danault - Gallagher
Lehkonen - Kotkaniemi - Anderson
Armia - Evans - Perry
Byron

It does not look like Tatar or Drouin will be back at the moment. Who knows, if he's ready to go he can slot in instead of Lehkonen.

I can get by this....I can see Armia going though.

I'd also love to make a huge play for Landy.

Toffoli - Suzuki - Caufield
Landeskog - KK - Anderson
Lehkonen - Danault - Gally
Poehling - Evans - Perry
Byron

Jones - Weber
Romanov - Petry
Fleury - Norlinder

Price
Primeau

I know..
I know.....cap

Let's take a run at both Landeskog and Jones

Out..Tatar, Drouin, Eddie, Chia, Kulak, Allen

Graduate Fleury, Norlinder, Primeau and Poehling

 

[BigDaddyLurch]

...I truly don't understand people putting Chiarot on the 3rd pairing; not that he doesn't belong there, but what gives anyone the idea that our Management will take Chiarot off the Top Pairing any time in the near future??...the Habs coaching/management see him as a Top Pairing D-man, plain & simple...he's not getting his minutes cut that significantly while he's here, it just isn't happening...so either get happy with him on the Top Pair or hope that he's traded/Seattle takes him...

 

[Sterling Archer]

yup... that's the reality we're starring at. one possible saving grace might be if he convinced Molson to promote him to a VP or president hockey ops role, and hire a successor GM... but won't hold my breath.

That’s what the rumours were a little while ago. Tbh, I could totally see that now.

 

[austin316]

Hopefully we can develop Poehling into a strong LW given the emergence of Evans at C. Did Poehling primarily play C or LW in Laval this season?

 

[dkd]

I can get by this....I can see Armia going though.

I'd also love to make a huge play for Landy.

Toffoli - Suzuki - Caufield
Landeskog - KK - Anderson
Lehkonen - Danault - Gally
Poehling - Evans - Perry
Byron

Jones - Weber
Romanov - Petry
Fleury - Norlinder

Price
Primeau

I know..
I know.....cap

Let's take a run at both Landeskog and Jones

Out..Tatar, Drouin, Eddie, Chia, Kulak, Allen

Graduate Fleury, Norlinder, Primeau and Poehling

I'd resign Edmundson in a heart beat.

 

[Treb]

I'd resign Edmundson in a heart beat.

He's not an FA.

 

[dkd]

He's not an FA.

What is he then?

Edit:
If he's still under contract with us next season, I'd 100% want him to stay.
There is no guarantee Fleury - Norlinder can play in the NHL as soon as next season and be good.

 

[Sam of Montreal]

What is he then?

Edit:
If he's still under contract with us next season, I'd 100% want him to stay.
There is no guarantee Fleury - Norlinder can play in the NHL as soon as next season and be good.

Definitely no chance that Norlinder plays NHL next year. At least not regularly (I don't even think he gets a cup of coffee, but who knows).

Edmundson has 3 more years at 3.5M. A solid pickup.

 

[canucklover123]

Hopefully we can develop Poehling into a strong LW given the emergence of Evans at C. Did Poehling primarily play C or LW in Laval this season?

Would like him to compete for a spot at centre with Evans, keeps for a competitive competition.

From my viewings, he played C in Laval

 

[Archijerej]

Hopefully we can develop Poehling into a strong LW

Hopefully not. What a waste of an asset would that be.

 

[tinyzombies]

I think this run might attract a UFA this time around:

Toffoli - Suzuki -Caufield
Armia - Danault - Gallagher
Anderson - Kotkaniemi - Ylonen
Lehkonen - Evans -Perry
Poehling​

Edmundson- Hamilton
Chariot -Weber
Romanov - Petry
Kulak

Price
Primeau​

 

[calder candidate]

I can get by this....I can see Armia going though.

I'd also love to make a huge play for Landy.

Toffoli - Suzuki - Caufield
Landeskog - KK - Anderson
Lehkonen - Danault - Gally
Poehling - Evans - Perry
Byron

Jones - Weber
Romanov - Petry
Fleury - Norlinder

Price
Primeau

I know..
I know.....cap

Let's take a run at both Landeskog and Jones

Out..Tatar, Drouin, Eddie, Chia, Kulak, Allen

Graduate Fleury, Norlinder, Primeau and Poehling

Jones isn’t a UFA this offseason…

 

[Durvann]

If if came down to it... I choose Tatar over both Lehkonen and Armia. If you had to choose... Who do you pick from the 3? I say one of them stays.

Tatar won't be able to cash in and he will get Toffoli treatment on his next deal. Not just from the Habs, from all teams. It's possible Tatar signs for 1 or 2 years.

Tatar is gone, too soft and we don't need him for the PP anymore. Lekhonen is not going anywhere unless he's in a package for something big. Lekhonen is the type of guy I see loved by coaches and who plays their entire career in MTL ala Pleky. Armia I would love to keep at a reasonable salary and term.

 

[MolleSon]

I'd keep Danault, Armia, Perry and Lehkonen.
Out is Tatar, Staal, Drouin.
Try to get a good LW UFA
Promote Poehling

- Toffoli-Suzuki-Caufield
- UFA-KK-Anderson
- Lehkonen-Danault-Gallagher
- Armia-Evans-Perry
- Byron-Poehling

On defense, exact same set up for next year unless Weber retires. If so, that changes everything.

 

[1000eeer]

I'd keep Danault, Armia, Perry and Lehkonen.
Out is Tatar, Staal, Drouin.
Try to get a good LW UFA
Promote Poehling

- Toffoli-Suzuki-Caufield
- UFA-KK-Anderson
- Lehkonen-Danault-Gallagher
- Armia-Evans-Perry
- Byron-Poehling

On defense, exact same set up for next year unless Weber retires. If so, that changes everything.

Schwartz is the one I would target... Toffoli's kinda money

 

[jackeymoon]

Teasdale is a 4th line lock

 

[Habs Halifax]

Tatar is gone, too soft and we don't need him for the PP anymore. Lekhonen is not going anywhere unless he's in a package for something big. Lekhonen is the type of guy I see loved by coaches and who plays their entire career in MTL ala Pleky. Armia I would love to keep at a reasonable salary and term.

Agreed. Lehkonen, Armia, and Perry stay and Tatar walks. If Tatar wants to sign for $1M cause others are offering the same, he can return in a depth role. I suspect the bottom 10 teams with cap will offer him $3M-$4M range. I'm a fan of Tatar but we don't have cap room for more soft wingers.

 

[Habs]

I'd like your comment, but for some reason I'm restricted from doing so for slapping around trolls on the main board last week.

You need this avatar, you are not alone

 

[26Mats]

Teasdale is a 4th line lock

I'd like to see Teasdale, Poehling, RHP, and Ylonen get one more full year of seasoning playing 18-20 minutes a night in all situations, instead of playing 4th line.

As for next year, bring back the entire forward corps playing now plus Evans. That's already 13 forwards - or 12 to those that insist on not bringing back Staal.

 

[Habs13]

Use the money saved on Drouin and Tatar; sign Ovechkin! Fit the rest of the guys in (yeah I changed stance - can't help but love this team!)

 

[Kudo Shinichi]

If Seattle picks Chariot and Danault leaves

Toffoli - Suzuki - Anderson
Drouin - Kotkaniemi - Anderson
[UFA] - Evans - Gallagher
Perry - Poehling - Armia/Lehkonen/Byron

Ideally that UFA is Landeskog or Ovechkin

Edmundson - Petry
Romanov - Weber
[UFA] - Fleury
Kulak

UFA could be Oleksiak. Would be a pretty good chariot replacement.

Price
Allen

If we could sign one of Ovechkin, Landeskog, Hall, or Hamilton it would be huge.

-------------------------------------------------

Ovechkin - Suzuki - Caufield
Toffoli - Kotkaniemi - Anderson
Drouin - Evans - Gallagher
Perry - Poehling - Lehkonen/Byron

Edmundson - Petry
Oleksiak - Weber
Romanov - Fleury
Kulak

Price
Allen

Would be insane