GDT: Game 54: Montreal Canadiens vs Toronto Maple Leafs 5/8/21 7:00pm EST CBC, SNE, TVA, TSN 690

[The Great Weal]

FFS switch Staal and Evans

 

[Sterling Archer]

We are nearing the end, battling through injuries and uncertainty. It's time to get a little philosophical and figure out what needs to be done...

View attachment 431333

Lines at practice this morning:
Tatar - Kotkaniemi - Anderson
Toffoli - Suzuki - Armia
Perry - Staal - Caufield
Lehkonen - Evans - Belzile
Frolik

Edmundson - Petry
Kulak - Chiarot
Romanov - Merrill
Gustafsson

Allen
Primeau

GoGo

Finally don’t want to vomit after looking at the lines. I’d flip Belzile and Caufield but it’s not too bad. I hope they keep KK with talent wingers rather than throw him back in the blender with scrubs. Expect a big game from KK.

 

[JianYang]

It just feel like the habs are in complete survival mode. The team seems like they are incapable of playing anything close to 60 minutes.

The schedule from hell will continue right to the final regular season game, and I suppose that's the only good news as we are getting close to the finish line, and then the habs will get a week off assuming that they make it. I don't think the habs have had more than 1 day off between games for several weeks now.

When they won 3 in a row, the script was similar in the sense that they continued to have their lulls and lapses, but it's only the last two games where it cost them. Excellent goaltending has been a must to keep them in the game, and then that can put them in a position to maybe squeak one out. Thats basically what those 3 wins were built on.

Injuries are also at an increased risk right now, not because they are playing their 3rd in 4, but just because when you go back to their ultra condensed schedule from the covid restart, it's leaving them very vulnerable, and they just can't afford to add more bodies to that list as it's already too much. You just hope that they can get through the season with nobody else joining the injury list, and get some core bodies back for the playoffs.

Survival mode is not a fun mindset to have as a fan, but I don't know what else there is to look forward to other than to see if the rest and reset before the playoffs can impact this team in any way.

 

[dinodebino]

Y'en n'aura pas de facile!

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

Poor KK, went from first line winger to being demoted to 3rd line centre and now promoted to 1st line centre within a week all while playing the same way

You forgot demoted to 4C when he had just put up 10 pts in 20 games

Since Staal arrived and KKs been in the blender he’s been shit yet still better than Staal. Leave him on the same line with some good wingers for 10 games and then we can judge him

 

[MarkovsKnee]

Barkov was already stud by year 3, last hope is a Couterier breakout who broke out year 5.

MacKinnon didn't break out til year 5 too. Was considered a bust for a 1st overall from years 2-4.

 

[BLONG7]

MacKinnon didn't break out til year 5 too. Was considered a bust for a 1st overall from years 2-4.

Sports fans and society as a whole, have zero patience these days....

 

[McGees]

 

[MarkovsKnee]

Personally, I think they should just rest everyone they can and play the Rocket.

If Montreal goes 0-3, Vancouver would have to go 7-2 to get in on the ROW tie breaker. If they're able to do that, then God bless them, they deserve that playoff spot.

As for Montreal, they should just rest & heal players while preparing for the playoffs.

 

[OldCraig71]

Please don't get embarrassed tonight, play with some pride.

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

MacKinnon didn't break out til year 5 too. Was considered a bust for a 1st overall from years 2-4.

Mackinnon when he was a “bust” is like what we are hoping Kotkaniemi can become at his best lol

 

[Runner77]

MacKinnon didn't break out til year 5 too. Was considered a bust for a 1st overall from years 2-4.

KK is getting the bust label from some, in his year 3. Too early to tell?

 

[HabsWhiteKnightLOL]

Wow Kotkaniemi with 2 top 6 wingers? Only took half of the team injured for him to get a chance.

Caufield is on the wrong line he should be playing with Evans.

 

[FLHabs]

KK will have a great game and will play like he did in the bubble and at times this season... but still probably won't get a point tho lol

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

Another goal for Jeff Carter, we picked up the wrong vet from the 2003 draft

 

[HabsWhiteKnightLOL]

KK will have a great game and will play like he did in the bubble and at times this season... but still probably won't get a point tho lol

Right now the kid needs confidence. He's absolutely lost mentally recently even he said it during an interview right after Drouin was announced LITR.

He needs to play a good 200 feet game completing his forecheck and things will come out of it with Tatar and Anderson . (Hopefully Tatar is not playing injured still)

 

[McGees]

KK is getting the bust label from some, in his year 3. Too early to tell?

THE GUY IS 20 years old ffs. How many are even in the league yet. Jeez Habs fans can be obnoxious.

 

[Milhouse40]

Funny they called Belzile.......Frolik wasn't that bad (or good for that matters)....but hey, need to have at least one I guess.

 

[JianYang]

Personally, I think they should just rest everyone they can and play the Rocket.

If Montreal goes 0-3, Vancouver would have to go 7-2 to get in on the ROW tie breaker. If they're able to do that, then God bless them, they deserve that playoff spot.

As for Montreal, they should just rest & heal players while preparing for the playoffs.

It's funny you mention this because I mentioned a mass rotation system a while ago to help manage the post covid schedule and reduce the likelihood of injuries.

But even if the habs wanted to do this, is it even something that would be allowed?

 

[MarkovsKnee]

Mackinnon when he was a “bust” is like what we are hoping Kotkaniemi can become at his best lol

Should I show you all the "is MacKinnon a bust" threads that were on the mains for like 3-4 years? People who call him god-like now probably trash talked the shit out of him before his breakout year.

It doesn't matter the projections. He was a 50 pt center in his 4th year, which was considered a bust for a 1st overall and the hype he received his draft year.

KK is considered a bust for a 3rd overall already. How many, hey, our 3rd overall! comments are made in derision whenever he makes a mistake or falls.

The point is development isn't linear. Demanding it to be so is ridiculous.

KK still has a ton of physical development to do. I've said this before, but KK won't be physically developed til 22. He needs 2 more summers of training. Until he's fully developed, you can't really know what his ceiling is, because added strength changes everything.

Even then he should continue to get stronger from 22-25, but right now, he's still in a boy's body.

 

[The Great Weal]

Another goal for Jeff Carter, we picked up the wrong vet from the 2003 draft

He basically got traded for what Staal got traded. I was looking forward to seeing what Staal does, but that was also me assuming that Bergevin and the crew did the bare minimum to scout him.

 

[HabsWhiteKnightLOL]

Personally, I think they should just rest everyone they can and play the Rocket.

If Montreal goes 0-3, Vancouver would have to go 7-2 to get in on the ROW tie breaker. If they're able to do that, then God bless them, they deserve that playoff spot.

As for Montreal, they should just rest & heal players while preparing for the playoffs.

Personally due to Vancouver who have to play like 8 more games , habs will get a week of rest before playoff starts. That will help for some injuries.

 

[HabsWhiteKnightLOL]

He basically got traded for what Staal got traded. I was looking forward to seeing what Staal does, but that was also me assuming that Bergevin and the crew did the bare minimum to scout him.

Bergevin loves trading with Buffalo , how many trades has it done since he's been our GM with us..

 

[MarkovsKnee]

It's funny you mention this because I mentioned a mass rotation systen a while ago to help manage the post covid schedule and reduce the likelihood of injuries.

But even if the habs wanted to do this, is it even something that would be allowed?

You'd have to use emergency recall which you can only do if someone is injured. So instead of Danault playing through injuries, you emergency recall Poehling, before he got hurt in AHL, to allow Danault to heal.

Tiredness and already hurting just makes you more susceptible to further injury. Now, apparently, Danault has a concussion and has been sent back to Montreal.

Bergevin's roster management has been absolutely shit this year.

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

Should I show you all the "is MacKinnon a bust" threads that were on the mains for like 3-4 years? People who call him god-like now probably trash talked the shit out of him before his breakout year.

It doesn't matter the projections. He was a 50 pt center in his 4th year, which was considered a bust for a 1st overall and the hype he received his draft year.

KK is considered a bust for a 3rd overall already. How many, hey, our 3rd overall! comments are made in derision whenever he makes a mistake or falls.

The point is development isn't linear. Demanding it to be so is ridiculous.

KK still has a ton of physical development to do. I've said this before, but KK won't be physically developed til 22. He needs 2 more summers of training. Until he's fully developed, you can't really know what his ceiling is, because added strength changes everything.

Even then he should continue to get stronger from 22-25, but right now, he's still in a boy's body.

Mackinnon was a 55+ points per season player when he was a bust. Hopefully KK can even get to that level.