Rumor: Charles Hudon ready for a change of scenery

[Le Barron de HF]

Woah, some are overblowing his skating issues. It's a weakness but he's by no means Corey Locke territory. The NHL is leaning more and more on speed but 5 years ago Hudon's skating would have been fine.

 

[MXD]

...He's exactly the type of player I'd keep as a 13th forward, mostly because he's a very, very smart player and thus can (sortof) be used in any role for a short pinch and not look totally outclassed... but he's probably a tad too young to want to settle for such a role.

If he was, like, 3 inches taller and 30 pounds heavier, while keeping every other "asset", he'd be playing regular minutes for this team, and probably for any team. Probably 4th line minutes, but still.

 

[26Mats]

Clode also wants a 4th line exactly like the one he currently has, he has always had those types of players on his teams, I really saw nothing wrong about Hudon on the 4th line but he is also a dime dozen tweener which the pro ranks are full of. Probably thrive in the KHL or somewhere else in Europe and make a fantastic income for doing something they love but still pursuing the NHL dream.

The 4th line as currently constituted, hasn't been as good with Hudon on it. Having said that the Hudon Plekanec Peca 4th line could at least rival this 4th line - I'd have to see more of each to pick a winner. It will be interesting to see what happens when Shaw comes back. I could see Hudon Chaput Shaw having more success than Agostino Chaput Shaw.

 

[26Mats]

Woah, some are overblowing his skating issues. It's a weakness but he's by no means Corey Locke territory. The NHL is leaning more and more on speed but 5 years ago Hudon's skating would have been fine.

I think you hit the nail on the head: Hudon is to the new NHL as Corey Locke was to the old NHL.

 

[OldCraig71]

The 4th line as currently constituted, hasn't been as good with Hudon on it. Having said that the Hudon Plekanec Peca 4th line could at least rival this 4th line - I'd have to see more of each to pick a winner. It will be interesting to see what happens when Shaw comes back. I could see Hudon Chaput Shaw having more success than Agostino Chaput Shaw.

Our 4th line is a Claude Julien version of a 4th line and I kind of think that most of the league is getting away from that, we could easily sit Deslauriers or Chaput and it wouldn't matter, it's just C Juliens style and like you said, the other 3 could probably adequately do the job.

 

[Le Barron de HF]

Our 4th line is a Claude Julien version of a 4th line and I kind of think that most of the league is getting away from that, we could easily sit Deslauriers or Chaput and it wouldn't matter, it's just C Juliens style and like you said, the other 3 could probably adequately do the job.

I mean right now Chaput seized the opportunity and is fairly lucky of the current make up of our roster. He's filling his role to a tee as far as to what CJ is asking of him: faceoff wins and low event hockey. He's kind of a poorman of Halpern for us in 2011. I don't ser him still being a regular for us 2 years from now.

 

[Habsddicted]

Still don't see what Chaput or D'Agostino bring to warrant sitting him in favor of either of them...

Play him from now till the deadline & hope some team sees him as worth a pic or prosopect

Better that than yet another young player lost to waivers for nada

Chaput plays his heart out every game, he might not have as much talent but he shows up every game.

Agostino is playing amazing hockey on the 4rth line. He's doing it so effectively that he bought himself a spot on the powerplay. Some would say that it's because our powerplay sucks and they're trying new things but that would simply be pessimist.

 

[Le Barron de HF]

IMO, there is no difference between a guy like Ryan White and Hudon in terms of speed.

BTW, it's Agostino people!! Not D'Agostino! I know we lost the Palushaj trade but there's no point being haunted by the ghost of D'Agostini.

 

[Runner77]

I for one, will always be amazed by the sheer numbers of "water is wet" kind of articles the Habs can generate over the years.

“Charlie wants to play in the National Hockey League, whether it’s Montreal or somewhere else,” said player agent Allain Roy

You don't say... So Hudon is not aspiring at a playing career in the AHL and is not considering retirement as a 24 years old... Shocking!

It could have been worse. The thread could have originated from a source that is not the Athletic but someone who merely regurgitates our thread content into a piece.

 

[Le Barron de HF]

It could have been worse. The thread could have originated from a source that is not the Athletic but someone who merely regurgitates our thread content into a piece.

Hmmm who fits the bill here?

 

[OldCraig71]

I mean right now Chaput seized the opportunity and is fairly lucky of the current make up of our roster. He's filling his role to a tee as far as to what CJ is asking of him: faceoff wins and low event hockey. He's kind of a poorman of Halpern for us in 2011. I don't ser him still being a regular for us 2 years from now.

Clode likes that in a 4th line, the grinders that like you say that play low event hockey. It's funny but we let go a very low event younger player in De La Rose, seems weird.

 

[26Mats]

Our 4th line is a Claude Julien version of a 4th line and I kind of think that most of the league is getting away from that, we could easily sit Deslauriers or Chaput and it wouldn't matter, it's just C Juliens style and like you said, the other 3 could probably adequately do the job.

I think Chaput has been better at C than Peca. Perhaps Plekanec could rival what Chaput is bringing, but we had a numbers problem and they went with the young guys with a longer future.

But yes, Julien likes to have toughness in the lineup. Agostino is a solid, smart two way forward that rarely makes a mistake and has some upside. No doubt he's beaten out Hudon who imo has more offensive upside but makes more mistakes. Also Agostino-Chaput-Deslauriers are able to get a cycle going, create some chances offensively and are rarely hemmed in their own end compared to Agostino-Chaput-Hudon or Agostino-Chaput-Peca.

Now, if all our forwards are healthy and one of Shaw, Byron, Armia, or Lehkonen are on the 4th line I could see Hudon being possibly more effective than Agostino on the opposite wing. I would also be interested to see the chemistry between Hudon-Chaput-Peca because of how good Hudon-Plekanec-Peca was. But Julien just doesn't try some line combinations. Last year he left Gallagher with Plekanec the whole year even though Pacioretty and Gallagher have had success together in the past.

 

[Le Barron de HF]

Clode likes that in a 4th line, the grinders that like you say that play low event hockey. It's funny but we let go a very low event younger player in De La Rose, seems weird.

Off the top of my head, I believe CJ has never developed one of these grinders himself, they are always semi-polished products whom CJ was able to do a few tweaks here and there in order for them to play the way he wants: Paille (at least 250 games before joining Boston; 25 years old), Campbell (300 ish games; 25 years old), Thornton (70 ish games NHL level, almost 10 seasons spent in the AHL; 30). In NJ, obviously he only spent a year there but he had a 36 year old Jim Dowd (who he had in 04), a 26 year old Michael Rupp and a journeyman like Erik Rasmussen as his 4th line. It's interesting to note that in NJ his fourth line played around 6-8 minutes, so it seems he really changed his philosophy over the years. Was too young to comment on his first stint as to who he had, but he did have Begin who again had plenty of experience at the pro level.

 

[Runner77]

As a 5th round pick in 2012, you either get lucky or you don't. When you don't, you get someone on the bubble who isn't worth much on the market but who garners more attention from this site than opposing teams's scouts.

Biggest takeaway from this thread: content about Hudon actually made it behind a paywall.

 

[OnTheRun]

It could have been worse. The thread could have originated from a source that is not the Athletic but someone who merely regurgitates our thread content into a piece.

True. I get that writing stuffs about anything related to the Habs will get you clicks/sales and they probably have a monthly quotas to meet... But half the time, in the media in general, that just make them experts at "enfoncer des portes ouvertes".

 

[Fixxer]

As much as I like Hudon, the team got better and it seems he got passed on at training camp.
He's got skills, but he doesn't seem like a fit with the Habs now.
New style of play by Montreal based on speed sure doesn't help him.

Money aside, it must be the worst feeling. You made it to the NHL, but all you do is practice and watch your teammates play the games..

 

[scrubadam]

I thought he would have a break out year guess I was wrong.

Seems like a Agostino/Terry type of player who is too good for the AHL, but hasn't been able to change his game for the NHL. I can see him in a few years finding a team to put him on the 4th line like CJ did with Kenny. But Hudon will have to also be like Kenny and change his game.

 

[scrubadam]

Why is that there are still slow younger players with all of the advances in training and technology? Are the players not putting in the work or is physically impossible for them to get better?

its because in reality these players aren't slow. Skate against Hudon he will make any non pro look like a snail. This guy could probably do things on skates 99% of the population could only imagine.

The issue is that the other players are just much better and faster than him. Thats what happens when you have a league of about 700 players taking from a global pool. Only the best make it. Hudon isn't slow, its that everyone else is faster than him. When you only take the best of the best, if you aren't the best there are going to be people better than you.

 

[Whitesnake]

I am too....ready for his change of scenery. We went as far as we could with him. He went as far as he could with us. Will just be positive for him to move on. Hoping we can get a pick.

 

[Et le But]

I like Hudon, think he's a true NHL player (or at least should be), but he's a mid 6 winger and we have a logjam of those. I don't think he's as good as a Lehkonen, if we can get an asset for him, why not.

Shame to lose one of the likeable Quebecois players on this team, but oh well.

 

[OldCraig71]

its because in reality these players aren't slow. Skate against Hudon he will make any non pro look like a snail. This guy could probably do things on skates 99% of the population could only imagine.

The issue is that the other players are just much better and faster than him. Thats what happens when you have a league of about 700 players taking from a global pool. Only the best make it. Hudon isn't slow, its that everyone else is faster than him. When you only take the best of the best, if you aren't the best there are going to be people better than you.

So what you're actually saying is that he is slower than those faster than him which is everyone.

 

[LyricalLyricist]

He's not as bad as his lineup position indicates. We have no star power but Drouin, Shaw, Byron, Armia, Lehkonen, Tatar, Gallagher....are clearly better so he's stuck as 4th line or press box. He can be a 3rd liner but not with all those people ahead of him.

 

[webersshot]

Trade him. Kid deserves a role somewhere. Just no spot for him here

 

[montreal]

we'll see if he can stick in the NHL or not, he doesn't have a spot with the Habs but perhaps he can find his way onto another team. If not I'd love to have him in Laval, they are so starved for offense yet are one of the best defensive teams in the league, they could do some damage in the playoffs if they had a Hudon and a Scherbak.

 

[ECWHSWI]

Just not NHL quality. Very similar to Scherbak who just couldn't make the jump. Can't give in to all these player demands. Sit in the press box and wait for your opportunity.

there wont be any.

will play once or twice a month with grinders. wont give any results. CJ has his typical 4th line anyway he won't change it.