What do you like/dislike from this season?

[Trabdy2]

The good:
- Slafkovsky pulling his game together ahead of the trajectory I had for him. He's starting to show himself as a developing impact player.
- Suzuki developing and demonstrating that he is a capable and competitive #1 C
- Montembeault showing he's a legit starting G. He doesn't lose us games.
- Struble. I'm still not sure what we have in Struble in terms of ceiling/potential, but I think he will be a NHL defenceman for a long time based on how his first season went.
- Armia playing himself into a useful or tradeable asset.
- Monahan trade for a 1st.
- We're a competitive team despite the lack of talent. It's amazing how many games we've been in. The group cares and Marty seems to have a strong hold of the room.

The bad:
- Dach injury. Broke a lot of fans' spirits at the start of the season as we were hoping to see the promising young center take a step this year.
- Barron and RHP lack of improvement. I'm not sure either will figure into the Habs future. There is more uncertainty now than there was at the start of the season.
- Caufield's disappointing goal scoring. I think eventually he'll get things figured out and his point production isn't terrible. I was just expecting a bit more of a sniper threat this year from him to make our PP more deadly. Part of this could be Burrows.
-Gallagher and Dvorak were underwhelming, but I expected it.
- Anderson. Was worse than Gallagher and Dvorak, and I was not expecting it.

 

[dcyhabs]

Just because you have money to spend, don't mean you need to spend it. Sorry bud but we are rebuilding and we are going to need that cap space when some of our players exit their ELC/bridge deals. I am open to bringing back Monahan for 2 or 3 years.

I don't believe that if we spend the $12M, we are a playoff team. Possible but I don't think this summer is the right timing.

You don't want to blow cap space for nothing, and you don't want to tie it up long term, but ideally you get something out of it. Take on a player on an expiring contract for a draft pick or something if you are rebuilding. If you are trying to win you will probably be at the cap pretty much all the time.

I agree with not spending the $12M or whatever on vets to try to make the playoffs, but you have to at least try to get something out of it. Bergevin showed how to sit on cap space to the habs' disadvantage and we shouldn't do that again.

 

[schwang26]

Dislike Armia before his demotion and like Armia after it lol!

 

[Habssince89]

this might be controversial but I kind of like that we're sticking with the man on man coverage in the D zone. As many people have correctly pointed out, we don't have the players to excel at it, and many people have also said that it is a style that only talented contending teams can pull off. But abandoning that style for one that's easier for our lesser players isn't going to improve the team OR help the tank.

It might actually be brilliant to adhere to the style because it contributes to the on-ice style/culture change from the dark days of DA SYSTEM, creating a good litmus test to see which players can hack it under the new regime, and which are of no use to the team's future. This is smart because there's a whole org of NHL talent, and if even 1-2 guys can stick around and have longterm roles in the org, it saves us time and assets. It's also going to influence all the young guys coming into the fold. Furthermore, we also benefit tank-wise where trying to grind out wins wouldn't improve anything. As time goes on, the roster quality will improve we will see the team transition into a group that fits MSL's style more successfully.

It's a great double benefit that encourages growth but doesn't create inflated success in the team's season.

 

[OldCraig71]

Like: Joel Armia

Dislike: Joel Armia

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Tired of loosing even if I understand why

I lost a lot of interest this season.

Yeah, I still watch some but my brain just isn't wired to cheer for draft position.

I agree with what management is doing but it always strikes me as pathetic to watch and cheer for losses.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Yeah, I still watch some but my brain just isn't wired to cheer for draft position.

I agree with what management is doing but it always strikes me as pathetic to watch and cheer for losses.

I think it’s cool to watch younger players develop.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

I think it’s cool to watch younger players develop.

Yeah, I watch the keep up with the young guys. It's just a crappy system that we have in the NHL (and NBA for that matter).

There's a shit ton wrong with how European soccer operates but one thing it has going for it is that there's no scenario where a club benefits from intentionally losing games or blowing up their club. Wish there was a way to operate like this in NA sports.

 

[Habs Halifax]

You don't want to blow cap space for nothing, and you don't want to tie it up long term, but ideally you get something out of it. Take on a player on an expiring contract for a draft pick or something if you are rebuilding. If you are trying to win you will probably be at the cap pretty much all the time.

I agree with not spending the $12M or whatever on vets to try to make the playoffs, but you have to at least try to get something out of it. Bergevin showed how to sit on cap space to the habs' disadvantage and we shouldn't do that again.

One year cap dumps for a valuable future may be at play or we make a trade for Zegras using futures.

The following season after next, we have several guys to extend. We are in good shape so but we got to be careful with how we spend our cap space. It can disappear quickly on us

 

[Vachon23]

Yeah, I still watch some but my brain just isn't wired to cheer for draft position.

I agree with what management is doing but it always strikes me as pathetic to watch and cheer for losses.

Exactly ! I agree at 100 % with what the management is doing but men I think I’ve watch probably 5 games in 2024. No fun watching a game without any emotion

 

[Miller Time]

Like:
- Suzuki cementing his 1C status
- CC's overall game development
- Slaf showing he is who we thought he was)
- Guhle flashing top pair long term potential
- Monty playing like a solid/mid-tier #1
- Josh Roy's rookie showing
- Newhook's strong step forward
- Strubble, Primeau, Harris & Xhekaj looking more and more like NHL regulars
- Monahan's play and parting 1st
- MSL's work keeping the team engaged, competitive and bought in through another tough season
- KH's culture & relationship building approach proving astute & effective

Dislike:
- Dach injury
- Barron not making a big jump forward
- Anderson unable to adapt or contribute
- 3 goalie situation (even if eventual return was positive and it's hard to quantify Allen's impact internally)
- not being able to move Pearson for futures
- Dvorak injuries & meh performance level
- Ylonen & RHP regressing vs progressing

Overall, a pretty positive season. I think had they kept Monahan they'd have stayed in the WC race much longer, but getting the 1st & a higher lottery seed works out better long term.

The most important things went well, and this young core group has a really positive runway ahead of it.

Future is bright

 

[JianYang]

I think its pretty easy to answer this.

Slafkovsky's surge as the season went along is the best part.

Dach's injury one game into the season was a massive kick to the nuts. I still get mad about it as I'm typing this out.

 

[jaffy27]

pros

Slaf parabolic growth

…


yup done.

I’d also add Caufield’s growth!

He’s a much more complete player today then he was game 1

You can no longer telegraph Cole, he’s got a great passing game that in turn should open up some ice for himself and others.

I’m fully expecting health willing, 35+ goals and a 70pts next season.

 

[jaffy27]

Yeah, I still watch some but my brain just isn't wired to cheer for draft position.

I agree with what management is doing but it always strikes me as pathetic to watch and cheer for losses.

Here’s some perspective, toke on a joint and rejoice…..

Extra wins could’ve been…..

 

[BergevinBurner]

What I liked:
-Suzuki/Slaf chemistry and progression.
-Caufield rounding out his game some.
-Monty continuing to improve.
-Matheson upping his trade value.

What I disliked:
-All of our forward vets being useless.
-Dach playing less than 2 games.
-Caufield's shooting percentage plummeting after his shoulder surgery.
-Hughes "non-answers" in every interview he gives.

 

[le_sean]

I dislike the Dach injury. He was our best player in the preseason and first game. I don’t want it to be a trend. But I’m happy he stuck around the team and acted as a type of scout for the organization. I think he’ll come back hungry.

I also dislike the leniency Marty gives to veterans just because they are veterans. Anderson has deserved to be benched since the beginning of the season but there’s zero repercussions. Only Armia got any for some reason.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

The good:
- Slafkovsky pulling his game together ahead of the trajectory I had for him. He's starting to show himself as a developing impact player.
- Suzuki developing and demonstrating that he is a capable and competitive #1 C
- Montembeault showing he's a legit starting G. He doesn't lose us games.
- Struble. I'm still not sure what we have in Struble in terms of ceiling/potential, but I think he will be a NHL defenceman for a long time based on how his first season went.
- Armia playing himself into a useful or tradeable asset.
- Monahan trade for a 1st.
- We're a competitive team despite the lack of talent. It's amazing how many games we've been in. The group cares and Marty seems to have a strong hold of the room.

The bad:
- Dach injury. Broke a lot of fans' spirits at the start of the season as we were hoping to see the promising young center take a step this year.
- Barron and RHP lack of improvement. I'm not sure either will figure into the Habs future. There is more uncertainty now than there was at the start of the season.
- Caufield's disappointing goal scoring. I think eventually he'll get things figured out and his point production isn't terrible. I was just expecting a bit more of a sniper threat this year from him to make our PP more deadly. Part of this could be Burrows.
-Gallagher and Dvorak were underwhelming, but I expected it.
- Anderson. Was worse than Gallagher and Dvorak, and I was not expecting it.

Agree with almost everything!

I think Dvorak is a good player and if he could remain healthy and play with consistent linemates who are not trash he is a legitimate top 9 player on a contender.

I would also attribute much of Cole's scoring issues with the league trend to set up in a diamond penalty kill and try to take away player's like Caufield, Ovechkin and Stamkos who are mostly stationary shooters on the PP. I am also not sure how healthy he is as he has not been nearly as shifty and explosive in tight spaces which he used last season to open up shooting opportunities.

I also think Primeau's ascension to a legitimate NHL goaltender who is flashing significant upside as well as Roy's transition to the pro game and Newhook's late season surge have been major wins.

Other than those small quibble's I am pretty much in lock step with you here

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

this might be controversial but I kind of like that we're sticking with the man on man coverage in the D zone. As many people have correctly pointed out, we don't have the players to excel at it, and many people have also said that it is a style that only talented contending teams can pull off. But abandoning that style for one that's easier for our lesser players isn't going to improve the team OR help the tank.

It might actually be brilliant to adhere to the style because it contributes to the on-ice style/culture change from the dark days of DA SYSTEM, creating a good litmus test to see which players can hack it under the new regime, and which are of no use to the team's future. This is smart because there's a whole org of NHL talent, and if even 1-2 guys can stick around and have longterm roles in the org, it saves us time and assets. It's also going to influence all the young guys coming into the fold. Furthermore, we also benefit tank-wise where trying to grind out wins wouldn't improve anything. As time goes on, the roster quality will improve we will see the team transition into a group that fits MSL's style more successfully.

It's a great double benefit that encourages growth but doesn't create inflated success in the team's season.

There are some recurring issues with man on man that this team need to figure out. Man on man does not work if you strictly adhere to it and they need to be better at calling switch-offs. Teams are intentionally bringing Caufield/RHP etc down low and luring our dmen out above the dots and this is a poor recipe for dzone success as players are being lured into positions where their strengths are being wasted and their weaknesses exposed. Also, if you are paying attention you will notice how many times we have been caught with a dman chasing behind the net where the switch is not communicated or where the opposition has intentionally cleared out the weak side and use a late net drive coming down to collect the pass or where the carrier can just walk out in front. It makes me absolutely insane to watch and this happens to all man on man defences but the key is to limit how often it happens. There are also other issues with the breakout as players are not in set positions for outlets due to the opponent dictating where they are on the ice. It is a system/tactic that takes time to build the cohesion and effectiveness that a team like Carolina now has.

The greatest benefit to the man on man is the counter attack as it can often force high turn overs where odd man rushes can develop as well as constant puck pressure in the D zone when it is executed at a high level.

 

[1909]

I was predicting a .500 season for the Habs.

Could had been done easily with a healthy Dach, Newhook. Caufield and Xhekaj seemed to have been affected by their last season’s injuries.

The underwhelming play of Anderson is a big disappointment.

Keeping Monahan for the whole season would had helped too

Two goalies instead of three could have had a positive impact too...

Looking at the race in the East, they could even had been part of it.

Their record is not really better than last season. Ad they could finish 5th worse again…… PK and PP are abysmal.

 

[Lshap]

I was predicting a .500 season for the Habs.

Could had been done easily with a healthy Dach, Newhook. Caufield and Xhekaj seemed to have been affected by their last season’s injuries.

The underwhelming play of Anderson is a big disappointment.

Keeping Monahan for the whole season would had helped too

Two goalies instead of three could have had a positive impact too...

Looking at the race in the East, they could even had been part of it.

Their record is not really better than last season. Ad they could finish 5th worse again…… PK and PP are abysmal.

I agree we could've easily been at or slightly above .500. A healthy Dach alone would've accomplished that.

Even so, our record is better than last year. 6 more points and counting. We'll likely finish with a goal-differential about 20 goals better than last season's terrible -75. Our D is improving and, most important, none of our young core have regressed.

Yes, we had a lot more games go to OT this year. That's not good or bad by itself, but it does say the Habs were in many more games than last year, when they lost 45 in regulation.

 

[The Real Timo]

I disliked neutering of Xhekaj

 

[Kimota]

I actually liked Gally this year. I view it as a rebound season for him. He's a useful 3rd/4th liner. I never have a problem with him everytime he's on the ice. Always feisty gun blazing.

 

[CHwest]

I really dislike that every TSN Habs game is blacked out, even on NHL centre ice.

 

[Pat Riot]

I would add to the pros

The management team is very impressive so far. I trust they could lead us to the promise land.

And MSL is a great ''new generation'' coach. I feel hes the perfect guy to help our young players reach another level in their game.

After the Bergevin era and his dinosaurs old school coachs therrien and claude it feel like such a relief.

 

[JuJu Mobb]

Our mentally unstable fanbase.