Player Discussion Welcome Gustav Lindström

[Adam Michaels]

Kind of make you wonder why Detroit wasn’t the 3rd team in the deal…

Red Wings don't have a Hoffman and Pitlick to be as enticing.

Honestly, it's surely because it's easier for them to get Petry @ 2.3M in a separate deal through Habs than it would to get him @ 4.6M directly through Pens. Even though Red Wings have more cap space than Montreal has, it is still better to get him at a reduced cap hit so Yzerman has a little more room to work with if he needs to make more moves.

 

[cphabs]

I don't understand the pro scouts' math here.
70% of zero is also equivalent to 100% of zero, so why undersell him?

I've read if he loses the half-second to make his play he is absolute garbage.
Even as a bottom third team I don't think we should have a lot of patience with a player displaying such a deal breaking flaw, when Barron needs playtime in the NHL/AHL and Mailloux needs big minutes in Laval (assuming Reinbacher is playing in Switzerland).
On paper, I can't even see a single reason to play him ahead of Kovacevic. Less physical and no better offensively.

I can't possibly imagine getting more than a 5th before the TDL even if he were to "look NHL level", so give those minutes to the players that are actually in our long term plan. His former GM blindsided him 6 weeks after signing him, and we owe him nothing beyond 950k pesos.

Harsh but if we start attempting to please every player that were ever under contract with the Montreal Canadiens, our prospects will be hindered. That's where the line has to be drawn.

Nice to see you’re posting here Mr. Lefebrve! Hope things are going well!

 

[DiglettDangles]

Nice to see you’re posting here Mr. Lefebrve! Hope things are going well!

What do you disagree with in my post?
I am not ready to invest in Lindström's potential development given how low his ceiling is, at the expense of better prospects we already invested in. It's healthier to recognize when you should fold, figuratively.
Doesn't mean I'm a dumb coach with no developmental results to show for, and very questionable life choices
I don't suppose I'll read you here defending Lindström after training camp. Feel free to wait another month before losing your current unsubstantiated optimism.

 

[GrandBison]

Would be nice if Xhekaj could play the right side. Because even if he beats out Harris, he'll have some stiff competition on the left from Matheson, Guhle, and Hutson, plus Engstrom.

What's the problem if he's better than one of them as you seem to think? I like Xhekaj but I don't understand the hype here to give him a free pass.

 

[Wateredgarden]

Kind of make you wonder why Detroit wasn’t the 3rd team in the deal…

It was a race against the clock, Hughes was included in the deal hours before it was going to fall off.

 

[26Mats]

What's the problem if he's better than one of them as you seem to think? I like Xhekaj but I don't understand the hype here to give him a free pass.

I don't understand what you're saying. 8 was saying I don't see Xhekaj beating out Matheson, Guhle, Hutson (if he makes it as a dman), or perhaps even Engstrom. So, I hope Xhekaj can play the right side.

 

[GrandBison]

I don't understand what you're saying. 8 was saying I don't see Xhekaj beating out Matheson, Guhle, Hutson (if he makes it as a dman), or perhaps even Engstrom. So, I hope Xhekaj can play the right side.

Sorry, my bad, Xhekaj's hype here is real and I misinterpreted your post. I don't think Xhekaj game could translate well on his wrong side. Harris is a better candidate for that imo.

 

[MasterD]

Sorry, my bad, Xhekaj's hype here is real and I misinterpreted your post. I don't think Xhekaj game could translate well on his wrong side. Harris is a better candidate for that imo.

Sitting in the pressbox can be done from the right side, I see no issue.

 

[1909]

Sorry, my bad, Xhekaj's hype here is real and I misinterpreted your post. I don't think Xhekaj game could translate well on his wrong side. Harris is a better candidate for that imo.

Xhekaj could end up being a 4th line forward.

 

[26Mats]

Sorry, my bad, Xhekaj's hype here is real and I misinterpreted your post. I don't think Xhekaj game could translate well on his wrong side. Harris is a better candidate for that imo.

I like Xhekaj 's potential. In addition to the imposing physical pkay he has great hands for stick handling and offensive instincts.

BUT, he has to learn the nuances of play in his own zone and breaking out. The good news is, he himself said in his post season presser that he now sees that what makes a great NHL Dman are those little things, more than the flashy plays. So he's setting out to work on them. I look forward to seeing where he can take his game over the next few years... we'll see...

 

[GrandBison]

I like Xhekaj 's potential. In addition to the imposing physical pkay he has great hands for stick handling and offensive instincts.

BUT, he has to learn the nuances of play in his own zone and breaking out. The good news is, he himself said in his post season presser that he now sees that what makes a great NHL Dman are those little things, more than the flashy plays. So he's setting out to work on them. I look forward to seeing where he can take his game over the next few years... we'll see...

I like his potential too. We're lucky to have a young core like that with good candidates for 2-3-4 d in a near future. Building an environment where they develop a healthy competition is not a problem. I think a lot of "rushing a prospect" problems could be attributed to relying on the player too early without having him to compete for his ice time. As for the current crew, some of them will step up their game and it's not yet totally clear which ones.

 

[MilesNewton]

It was a race against the clock, Hughes was included in the deal hours before it was going to fall off.

 

[jrom]

Sorry, my bad, Xhekaj's hype here is real and I misinterpreted your post. I don't think Xhekaj game could translate well on his wrong side. Harris is a better candidate for that imo.

Xhekaj will be on the team because every other (more talented) Habs player want him on the roster so they don’t have to deal with players like Kassian or Wilson.

 

[NewDef]

I feel Xhekaj really wants to improve and he listens to the coaching staff. He's a good kid, serious in his approach with assets not often found. He could indeed be recycled as a 4th liner and I would'nt be surprised we had our own Maroon+ but i like his punishing nature as a D...

'you shall not pass' / 'don't touch my goalie' with authority and ability to enforce has a lot of value... i mean, a lot...

 

[WeThreeKings]

Kind of make you wonder why Detroit wasn’t the 3rd team in the deal…

As other people said - cap space.

But I'd also extend that they just had 3 2nd round picks, they've been rebuilding for awhile, they aren't in a future asset accumulation mode anymore and I think they want to send that message to their team as well.

 

[beowulf]

Exact. Barron will need to compete to be on the team on the first night.

Barron is already a better dman even being 3 years younger.

 

[FF de Mars]

I think Lindstrom might surprise. Just a question, Red Wings fans say he lacks that "fraction of second" to be effective; hence, they expect him to move to the SHL pretty soon. What does it really mean?

 

[Whalers Fan]

Always wanted Lindstrom from Detroit. I wasn’t specific enough.

Or, maybe you just needed to spell his name correctly.

 

[Goldthorpe]

I think Lindstrom might surprise. Just a question, Red Wings fans say he lacks that "fraction of second" to be effective; hence, they expect him to move to the SHL pretty soon. What does it really mean?

It means he's (still) too slow to react at the NHL pace, which is a common issue with prospects.

Slaf had the same problem last year. He knows what to do and how to do it, but he couldn't do it enough at the pace of an NHL game to be effective - so he was just following along instead of taking the initiative on plays.

Some players come from junior and immediate "think" the game fast enough to play in the NHL. Some people never manage to do it, even if they have all the other tools. Most of the time, it takes some adaptation.

 

[Team_Spirit]

Grant with the bold take

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

Grant with the bold take

He’s gotta point. It really all depends on if he’s better than Kovacevic. He’s not going down to Laval. At least he’s not starting there. That much I’m certain of.

Let Barron sharpen up a bit more in Laval. Hope they do the same for Slaf.

 

[HabsWhiteKnightLOL]

wow im shaking to know between Lindstrom or Kovacevic will be in our second pair.
Bet the goalies are thrilled

 

[Wateredgarden]

wow im shaking to know between Lindstrom or Kovacevic will be in our second pair.
Bet the goalies are thrilled

Barron and Savard will be RD in the top 4. He's battling Kovy, but for the third pairing and Kovy is easy to beat.

 

[Catanddogguitarrr]

I have a pun. If he plays guitar, does he strom the chords?
Ok seriously, hope he starts in Laval and who knows, improve and prove he belongs to the LNH.

Barron and Savard will be RD in the top 4. He's battling Kovy, but for the third pairing and Kovy is easy to beat.

Not so easy. I think Kovy is underrated. Last 2 years the defensive problem was because forwards did an horrible job in their zone.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

Kind of make you wonder why Detroit wasn’t the 3rd team in the deal…

There is nothing to wonder about for many reasons including cap space, disposable players/salary and the simple fact that they couldn't take Petry at 4.6M as opposed to the 2.3M that they ended up getting him for.