Player Discussion Phillip Danault part 2

[417]

Of course not. He's one of the key cogs though.

Correct...but you can't keep everyone and players evolve into different roles.

There does exist world where the Habs are competitive and Danault isn't on the roster.

 

[417]

Think with Danault is he allows suzuki and KK to play against other teams 2nd and 3rd line. Not saying Suzuki can’t doing it. But having him in an offensive line vs kerfoot, Nylander and galchenyuk puts less on his defensive game than having to matchup against matthews 20mins per game.

unless evans can stay healthy. O poehling takes a leap. Not sure we can let danault go.

Habs need to get to a point where Suzuki and Kotkaniemi can play against anyone and in any situation.

 

[habdynasty]

Suzuki could play against anyone in the league imo, such a smart player.

 

[WatchfulElm]

I think too many people are still making the mistake of trying to classify centers with numbers : #1 center, #2 center, etc. That's not how this team is built.

Last game, the 4 Montreal centers had almost the same icetime after 2 periods. Danault played more in the third because we had a 1 goal lead to defend. But if we had been down by 1 goal, I'm pretty sure Suzuki and KK would have finished the game with more icetime.

We currently don't have a 1st line, 2nd line, 3rd line, etc. We have 4 lines who can play almost evenly, but some are more used in specific game situations. Our best offensive line so far in the playoffs is the one many would consider to be the 4th line... which just shows it's not a 4th line.

I think trying to assign a rank to Danault in our center line is useless. He's one of our 4 center, the one who's mostly assigned to defensive duties.

 

[Archijerej]

they're going to sign him and let him slot in somewhere between 2 and 3 depending how quickly KK develops. Just make sure he doesn't get a NTC - so he can be moved in 3 years

the bigger question is how does bergevin replace tatar and drouin?

LW should be the easiest position to replace. Caulfield will replace Drouin and there are options like Saad or Killorn that shouldn't be too expensive.

 

[The Great Weal]

Sean Couturier has won the selke and put up 30 goal seasons , makes 4.3 a season.

You cant really be making comparisons like that. Next year, Gallagher will make more than MacKinnon, doesnt make him the better player. Guys like Couturier, MacKinnon, and Toffoli are playing MUCH better than their current contracts.

 

[Tyson]

Would love to keep him at 4 mil per season.

 

[Essenege]

Man the 1C 2C 3C talk is such a dumb way to look at the Danault situation.

Habs currently have :

Elite defensive C who gets the most minutes playing the opposition first line

1 Offensive C (Suzuki)

1 Offensive « sheltered » C (KK)

1 bottom 6 grinding/defensive C (Evans)

It’s not a regular 1-2-3-4 situation. It works fine and is a great way to work around our lack of elite offensive C.

If he gets the money he wants on FA it will be to another team willing to use him that way, and there are candidates.

CBJ for example.

 

[Hector Salamanca]

He never been an offensive dynamo even in the q ... why do he think he is a 1c ... he's a fairly good hockey player, but cmon man.

Hope we keep him, he do alot that doesn't show on the Stat sheet + the man eat pizza at the press conference after game 7, how f***ing chill a man can be lol.

 

[Archijerej]

Correct...but you can't keep everyone and players evolve into different roles.

There does exist world where the Habs are competitive and Danault isn't on the roster.

What would be your center line next season, that would make us competitive?

 

[Habs13]

He's a good shadow and his ice time is due to shadowing the other teams star players. However, what I dislike is his usage here - getting the better wingers, when he has zero offensive prowess. He is a shutdown guy and nothing more, no matter what he has to say about that. Talking about having an offensive level - well, lets see it then. He is a good shutdown center. Pointe finale. Pay him a little more than what Lowry earns and nothing more. Play him with good skating energy guys like Evans and Lehkonen - not goal scorers.

 

[417]

What would be your center line next season, that would make us competitive?

Some combination of Suzuki, Kotkaniemi, Evans + some other unknown variable...

 

[Habidelidoo]

He's a good shadow and his ice time is due to shadowing the other teams star players. However, what I dislike is his usage here - getting the better wingers, when he has zero offensive prowess.

Tatar is not what I consider to be our best winger... maybe in 2018

 

[26Mats]

that's a lot of $ for a guy who we hope will play 3rd line C pretty soon.

If you like it put a ring on it - or someone else will.

 

[Archijerej]

Some combination of Suzuki, Kotkaniemi, Evans + some other unknown variable...

The unknown variable seems to me like the key to the whole equation. So, as long as it remains unknown, I have serious doubts as to the validity of this plan.

 

[417]

The unknown variable seems to me like the key to the whole equation. So, as long as it remains unknown, I have serious doubts as to the validity of this plan.

Fair - but I think that's a very limiting way of thinking. Just because we've grown accustomed to depending and relying on danault, doesn't mean another way doesn't exist.

I hope the team has a broader view, or else they're essentially hostages to Danault's contractual demands.

 

[Doc McKenna]

I think too many people are still making the mistake of trying to classify centers with numbers : #1 center, #2 center, etc. That's not how this team is built.

Last game, the 4 Montreal centers had almost the same icetime after 2 periods. Danault played more in the third because we had a 1 goal lead to defend. But if we had been down by 1 goal, I'm pretty sure Suzuki and KK would have finished the game with more icetime.

We currently don't have a 1st line, 2nd line, 3rd line, etc. We have 4 lines who can play almost evenly, but some are more used in specific game situations. Our best offensive line so far in the playoffs is the one many would consider to be the 4th line... which just shows it's not a 4th line.

I think trying to assign a rank to Danault in our center line is useless. He's one of our 4 center, the one who's mostly assigned to defensive duties.

If we had been down danault would have had 20 minutes, such is the way he is used. Playing not to lose is a losers mentality. Habs don't have a killer instinct. Price is the only reason we are even talking about danaults icetime at all.

 

[Habs]

He's been really good.

 

[Archijerej]

Fair - but I think that's a very limiting way of thinking. Just because we've grown accustomed to depending and relying on danault, doesn't mean another way doesn't exist.

I hope the team has a broader view, or else they're essentially hostages to Danault's contractual demands.

I'm not saying another way doesn't exist. I just can't get behind a purely hypothetical scenario. I need the name of the player and a way to get him.

 

[26Mats]

He's been really good.

bUt hE HaS 0 gOaLs

 

[Habs]

bUt hE HaS 0 gOaLs

LIKE!

 

[417]

I'm not saying another way doesn't exist. I just can't get behind a purely hypothetical scenario. I need the name of the player and a way to get him.

I mean...hypothetical scenario...we're talking about Philip Danault here.

He's not Barkov...

It's not like it's impossible to envision a plausible scenario where internal growth (Suzuki, Kotkaniemi, Evans, Poehling) coupled with shrewd signing/trade...can have this team as competitive as it's traditionally been with Danault, hopefully more.

 

[Archijerej]

Suzuki could play against anyone in the league imo, such a smart player.

Yes, albeit with a considerable decrease in his offensive production.

 

[habdynasty]

Goals are boring. Ov is so over rated lol

 

[Archijerej]

I mean...hypothetical scenario...we're talking about Philip Danault here.

He's not Barkov...

It's not like it's impossible to envision a plausible scenario where internal growth (Suzuki, Kotkaniemi, Evans, Poehling) coupled with shrewd signing/trade...can have this team as competitive as it's traditionally been with Danault, hopefully more.

Internal growth will not be enough for next season, when we're back playing in our normal division. Meanwhile, the clock on Weber, Petry and Price is ticking. For all we know, Jake Evans might be done as an effective NHLer. Remember what happened with Byron, almost overnight, when he got concussed? It's the third head injury in three seasons for Evans.

So, we are left with outside help to replace Danault. Who is available in the UFA market after Lowry got re-signed? I don't see sufficient quality there.

We can make a trade, but teams usually don't give away good middle-6 C for peanuts. So is it worth paying the price only to save 1,5 million on a player that's demonstrably elite at what he does?