HF Habs: Current Standings Thread: Last Place Edition (Top 3 pick Clinched!)

[MarkovsKnee]

I closed the other thread, as it was diverging away from the overall topic of this thread, which is Montreal getting the best draft pick possible. It is a tank thread.

This is NOT the thread to discuss former players that should be reserved for the Out of Town thread. Inappropriate discussion will get deleted, and has the potential for warnings for thread highjacking.

Current Standings: Montreal has clinched a bottom 2 finish & a guaranteed top 4 pick.

Ground Rules for this thread:
• This is the thread where you can cheer against your Habs to improve their draft position. Want to tank? This is your sanctuary.

• If you root against the Habs in GDTs or other threads on the Habs board, you may be warned for trolling.

• Don't bring your anti-tank arguments here or you may be warned for trolling.

• Tank you for your support




Tank Simulator :

2022 NHL Mock Draft & Simulator | Tankathon

Click to read more...

 

[Runner77]

No those aren’t red flags for the top guys. That’s your prospect not being perfect and needing to work on certain parts of his game.

A red flag is KK and Galchenyuk being bad skaters, lacking in hockey sense and questions of maturity.

What's your take on Slaf's skating -- any cause for concern?

 

[Hacketts]

The entire draft have massive red flags.

Wright is showing attitude issues: lack of compete/inconsistencies and entitlement in interviews. His 1st round pick status is almost entirely based on his first OHL season. The fact nobody dethroned him just mean everyone else are showing less progress than he did this year.

Cooley's new flashy offense will be hard to translate to the NHL, he was projected as a defensive middle 6 center (40-50 pts) before it showed up. The type of guy you draft late 1st or in the 2nd round usually.

Slaf still has a lots to learn despite being "NHL body-ready" and could easily be rushed to bad results.

Kemell might become nothing more than a perimeter guy in the NHL.

Savoie's production in Junior at 5v5 vs PP means he needs lots of space to produce despite his great skating. It's only going to get worst as he climb the Pro ladder.

Jiricek's skating wasn't great before he got a major knee injury that isn't going to help it. Also, the way he got injured might suggest the way he plays is injury prone.

Nemec is basically the safest "might make it to the the NHL" choice with a nice package of abilities, but he's not really elite at anything.

Lambert changed team 3 times in like 2 years which is an attitude red flag. He's been underwhelming in Liiga on top of that last I checked (no idea if he improved since mid-season).

Geekie can't skate.

Nazar's progression stagnated since last year.

The Russians (Yurov/Miro are in some top 10) might get banned from playing next year considering every other sports pretty much banned them and they are banned at the International level already. Also, it's getting increasingly harder to leave Russia.

so glass half full or.....?

 

[RationalExpectations]

nah I like it the way it is - as Tanking purposely must stop. Even with the current odds, 4-5 teams are still tanking.. What needs to change is not the % but rather the max amount of places you can move up: from 10 to 5. I think it is ridiculous for a 10th place team to win and pick 1st. 10th place does not require a 1oa (like the Rangers a few years back)

Yeah but if you want to discourage tanking you need tanking teams to be able to lose top picks on occasion to non tanking teams.

My preferred system would be : full lottery for bottom 16, of course with lottery odds favoring the bottom teams. Top 16 teams ranking does depend from where they are eliminated in the playoff and within the same round of elimination league ranking.

 

[RationalExpectations]

No those aren’t red flags for the top guys. That’s your prospect not being perfect and needing to work on certain parts of his game.

A red flag is KK and Galchenyuk being bad skaters, lacking in hockey sense and questions of maturity.

KK was not lacking hockey sense, he was a great playmaker when he was drafted… Maybe he has been disappointing but he is still in his D+4.

 

[Treb]

Yup, you'd actually expect the percentages to be roughly the reverse for finishing last. Something more sensible like:

#1: 50%
#2: 30%
#3: 20%

That would encourage tanking. Odds are fine as they are, even though I'd obviously want them to be higher for this year only (and maybe next year if we finish low again).

 

[Kimota]

What date is the Lottery?

 

[McGees]

Should be good..

 

[le_sean]

Geekie and Jiricek having poor skating isn't a red flag, but it is for KK and Galchenyuk?

KK's hockey IQ/sense was labelled elite in his draft year in scout reports. That should probably make you question everyone given the elite "hockey IQ" in every draft year if you think he lack hockey senses...

I don’t consider Geekie a top prospect (he’s not in Top-5). There’s nothing wrong with Jiricek’s skating other than it’s a little awkward looking. He isn’t slow.

 

[le_sean]

What's your take on Slaf's skating -- any cause for concern?

I don’t have a concern. I don’t find it bad.

With Galchenyuk you had a poor skater with the added caveat of not moving his feet while stickhandling. KK could improve his strength and bulldoze people but he’s a bad skater and weak, maybe he’ll fix that. Slaf is a beast and no one is really slowing him down physically.

 

[le_sean]

KK was not lacking hockey sense, he was a great playmaker when he was drafted… Maybe he has been disappointing but he is still in his D+4.

He lacks hockey sense when the puck isn’t on his stick. He’s poor in positioning and anticipation which doesn’t bode well for someone with bad skating. Suzuki on the other hand isn’t a great skater, but his anticipation makes it far less of an issue. KK is always trailing and chasing.

 

[The Great Weal]

I don’t have a concern. I don’t find it bad.

With Galchenyuk you had a poor skater with the added caveat of not moving his feet while stickhandling. KK could improve his strength and bulldoze people but he’s a bad skater and weak, maybe he’ll fix that. Slaf is a beast and no one is really slowing him down physically.

It's just that with the Svech/Rantanen comparison for Slaf, I don't know if Slaf has their level of offensive skill during their respective draft year. I know Svech was considerably better, but I can't comment on Rantanen since I didn't follow him during his draft year.

 

[le_sean]

It's just that with the Svech/Rantanen comparison for Slaf, I don't know if Slaf has their level of offensive skill during their respective draft year. I know Svech was considerably better, but I can't comment on Rantanen since I didn't follow him during his draft year.

No he’s not at that level skillwise. It’s just tough to find a comparison for him. He’s more skilled than Tkachuk, but obviously not as mean. Not as skilled as Rantanen, but plays a more physical game (not hitting, but cycling, net front)

 

[sandviper]

What date is the Lottery?

May 10th.

 

[Koivu11]

3-0 after 5 minutes vs. Panthers.

Can you imagine the reaction in here if the Coyotes didn’t win the other night?

 

[Skip Bayless]

3-0 after 5 minutes vs. Panthers.

Can you imagine the reaction in here if the Coyotes didn’t win the other night?

This is why this is the best thread on the board.

Imagine the tank wars starting from game 1 next season lol

 

[le_sean]

3-0 after 5 minutes vs. Panthers.

Can you imagine the reaction in here if the Coyotes didn’t win the other night?

I’d be pretty pissed if they didn’t “rest” a bunch of guys to guarantee the bottom spot.

 

[HuGo Burner Acc]

What I'm most curious about is if next year's thread will allow us to talk about tanking from the start of the season

 

[morhilane]

so glass half full or.....?

underwhelming?

I feel like the top prospects this year struggled a lot more than previous draft years in their respective leagues and that might be exposing their warts a lot more than previous years. I don't think there is any elite talent in this year draft. At the same time, it's possible there was a Covid tax that was being paid this year and a lots of these kids will blossom in their D+1 into elite talent.

I like Wright, Nemec, Slaf, Kemell and Cooley. I see Slaf/Kemell as boom/bust type of prospects. The other 3 are safer choices.

 

[themilosh]

Yeah but if you want to discourage tanking you need tanking teams to be able to lose top picks on occasion to non tanking teams.

My preferred system would be : full lottery for bottom 16, of course with lottery odds favoring the bottom teams. Top 16 teams ranking does depend from where they are eliminated in the playoff and within the same round of elimination league ranking.

or you have a playoff for non-playoff teams, and the victor gets 1oa.. like a reverse stanley cup.

 

[themilosh]

thank GOD the Coyotes got that win.. I'd be so pissed rn otherwise with the flurry of snowflake stat padding.

 

[Skip Bayless]

thank GOD the Coyotes got that win.. I'd be so pissed rn otherwise with the flurry of snowflake stat padding.

There's still one period to go

 

[HuGo Burner Acc]

underwhelming?

I feel like the top prospects this year struggled a lot more than previous draft years in their respective leagues and that might be exposing their warts a lot more than previous years. I don't think there is any elite talent in this year draft. At the same time, it's possible there was a Covid tax that was being paid this year and a lots of these kids will blossom in their D+1 into elite talent.

I like Wright, Nemec, Slaf, Kemell and Cooley. I see Slaf/Kemell as boom/bust type of prospects. The other 3 are safer choices.

Gotta also remember that a lot of these kids missed around a year's worth of development. I also agree that the safe picks are Wright Cooley and nemec

 

[sandviper]

underwhelming?

I feel like the top prospects this year struggled a lot more than previous draft years in their respective leagues and that might be exposing their warts a lot more than previous years. I don't think there is any elite talent in this year draft. At the same time, it's possible there was a Covid tax that was being paid this year and a lots of these kids will blossom in their D+1 into elite talent.

I like Wright, Nemec, Slaf, Kemell and Cooley. I see Slaf/Kemell as boom/bust type of prospects. The other 3 are safer choices.

I agree with you they may blossom in their D+1. All the OHL kids lost a year and the other leagues all had severely reduced schedules and access to practice. I mean, talent is talent, but it’s still key development time they all lost.

I was a little sour with Wright but the kid really turned it on last part of the season.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

I’d be pretty pissed if they didn’t “rest” a bunch of guys to guarantee the bottom spot.

I get what you mean but the problem with that is you might have a mutiny on your hands if you do that. Don't know if you watch football, but the Eagles did that midgame the season before last and some players actually had to be restrained from the coach lol

 

[themilosh]

Gotta also remember that a lot of these kids missed around a year's worth of development. I also agree that the safe picks are Wright Cooley and nemec

exactly.. we cant take a boom or bust pick with top 3.... when Wright, Cooley, Nemec are Boom or really good.