What do you like/dislike from this season?

[Habs Halifax]

A few things to review.

Pros:
* Slaf's Development
* Suzuki keeps getting better
* Struble Surprise
* Primeau's development
* Less man games loss?
* Games are closer. Not getting blown out as much as the last two seasons.
* Armia has had a decent rebound.

Cons:
* Caufield probably doesn't hit 30 goals.
* Dach goes down for the season very early.
* Anderson went backwards
* No rebound from Gallagher. He's a 10-15 goal guy now.
* RHP season?

Click to read more...

 

[Naslundforever]

pros

Slaf parabolic growth

…


yup done.

 

[David Suzuki]

They competed more often than not which I appreciate it. I like that we didn't go too far up the standings with meaningless wins, though.

 

[Seb]

Pro : Monahan being healthy and having a good season making it possible to fetch another first round pick.

 

[ChesterNimitz]

A few things to review.

Pros:
* Slaf's Development
* Suzuki keeps getting better
* Struble Surprise
* Primeau's development
* Less man games loss?
* Games are closer. Not getting blown out as much as the last two seasons.
* Armia has had a decent rebound.

Cons:
* Caufield probably doesn't hit 30 goals.
* Dach goes down for the season very early.
* Anderson went backwards
* No rebound from Gallagher. He's a 10-15 goal guy now.
* RHP season?

Well summarized.

I think the greatest 'Pro' this year is the compete level of the team and the promise for the future that same holds. There is a new mind set that surrounds and infuses both the team and its fan base. That attitude can best be incapsulated in one word 'hope.'

Even the most pessimistic of fans can see that with the very thin patina of talent/ skill that we now have, the Canadiens can compete and sometimes even beat, the best competition in the league. Its interesting to note how often after one of those unexpected competitive games the refrain is that the other team wasn't up for the game. With having played more than 40 one goal games, MSL must possess some unworldly psychic power to transform opponents into a state of malaise.

Maybe, just maybe, we are better that many thought. Even more interesting is the fact with multiple high draft choices available in the coming years to bolster the team's talent pool, the expected arrival of a number of young promising prospects and the continued development of the young core that has allowed us to reach this level of competitiveness, we are closer to competing than many thought possible. And that overall promise is, in this writer's opinion, the best 'Pro' to come out of this 'bridge/re-building' year.

 

[Tabarouette]

pros: slaf past the first 20-30 games, suzuki's growth, Montembeault/Primeau are doing a good job, Xhekaj bounced back a little, sold Monahan for a ridiculous price

cons: Caufield's scoring woes, we'll regret not selling Matheson at his highest sell value, Dach might not be a reliable option if he can't stay healthy, Harris/Barron/RHP feel like they are just there to fill a roster spot at this point, Newhook is also pretty middling

 

[badfish]

Besides already mentioned, I liked that there haven't been too many stinker games this season. The team competes and tries to stay in it, and the habs lost so many games by only one goal.

 

[Adam Michaels]

Not in order:

Individual players

1 - Slaf developing
2 - Primeau establishing himself as a #2
3 - Caufield becoming a more complete player
4 - Xhekaj development
5 - Roy & Struble showing they belong in the NHL
6 - Newhook being an exciting player
7 - Armia becoming a consistent player

Team

1 - Team with most 1-goal losses, which means they're in the games more.
2 - Espectally lately, their defensive game is starting to show signs of progress.
3 - Their PK since the All-Star break is showing to be one of the league's best.

 

[Rapala]

The friggin' off season.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

We are the team with the most 1 goal losses , we should be happy we are where we are in the standings , we could easily be a few spots higher which would be a complete disaster of a season.


Need to lose every single game going forward

 

[waitin425]

Pros:

Slaf, Suzuki, Newhook, Monty, Primeau, Roy, Xhekaj, Mailloux/Fowler/Dobes/Hutson Development, Monahan trade

Cons:

Gally, Anderson, Barron failure to take a step, Dach getting injured

Indifferent:

Matheson, Caufield, Harris, Struble, not trading Savard, not trading Dvorak, Armia's good play.

 

[Tyson]

Not in order:

Individual players

1 - Slaf developing
2 - Primeau establishing himself as a #2
3 - Caufield becoming a more complete player
4 - Xhekaj development
5 - Roy & Struble showing they belong in the NHL
6 - Newhook being an exciting player
7 - Armia becoming a consistent player

Team

1 - Team with most 1-goal losses, which means they're in the games more.
2 - Espectally lately, their defensive game is starting to show signs of progress.
3 - Their PK since the All-Star break is showing to be one of the league's best.

THIS

 

[Habs Halifax]

Well summarized.

I think the greatest 'Pro' this year is the compete level of the team and the promise for the future that same holds. There is a new mind set that surrounds and infuses both the team and its fan base. That attitude can best be incapsulated in one word 'hope.'

Even the most pessimistic of fans can see that with the very thin patina of talent/ skill that we now have, the Canadiens can compete and sometimes even beat, the best competition in the league. Its interesting to note how often after one of those unexpected competitive games the refrain is that the other team wasn't up for the game. With having played more than 40 one goal games, MSL must possess some unworldly psychic power to transform opponents into a state of malaise.

Maybe, just maybe, we are better that many thought. Even more interesting is the fact with multiple high draft choices available in the coming years to bolster the team's talent pool, the expected arrival of a number of young promising prospects and the continued development of the young core that has allowed us to reach this level of competitiveness, we are closer to competing than many thought possible. And that overall promise is, in this writer's opinion, the best 'Pro' to come out of this 'bridge/re-building' year.

Yup, heading into this season, I predicted 8-12 range pick for us and we are sitting at 6 right now? I would assume a full season of Dach would be 1-4 more wins but difficult to know.

I read something a month or so ago about how many 1 goal games lost and Habs had some of the most in the NHL this season. Anybody have an updated stat on that on where we rank in terms of 1 goal games? Regardless, we are in more games than the previous two seasons which is a move in the right direciton

Still think we got 1 or 2 more transition seasons. Curious to see how the fans and media are patient for it.

pros: slaf past the first 20-30 games, suzuki's growth, Montembeault/Primeau are doing a good job, Xhekaj bounced back a little, sold Monahan for a ridiculous price

cons: Caufield's scoring woes, we'll regret not selling Matheson at his highest sell value, Dach might not be a reliable option if he can't stay healthy, Harris/Barron/RHP feel like they are just there to fill a roster spot at this point, Newhook is also pretty middling

Personally, I don't see keeping Matheson as a con. He's got 2 more seasons left on his current deal and I don't see his performance/value going down. Lets face it, we are not getting a grade A or mid 1st rounder for Matheson.... for as good as his offensive numbers look. Best to keep him and he helps our PP until guys like Hutson, Mailloux, etc are ready.

 

[Habs Halifax]

The friggin' off season.

Is that a pro or con?

We are the team with the most 1 goal losses , we should be happy we are where we are in the standings , we could easily be a few spots higher which would be a complete disaster of a season.


Need to lose every single game going forward

I heard this but where do you find stats like this? I'd like to see the top 10 teams in terms of how many 1 goal games they are in.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

Is that a pro or con?



I heard this but where do you find stats like this? I'd like to see the top 10 teams in terms of how many 1 goal games they are in.

Ive also only heard it 2-3 times in the past few habs broadcasts I don't have the picture/stats on hand unfortunately

 

[Rapala]

Is that a pro or con?

Definitely a con. LOL

 

[Habs Halifax]

Ive also only heard it 2-3 times in the past few habs broadcasts I don't have the picture/stats on hand unfortunately

Same here. Herd it from the broadcasts but I'd like to see where you can get this stat. Very curious to see how many we have over other teams. Are we close or are we ahead by a wide margin.

 

[Vachon23]

Tired of loosing even if I understand why

I lost a lot of interest this season.

 

[Canadiens98]

Pros:
- Monahan deal (having him stay healthy and flip for a 1st rounder)
- Slaf growth
- Suzuki growth
- Xhekaj rebounding from stint in Laval
- Monty/Primeau look like they can be a decent tandem
- Matheson looking fantastic for the deal he's on (I know he isn't very popular here because he often tries to do too much but when he's on his game, he's arguably our best skater)
- Jake Evans with another solid year
- Joel Armia rebound

Cons:
- Caufield down year
- Dach injury
- Newhook injury
- Anderson not looking like he'll fit in MSL's scheme
- Not as much development from Barron as I would've hoped for

 

[Habs Halifax]

Pros:
- Monahan deal (having him stay healthy and flip for a 1st rounder)
- Slaf growth
- Suzuki growth
- Xhekaj rebounding from stint in Laval
- Monty/Primeau look like they can be a decent tandem
- Matheson looking fantastic for the deal he's on (I know he isn't very popular here because he often tries to do too much but when he's on his game, he's arguably our best skater)
- Jake Evans with another solid year
- Joel Armia rebound

Cons:
- Caufield down year
- Dach injury
- Newhook injury
- Anderson not looking like he'll fit in MSL's scheme
- Not as much development from Barron as I would've hoped for

Jets pick went from 31st at the time of the trade to 23rd lately. That's a fair drop in favor for the Habs. Hopefully it stays in the 20-25 mix. Doubt it slips below 20

 

[Canadiens98]

Jets pick went from 31st at the time of the trade to 23rd lately. That's a fair drop in favor for the Habs. Hopefully it stays in the 20-25 mix. Doubt it slips below 20

It seems like they're going to have to play the Avs, Stars, or maybe even the Canucks if Nashville catch them. I don't think it'll drop below 20 but like you said, 20-25 is seemingly more and more likely with each passing day

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

Main positives : Lots of young players on a nice development curve and playing a lot of minutes, which should pay it's dividents next season. The prospect pool as a whole had a solid year, things are definitely looking up outside the big team.

Main negatives : An entire lost season for Dach hurts the most obviously, it killed any hope we might have had going in completely dead.I was hoping we might unload more of the dead weight left behind by Bergevin, but some of those guys proved impossible to trade. It is what it is I guess.

 

[Bouboumaster]

Pros:
- Monahan deal (having him stay healthy and flip for a 1st rounder)
- Slaf growth
- Suzuki growth
- Xhekaj rebounding from stint in Laval
- Monty/Primeau look like they can be a decent tandem
- Matheson looking fantastic for the deal he's on (I know he isn't very popular here because he often tries to do too much but when he's on his game, he's arguably our best skater)
- Jake Evans with another solid year
- Joel Armia rebound

Cons:
- Caufield down year
- Dach injury
- Newhook injury
- Anderson not looking like he'll fit in MSL's scheme
- Not as much development from Barron as I would've hoped for

This pretty much summed it up for me

 

[Lolonegoal]

Caufield is scaring me a bit. He's starting to remind a lot of the beginning of Gustav Nyquist's career. I lived near Detroit and saw the hype and the way he broke into the league. It was very similar then, he just died down and never got back into his rookie/sophomore hype, until coincidentally this year as a 34 year old.

He's improved as a playmaker, but he's also making a lot of poor decisions. That powerplay needs to be torn down and rebuilt by someone else in charge. When Caufield and Matheson are together the self inflicted dangers multiples.

I think the goods from this season are pretty obvious. The bad is that basically none of the bottom 6 depth players seem like they're long-term NHLers. Roy is looking like he can be a 3rd liner with someone scoring potential, but it's looking like we wasted a lot of decently high picks on Dvorak and Newhook. This team can't stop being injured and after a decade and a half straight of it, you have to wonder how long it can continue to be bad luck and when you have to start questioning the conditioning and training process.

 

[Habs13]

Cons: lack of physicality and the neutering of Xhekaj