HF Habs: The official 2023-2024 tank thread

[Miller Time]

5th or 6th seed...

Team competing hard, youth showing well, cap situation getting better every year.

All in all a very positive season.

With any luck, we'll pick higher than 5th

 

[MarkovsKnee]

Since we had cap space, the performance and salary bonuses hit our this season cap nor our next year — is that correct?

No, it's LTIR cap space, which doesn't count as regular cap space. We'll have a bonus overage for next season. Just like this year.

It won't be an issue. We have enough cap space for next year that we won't need to put Price on LTIR if we don't want to. We can do it anytime in season if we need it.

 

[ReHabs]

No, it's LTIR cap space, which doesn't count as regular cap space. We'll have a bonus overage for next season. Just like this year.

It won't be an issue. We have enough cap space for next year that we won't need to put Price on LTIR if we don't want to. We can do it anytime in season if we need it.

So what’s the strategy behind using or not using LTIR space?

 

[Nicko999]

Leapfrogging Arizona by losing the last 4 games in overtime might be the most Habs thing yet.

 

[Kudo Shinichi]

Arizona is gonna show up for sure for their last game

 

[MarkovsKnee]

So what’s the strategy behind using or not using LTIR space?

We needed to use LTIR because we couldn't fit everyone under the Maximum cap hit, and have room for trades, call-ups, injuries, etc. But under LTIR, you don't accrue cap space. You lose cap space. If you have $5m in LTIR cap space at the beginning of the year, with each call-up, etc, you're eating into that space. It wasn't a concern for us because we had the entirety of Price's $10.5m.

If you can stay under the cap, you accrue cap space with each passing day, so say, you start out with $750,000 in cap space at the beginning of the season by trade deadline that can easily be $5m-$8m in space.

As well as player bonuses earned through the year can be applied to that space, whereas in LTIR it's not allowed.

That means if the Salary Cap is $85.5m next year, and the bonuses earned this year was $2m, it gets applied to next years salary cap leaving us with an $83.5m cap.

As a team with a lot of player bonuses due to a lot of ELCs, LTIR isn't really an advantage for us, but we've had no choice. Next year, we have a choice. I expect they decide not to use LTIR.

 

[Bobby Holik agent]

OT4 ??? LOL WTF

 

[The Great Weal]

Probably Hawks and Ducks. Jackets are a wild card

Hawks have like 3 forward prospects and 2 dmen prospects so they will take anyone. Ducks are taking a dman, and I'd be surprised if Jackets take a dman. Werenski will only be 27 and he's still a stud, Severson is signed to a million years so he's going to be in their top 4 for a while, Jiricek will be a top 4 dman as will Mateychuk.

 

[ReHabs]

As well as player bonuses earned through the year can be applied to that space, whereas in LTIR it's not allowed.

That means if the Salary Cap is $85.5m next year, and the bonuses earned this year was $2m, it gets applied to next years salary cap leaving us with an $83.5m cap.

This is what I'm wondering -- I understood if there was cap space available (not LTIR space), the bonus' earned would be applied to that same year's cap. Is that incorrect?

 

[ottawa]

Arizona is gonna show up for sure for their last game

Only glimmer of hope is they're 21-19 at home

 

[SpeedyPotato]

Arizona gonna do us a solid 3 years running right?

They win in the end cause they got Cooley and he >>>>>> Slafkovsky

 

[SOLR]

The Price, PK, Max was a great starting point. Unfortunately a new GM came in and thought it was enough…

It was a great young core to build with, but you can’t win if you’re going to put scrubs at center and ignore skilled play.

The other thing I’d mention is that our coach was a total mismatch for the players we drafted. Telling PK Subban to grind makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

It’s a completely different story today. We almost have too many prospects right now. We have skill coaches, and a head coach who’s fostering a good culture.

I just wish Price could come back and play a few season a behind this club. He must be watching this great club being assembled and wondering what might have been.

This pick is important and hopefully Dach can stay healthy. I think we’ll miss the playoffs next year but not by much. I think we’ll start regularly making it in two years.

Let us pray.

I always had the conspiracy theory that he could take a 2 years leave and come back when the team was better to finish his career. Lots of healing can happen in 2 years.

 

[Seb]

Leapfrogging Arizona by losing the last 4 games in overtime might be the most Habs thing yet.

Arizona finishing riiiiiiiiiight in front of the Habs would be the most Coyotes thing to happen.

I expect a Yotes win tonight.

 

[26Mats]

No they really don’t. They have Zellweger and Mintyukov. That’s it.

I'm going to check with their fan base .... be right back....

Anaheim's top 9.

Gauthier-McTavish-Vatrano
Zegras-Carlsson-Terry
Killorn-Ludestrom-Strome

Strome, Killorn, Vatrano are all signed 3-4 more years.

They need help on D, and I expect them to take one of Dickinson, Buium or Levshunov.

I suppose if there's truth to the Zegras rumors, they might go Lindstrom, and play him with Carlsson, but I think they go D.

This is what a Ducks fan told me on the Ducks board:

"
Its most likely we take a D. At the start of the year we needed F but after trading Drysdale for Gauthier that swapped our needs and created a big hole at RD. We have a lot of potential on D but what we are lacking is elite pieces. Our highest drafted D during this rebuild has been Minty at pick 10.

Minty & Zellweger are the two with the best chance to be top pair but still a long way to go. Luneau is our only RD in the system that looks to be top 4 if he gets over his injury. Lacombe looks solid but probably end up a #3 or #4.

All of our other D prospects are later picks and are still developing so we don't really know what they will be even if they do look promising."

 

[le_sean]

I'm going to check with their fan base .... be right back....


This is what a Ducks fan told me on the Ducks board:

"
Its most likely we take a D. At the start of the year we needed F but after trading Drysdale for Gauthier that swapped our needs and created a big hole at RD. We have a lot of potential on D but what we are lacking is elite pieces. Our highest drafted D during this rebuild has been Minty at pick 10.

Minty & Zellweger are the two with the best chance to be top pair but still a long way to go. Luneau is our only RD in the system that looks to be top 4 if he gets over his injury. Lacombe looks solid but probably end up a #3 or #4.

All of our other D prospects are later picks and are still developing so we don't really know what they will be even if they do look promising."

That’s how I saw it as well. Unless they do look to trade Zegras for a defender, but I don’t see the point in that for them.

 

[26Mats]

What make you so sure Arizona are going to pick a forward? They pretty much drafted like us:

2022: forward and
2023: Dman.

They could pick a forward.

 

[yianik]

Oil have nothing to gain so should be sitting out some players and avoid injury is goal number one.The Yotes should give it everything they have out of respect to their fans.

 

[Lshap]

Arizona finishing riiiiiiiiiight in front of the Habs would be the most Coyotes thing to happen.

I expect a Yotes win tonight.

Arizona is 6-4-0 in their last 10. Ottawa is 5-5-0. Someone should notify those teams that losing a top-5 pick by winning games is the most Habs things yet.

 

[Lshap]

Oil have nothing to gain so should be sitting out some players and avoid injury is goal number one.The Yotes should give it everything they have out of respect to their fans.

Yup - that's what I'm figuring. Arizona's been playing pretty well; it would be nice to go out strong.

 

[26Mats]

We should draft BPA.

Even if that is a Dman at 6, you take him.

Our lineup now, will look very different in 4 yrs from now.


EDIT: Also, generally speaking, an amazing Dman is more valuable than an amazing forward, and can make or break a team more, so it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, even if it's not a 'sexy' pick.

There are a lot of amazing wingers that have huge impacts on their teams. It's not just centers and D. To name a few:

- Ovechkin
- Prime Patrick Kane
- Panarin
- Mark Stone
- Mathew Tkachuk
- Brady Tkachuk
- Pastrnak
- Kucherov
- Rantanen
- Nylander
- Kaprisov
- Forsberg
- Marner
- Bratt
- Robertson
- Stamkos
- Clayton Keller
- Lucas Raymond

 

[WeThreeKings]

5th or 6th overall - all good, we will get a very good FORWARD with that.

But I'll cheer for Arizona none the less. I do believe it is better to pick earlier - but regardless there's also a lottery.

 

[Adam Michaels]

5th or 6th overall - all good, we will get a very good FORWARD with that.

But I'll cheer for Arizona none the less. I do believe it is better to pick earlier - but regardless there's also a lottery.

I agree. Depending on ARI's result tonight, the picks the Habs will likely be picking is 1st or 2nd or 5th or 6th or 7th or 8th. So even if ARI loses in regulation, the Canadiens will be in a good spot to select.

Forwards that can be available: Celebrini if they win 1st. After that, Lindstrom, Iginla, Demidov, Catton, Helenius, and Eiserman. And when you consider that teams who will pick ahead of them will be taking D's like Saliyev, Levshunov, Dickinson, and Parekh. So as you say, a good forward will be available.

I have a preference for Lindstrom and Iginla. But any of the F's I listed, I'd be good with.

 

[26Mats]

Oil have nothing to gain so should be sitting out some players and avoid injury is goal number one.The Yotes should give it everything they have out of respect to their fans.

Oil can still gain home ice advantage over a few teams should they meet in later rounds. They're not just worried about the first round. They're thinking about their road to the cup.

 

[Hannibal]

The downfall of drafting 6th is the risk of dropping to 7th post lottery. That would be terrible. f***ing Gallagher, what a team guy.

5-6 > 6-7

 

[Colezuki]

The downfall of drafting 6th is the risk of dropping to 7th post lottery. That would be terrible. f***ing Gallagher, what a team guy.

5-6 > 6-7

Actually it's all the way to 8th, technically there are two lotteries