Why the Habs need to make a push now

[25th]

I would go all out this year. Prospects are nice but that's all they are. Some of them never pan out. And remember, it wasn't the top dogs that reached the finals last year so stop saying we are not the Bolts, Jets or Preds.

Lindholm (or Fowler) would be ideal as a first move. No rental there so we would be good on LD for a while.
2019 2nd, Fleury and Poehling? (I'm afraid he'll pull a Wheeler)

And now call me crazy but I would go for both Duchene and Stone, with the hope a signing one of them.

What does Ottawa need? 2019 1st, 2020 2nd, Primeau (Blue chip G), Romanov (blue chip D), Olofsson, Byron (local), Alzner (cap floor)

The Habs would still have Suzuki, Brook, Ylonen, Ikonen, Juulsen, 2 x 2019 2nd, 2020 1st etc...

Drouin-Duchene-Stone
Domi-Danault-Gallagher
Tatar-KK-Armia
Lehkonen-Thompson-Shaw

Lindholm-Weber
Mete-Petry
Rielly-Benn

Price

 

[cphabs]

Yes they did....you missed a part somewhere.

1- You can't build a contender with mid to low round pick
2- You can't have high draft pick with Price in front of the net....unless you force it a little bit.

That's the vicious circle.

See Tampa...

 

[JianYang]

Excellent, but he's not elite. Anyway, I'm neither as concerned about his mileage, I think he took the time to heal the injuries he sustained with the Preds, he plays a Chara brand of game, without the rushing part, I think he can play at a high level for a very long time.

Now we are differentiating between excellent and elite, which means we are probably splitting hairs at this point.

You've said he's an elite defender, and the numbers show he is one of the elite goal scorers. If we add in the vision and puck carrying aspect, you would not just be looking at an elite player, but perhaps the best d-man of all time, lol.

 

[scrubadam]

I am not dying to move a 1st or the WJC 4 without an extension/signed player coming back but the OP brings up some good points.

You can't always look to the future and ignore the present. There is no gurantee that this team will be better. Development isn't linear. Maybe Domi goes back to being a 4 goal scorer, Armia/Tatar become plugs. The players on this team are all having career years.

Look back at 2013/2014. Even the MB haters are saying that the team was close back then. What if we had traded Mac/Scherbak/Hudon/Ghetto/Tinordi/Beau/JDLR/Fucale at the time. I bet the same arguments would be trotted out, we have to build for the future, we aren't good enough yet, prospects prospects and picks picks. The guys I listed have contributed nothing to this team but would of been seen as decent enough value pieces to dangle to get something to push this team over the edge.

Phoeling/Romanov/Fleury/Suziki our pick this year can all be like the guys I listed above and not contribute a damn to our team. Or maybe one of them is the next Max or PK, thats the risk.

I look at the east this year and outside of TB its pretty wide open. Look at the Met. Pens/Wash do not look like their dominant selves they were for a decade. CBJ is on the verge of its window closing and if Bob or Breadman is not in their playoff run thats going to be huge hole, and how much are they going to sacrafice for a team they won't be on this summer? NYI is an up and coming team but they have made no playoff noise in the past with JT, they are an unknown.

Boston? I don't care if Boston went 82-0, when it comes to playoffs you throw that out the window for Boston Montreal series. Toronto? Well they have yet to win a round of playoff hockey with their new core.

There is an argument to be made that this year is a time to go for it. Price is playing out of his mind, Weber is having a career year (if he didn't miss the first 25 games he probably wins a norris). The team plays like a team and has bounced back from adversity all year long.

Its going to be a tough decision for MB because there is a lot of big talented forwards available that would fix our PP and add some extra scoring punch to the line up. We add a Simonds or a Stone and the 4th line becomes Shaw-Nate-Byron, 2 guys on the wing that can pot 15-25G, and thats the 4th line.

In the end I won't be mad either way. If MB decides to keep his valuable pieces I am fine with that, if he goes out and gets us Panarian or Stone I am fine with that. Heard something interesting on the radio the other day, but we have Nash loading up and I bet WPG makes some moves, and these teams are blowing assets but one of them is eventually going to have to lose in the 2nd round. Its a risk and sometimes fortune favours the bold.

 

[holy]

We all must make that push together. It isn't just our Habs that have to.

One day you people will understand what I am saying

But for now I must hide.

 

[Habs10025]

What? I think you're just pulling that out of your behind.

McKenzie , and McGuire both have said this years draft and next years draft are strong drafts

 

[Habs10025]

Montreal will likely keep the players they have and try to get make the playoffs . If they don't get in they'll get a better pick in the draft and continue to build for the future .

 

[Milhouse40]

See Tampa...

Where did Hedman and Stamkos came from ?

 

[Draft Dynasty]

Trading a young prospect is perceive from the fan base as a big loss. But losing a former high draft pick for nothing is not a big loss ?

Fischer, Tinordi, Mccarron, Leblanc, Beaulieu, Scherbak, De la rose, Fucale, Chipchura.. All those players we basically had nothing in return maybe we could have traded them for something when they where 19-21yrs old.

 

[OldCraig71]

We all must make that push together. It isn't just our Habs that have to.

One day you people will understand what I am saying

But for now I must hide.

 

[Mario Lemieux fan 66]

Habs won't rebuild while Price and Weber are on the team. There is no player like Pacioretty left to do a re-tool. So either you start looking this year for the missing pieces or you wait for the UFA.

If you do a sign and trade for Stone or Panarin the possibility of a long playoff run is an argument for them to sign with the team an accept a trade. If you wait for the UFA you now compete with every team of the league for them instead of just the playoff team that have the cap space to re-sign them.

If you wait for the UFA. Habs are likely out of the playoff early but they will have all their prospects.

I was once excited that the Habs had five 2nd round pick in 2 years. Fucale, Thrower and de la Rose all busted, Lehkonen is a Bottom 6 forward and Collberg was use for Vanek. Our best use of those 2nd round pick was to use Collberg to get Vanek.

Leblanc, Beaulieu, Tinordi, McCarron, Scherbak all busted most of our late 1st round pick has busted. It seems like it would have been a better idea to sell those pick for establish player.

How many of you would have undone the Nieuwendyk trade for Igilna if you were the Dallas GM ? Sometimes you have to sacrifice Something to get somewhere.

this year 1st round pick, our 2nd round picks, Lehkonen or Byron, Juulsen or Fleury, Poehling or Suzuki should all be available to fill the missing 2 pieces.

 

[Canadienna]

This is a good indicator game. We are now right back in the thick of a wildcard spot race. Any cushion we had is gone, and Carolina is suddenly the best team in the league.

Don't think it makes sense to make a "push" this year.

 

[HabsWhiteKnightLOL]

Shocking

 

[ProspectsFanatic]

Indeed a push to keep on the long term plan.

 

[hockeyfan2k18]

That koolaid must taste so so good. If the right moves are made, this team could be a contender in the next few years......but again, the right moves need to be made. Is Bergie the man to make them? I don't think so but who knows?

 

[loudi94]

That koolaid must taste so so good. If the right moves are made, this team could be a contender in the next few years......but again, the right moves need to be made. Is Bergie the man to make them? I don't think so but who knows?

Watching these games against the contenders, I do feel that we need to make a few major moves. With the exception of Kotkaniemi and maybe Mete, everyone on our roster is what you see is what you get. Domi and Drouin are at most 60-70 point guys and Gally is a 25-30 goal guy until he breaks down and his play falls off a cliff. Weber and Petry will get you around 40-50 points. Some nice prospects coming up the pipeline, but no for sure game breakers. If we can nab a top player with term up front and on D, it's got to be done. That's not just a short term plan, but also a long term solution. We can draft well until the cows come home, but waiting for a prospect to perhaps pan out isn't going to make this team compete with the upper echelon anytime soon.

 

[nhlfan9191]

Watching these games against the contenders, I do feel that we need to make a few major moves. With the exception of Kotkaniemi and maybe Mete, everyone on our roster is what you see is what you get. Domi and Drouin are at most 60-70 point guys and Gally is a 25-30 goal guy until he breaks down and his play falls off a cliff. Weber and Petry will get you around 40-50 points. Some nice prospects coming up the pipeline, but no for sure game breakers. If we can nab a top player with term up front and on D, it's got to be done. That's not just a short term plan, but also a long term solution. We can draft well until the cows come home, but waiting for a prospect to perhaps pan out isn't going to make this team compete with the upper echelon anytime soon.

These games should be telling you to make no moves, not make moves. No move right now is going to push us over the top 2-3 teams in the division right now. We’re in transition.

 

[Chili]

I didn't believe the Habs would score a lot this year and they have surprised but now that the games are getting tighter is the offence drying up?

Believe the guys who could help improve the roster will be more available after the season. Was glad that Bergevin said he would not trade assets for rentals.

 

[Scintillating10]

I kind of hope we miss the playoffs. Rather have the lottery pick. We no match for a Tampa. Not the fire power they have

 

[Hostile Offer]

No, you can't make a push now when the team is missing a variety of key pieces:

A star winger
A star #1C
A top pairing LD
A second pairing LD (Mete's not ideal at this moment in time if you're going for the cup)

Realistically, you look at a top contender like Tampa:
Do we have a match for Kucherov? No.
Do we have a match for Stamkos/Point/Johnson? No.
Do we have a match for McDonagh? No.

Hedman erases Weber.
Vasilevski erases Price.

We do not have one single trump card over the Tampa Bay Lightning, but they have at least three over us.

You can run the same analysis on other contending teams like Toronto, Washington, Pittsburgh, Winnipeg, Nashville.

We simply don't have the horses. This team isn't a contender until we have true, franchise #1C.

We don't need ALL of those things to challenge Tampa. But you're right, that's way too many pieces missing in order to realistically contend, even in the great system Julien has us playing in.

 

[loudi94]

These games should be telling you to make no moves, not make moves. No move right now is going to push us over the top 2-3 teams in the division right now. We’re in transition.

Right now or in five years, if we don't find one or two elite gamebreakers we will never challenge the top teams in the league. I'm not advocating for a rental.

 

[SakuKoivu11]

I would shop drouin had it with this guy.

 

[mariolemieux66]

We are last place in 2nd place on the wildcard race. Doesn't look like a team that go go all in.
One of Tatar, Shaw or Byron along with Hudon and Benn should be traded. Going into this coming draft with 2 1st, 2 2nd, 2 3rd and 4 5th would make me happy

 

[calder candidate]

You have 3 teams that are above the others, and have a legit shot at the cup than you have than a other 10 teams that are 1 player and a bit of luck away for winning the cup than you have and other 8 teams which include MTL that are 2 players away, the only reason we should be inquiring about rental available is to raise the price for other team.

 

[LaP]

Depends. If he can make move like Rask for Niederreiter, yes. If he has to sacrifice anything substantial, no. I don't expect us to overachieve next season, so I don't really see the point of trading away futures. Besides, what do you believe we are winning this year anyway?

I agree about the overachieve part. Just look at NJ and Phi. They were both killing it last season and boom this year they are out of the playoffs. Phi are back in the race but they had to play for 900+ for like a month to be back in. They basically needed an Hamburglar 2.0 run to be back in. I think we should wait next year to confirm this group is really what you see is what you get.

I mean if you can get Linholm for a relatively fair price do it (i would not mind a slight overpayment for him). If you can sign Karlssson this summer do it. But moves like Thompton and Weise are a waste of time and any other moves for an old player who is close to retiring will also be useless. Personally i would not be surprised at all if both Thompson and Weise are out of the NHL next season if it doesn't work here. We wont be lucky like with Neimei every season.

The last 2 moves by MB tend to tell me he did not learn anything and was just lucky this summer. I don't mind Weise he used to be a fan favorite but it's still useless. Ice Hudon and Peca and give them all the chances you can.

BTW it's funny that no later than yesterday someone was asking a poster saying we would miss the playoffs who was going to kick us out. Well today Carolina is 1 point behind us. We have one game in hand but on paper they have a team as good as ours. It's just a matter of their overachieving goalies keeping the pace like for us our overachieving players keeping the pace.