Speculation: Which third line center (3C) would you prefer?

[1909]

He doesn't have to analyze anything, KK was not ready 1 month ago, he won't be ready at camp suddenly by magic. I think the holding is more connected to Eichel - when Eichel is traded it will unfreeze the rest.

WOW. He is 21 year old and could show up at Camp in super shape and ready to battle. I don't want to see Eichel anywhere near this team. And losing great assets to acquire him. The guy has a serious health (injury) condition, on top of that.

 

[SOLR]

Domi, outside his 72 point miracle season, has not proven he was a good centerman at all. He has attitude problems, is pouting when candies are taken away from him (PP)... and so on. Not a good team player.

We all know that, but you don't get a 2nd C on the cheap (a late rounder draft pick) that doesn't have these patterns.

I like it because sometimes humans turn the corner of maturity, and it's a measured risk to take (maybe more a 4th than a 3rd). If it doesn't pan out, you are not losing much.

 

[SOLR]

WOW. He is 21 year old and could show up at Camp in super shape and ready to battle. I don't want to see Eichel anywhere near this team. And losing great assets to acquire him. The guy has a serious health (injury) condition, on top of that.

Not saying otherwise (KK). Id rather have a 2C solution and if KK is improved we have excellent 2C AND 3C. Someone always gets injured and right now, if Suzuki gets injured we have no one for the top line.

And I'm not advocating for Eichel at this point since we signed Hoffman. I'm saying others centers' trades will follow that one.

 

[1909]

Not saying otherwise (KK). Id rather have a 2C solution and if KK is improved we have excellent 2C AND 3C. Someone always gets injured and right now, if Suzuki gets injured we have no one for the top line.

And I'm not advocating for Eichel at this point since we signed Hoffman. I'm saying others centers' trades will follow that one.

Look at all the centers thru the whole NHL. Not much to get out there. MB might go for a short term solution like a Bozak (UFA) or one obtained in a trade like Henrique or Strome in Chicago.

 

[SOLR]

Look at all the centers thru the whole NHL. Not much to get out there. MB might go for a short term solution like a Bozak (UFA) or one obtained in a trade like Henrique or Strome in Chicago.

All of these options have about the same risk spectrum vs. a Domi for a higher price.

Henrique and Bozak are slowing down (not 2Cs), Strome never really established himself.

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

None of the above. KKs time to sink or swim but needs the same opportunity to find his game and get chemistry with linemates as has been given to the likes of Danault and Desharnais in the past. If after half the season he’s still struggling then look for someone to help. Anybody else now will be a security blanket

 

[ItWasJustified]

None of the above. KKs time to sink or swim but needs the same opportunity to find his game and get chemistry with linemates as has been given to the likes of Danault and Desharnais in the past. If after half the season he’s still struggling then look for someone to help. Anybody else now will be a security blanket

Sooooooo, who's going to play 2C?

 

[TesseractPrice]

If the ask for Dvorak is a 1st and a good prospect as rumoured, hard pass for me. The guy is pretty overrated at the moment

Dvorak just had a career high shooting percentage. He may have a good shot but he's not 18% shooting percentage good, he'll go back to 10-12%. His even strength production rate (P/60) last season was worse than Kotkaniemi who wasn't exactly a world beater. Dvorak had 0.42 G/60 and 1.18 P/60 vs 0.43 G/60 and 1.37 P/60 for KK. Kotkaniemi had massively higher possession stats than Dvorak but Montreal in general is a good possession team while Arizona is not so this might be a team dependent stat

Paying premium for a 25 years old center who in his career year was worse at even strength than KK lackluster last season is a recipe for disaster

Dvorak is good on the powerplay though. Half of his goals and 35% of his points came from there. I'm not sure it is sustainable however. I also think he may have been carried by Kessel who's a great PP player

I'd try give a chance to Poehling to start the year as 3C and acquire one during the season if it doesn't work out. I thought Poehling looked real good in the second half of the season in Laval. If he recovered from his injury he should be ready

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

Sooooooo, who's going to play 2C?

If history repeats itself I’d say Perrault, Paquette, Byron, Drouin

See a theme here?

 

[1909]

If history repeats itself I’d say Perrault, Paquette, Byron, Drouin

See a theme here?

If one of them plays second line center, which I doubt strongly, it would be because the other ones have pooped in their pants. Sorry, but Danault and DD never demanded to be 1st line or 2nd line centermen. The others behind them were crap or not ready to fill that role.

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

If one of them plays second line center, which I doubt strongly, it would be because the other ones have pooped in their pants. Sorry, but Danault and DD never demanded to be 1st line or 2nd line centermen. The others behind them were crap or not ready to fill that role.

Others behind were never given the same length of rope to find out if they could be more than crap. As I said give KK half a season with regular linemates and if he’s crap then ok he’s crap.

 

[1909]

Others behind were never given the same length of rope to find out if they could be more than crap. As I said give KK half a season with regular linemates and if he’s crap then ok he’s crap.

If the "others" wre given that much rope, it is because they deserved it. D was helping Patches to produce, while Danault helped also Tatar and Gally to have their best seasons.

Tatar just said yesterday that he was looking forward to play wit Hughes or Hishier, like he had opportunities to play with Datsyuk, Zetterberg and "Phil" as his centermen.

But keep on with your biased pov.

 

[ZUKI]

Others behind were never given the same length of rope to find out if they could be more than crap. As I said give KK half a season with regular linemates and if he’s crap then ok he’s crap.

None of the above. KKs time to sink or swim but needs the same opportunity to find his game and get chemistry with linemates as has been given to the likes of Danault and Desharnais in the past. If after half the season he’s still struggling then look for someone to help. Anybody else now will be a security blanket

If history repeats itself I’d say Perrault, Paquette, Byron, Drouin

See a theme here?

It's hard not to see your theme

 

[GobigorGohome]

Re-acquiring a former player is not such a radical idea as Montreal has a long history of doing same: Houle, Larose, Roberts, Richer, Ryder, Schneider, etc.

Don't make it right though.

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

It's hard not to see your theme

Yeah not quite DaVinci Code stuff

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

If the "others" wre given that much rope, it is because they deserved it. D was helping Patches to produce, while Danault helped also Tatar and Gally to have their best seasons.

Tatar just said yesterday that he was looking forward to play wit Hughes or Hishier, like he had opportunities to play with Datsyuk, Zetterberg and "Phil" as his centermen.

But keep on with your biased pov.

Phil was hot garbage for most of last season on both sides of the puck, his playoffs redeemed him. Desharnais disappeared for months and never lost his spot on the top line or PP. KK struggles for a game or 2 and he’s taken out of the line up. Why draft players that high when you won’t work with them to succeed, at least give them equal chances. There’s bias but it’s not from me.

 

[Steve Shutt]

Domi available. Wants to play C

 

[Le Barron de HF]

For the price it would take and the fact you don't necessarily want someone who will undeniably steal KK's minutes or be considered an upgrade, I'd go for Tierney. He had a down year but he's a good vanilla esque player who can play 2nd PP unit mins and produce 35-40 pts. Dvorak would cost too much and not sure it'd good for KK's development.

 

[SpeedyPotato]

Drouin + Poehling + Harris + 2nd round pick for Dvorak?

Is that enough?

That's too much... You guys talk about Dvorak as if he was a 50 pts player, which he's never been close to being yet. Solid player sure, but you want to give them an actual 50 pts player, two solid prospects and and 2nd rounder in a deep draft for him? Way too much.

 

[ChesterNimitz]

Don't make it right though.

Hasn't seemed to deter the team from also recycling coaches: see: Therrien and Julian. But to your point, expending any major assets on securing a 'third' center would constitute a complete misevaluation of this team's relative competitiveness. We don't need costly band-aids. While Domi would be a band aid, at least it would be an inexpensive solution while we await the hopeful further development of our identified core assets.

 

[salbutera]

Domi available. Wants to play C

Then why hasn’t anyone signed him?

Maybe because he sucks defensively as a C, let alone the piss poor attitude..

 

[Catanddogguitarrr]

None of the above. KKs time to sink or swim but needs the same opportunity to find his game and get chemistry with linemates as has been given to the likes of Danault and Desharnais in the past. If after half the season he’s still struggling then look for someone to help. Anybody else now will be a security blanket

What scares me like a nightmare is habs using Weal again in their line-up for centering a line, lol.

 

[salbutera]

What scares me like a nightmare is habs using Weal again in their line-up for centering a line, lol.

Didn’t he sign in the KHL

 

[Habs10Habs]

Domi available. Wants to play C

Wow, I didn't even realize he was a UFA. I don't think he quite fits into our team now. Plus I don't think he'd like the idea of being a bottom 6C for the Habs.

 

[NORiculous]

I see Dvorak, Strome and Schmaltz as 2nd liners. So I don’t think they fit well with the rest.

As a comparable, it would like building a list of 2nd liners and adding Eichel to the liste and asking you you would prefer as a 2nd line center.