Speculation: Would the Canadiens have made the playoff with Markov and Radulov?

[beowulf]

This team probably does:

Hudon-Galchenyuk-Gallagher
Pacioretty-Danault-Radulov
Lehkonen-Eller-Byron
Deslauriers-Mitchell-Carr

Emelin-Subban
Markov-Sergachyov
Mete-Petry

Price

Possibly but not sure if Mete makes the team with Sergachev, another rookie, in the lineup. I also don't think Emelin makes the cut and is still picked in the expansion draft.

 

[HuGo Sham]

and drouin? yes

radulov only hab F with skill and grit - a true puck-winner. Not a C but plays like one...was 67 and 27's engine.

not a great team but a playoff team...
markov would've played with weber
and pushed petry into his proper slot at 3...

 

[Habs10025]

Barely, I think, but next year and the year after with late draft choices no better hopes...

No

 

[habdynasty]

Squeak in. lose in the first round because they cant score and have no centerman , Rinse repeat , get a low draft pick.

 

[Habs100]

Barely, I think, but next year and the year after with late draft choices no better hopes...

I think yes. We may even have been to the eastern conference final and beyond, depending on how we gelled and the bounces we got.

The main thing missing from last year was a second offensive line and secondary scoring. So in addition to adding the Drouin-Chucky combo to the already strong top line of Pacioretty- Danault - Radulov, this year we have Gallagher back to top six form and Hudon playing well. Plekanec, Lehkonen, and Byron are playing well in defensive roles. And, the fourth line of Carr -Froese/De la Rose Deslaurier is good.

The main thing missing is that elite forward to get that goal when we've been losing 2-1 or 3-2.

Plus of course Markov would have been that needed partner for Weber on the top pairing.

In a league of parity, making such a dumb decision as letting go of your top forward and no. 2 dman, without replacing them, is fatal.

 

[mariolemieux66]

I would have like to see the return we would have gotten from trading Markov and Radulov retained last year.

 

[jfm133]

In a few years this season will be seen as a positive turning point for the Habs and we will have to thank Markov and Radulov for refusing MB's offers and MB who made the decision to not offer more.

The way it looks now we are likely to pick in the top-5 and trade some veterans. So we will be better off with the young player we will pick in the top-5 than with an aging Radulov for four more years and a big cap hit. Markov is now too old. Also, if this bad season allows to to trade Max and Plek for good young assets and picks, then it will be even better.

 

[jfm133]

I would have like to see the return we would have gotten from trading Markov and Radulov retained last year.

Forget it there is no trades if you make the playoffs. That's why missing them this year has the double value of a high draft pick, but also for allowing the trades of veterans like Max and Plek.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Very likely. You're adding a top-pairing defenseman and a first-line winger.

 

[Leon Lucius Black]

This team probably does:

Hudon-Galchenyuk-Gallagher
Pacioretty-Danault-Radulov
Lehkonen-Eller-Byron
Deslauriers-Mitchell-Carr

Emelin-Subban
Markov-Sergachyov
Mete-Petry

Price

Sadly even if we had that roster Julien would've probably ran something like this:

Pacioretty - Danault - Radulov
Byron - Plekanec - Gallagher
Galchenyuk - Eller - Deslauriers
Lehkonen - Froese - Logan Shaw

Markov - Subban
Emelin - Petry
Morrow - Benn

 

[donghabs98]

The way I look at this question is this, do the 2016-17 Habs+Drouin make the playoffs again? I would say it's a clear yes which is why it's ridiculous Bergy didn't make it happen.

 

[HabsWhiteKnightLOL]

No.

 

[Lshap]

Habs would have been better with Rads and Markov, no doubt. But even with those two guys, Price's weak season would have left us as a bubble team. Hate to say it, but we're better off sucking in a season where Price was off. We need this upcoming great draft pick more than we need a useless 1st round exit.

Not with Cary Price playing like **** for the first 20 games. I'm sorry, but no.

Surprised you and I are the only ones mentioning this.

 

[Miller Time]

We would have been significantly better & significantly more resilient to the ups and downs of the regular season grind.

That much is pretty certain.

 

[Scintillating10]

With way Price has played this year....I'd say no. We didn't make it in 2016 when we had Markov and Subban. So, doubt we would this season. We pretty much well sink or swim on Price's play

 

[the]

We had this sort of thread not even 1 month ago and my answer is still the same.

What type of a question is that? Of course we would have made the playoffs.

I wish Radulov was still here so that he could yell and scream in the locker room and call out the players for being a bunch of weakling playing with no passion,

 

[Runner77]

an "off year"?

this isn't an "off year",

this is what was predicted by many including myself last summer......and its going to be the same crap you see next season unless serious changes are made....a top 10 pick isn't going to change much, if anything

An "off year" would have justified this management group getting a pass. I totally agree, this is no "off year". It's incompetence in its purest form.

 

[Darkstorm]

Would be contenders if we never traded Subban, Sergachev, Weiss and resigned Markov, Radulov and kept Galchenuyk as number 1 Center?

Our lineup would have been;

Pacioretty - Galchenuyk - Radulov
Byron - Danault - Lekhonen
Weiss - Plekanec - Gallagher
Deslauriers - Shaw - Hudon

Markov - Subban
Sergachev - Petry
Emelin - Beaulieu

Price

We would still need a top 4 D, top 6 RW or LW

 

[Kriss E]

Barely, I think, but next year and the year after with late draft choices no better hopes...

Do we also have Sergachev instead of Drouin? If so, then unquestionably, yes.
Actually, in either case, I believe we would.
If you add a top liner and a #2D, then yes.

Go further back, if we still had Subban, Markov, Sergachev, Radulov, Eller, and kept Emelin or Beaulieu, we would be much better.

 

[WG]

In a few years this season will be seen as a positive turning point for the Habs and we will have to thank Markov and Radulov for refusing MB's offers and MB who made the decision to not offer more.

The way it looks now we are likely to pick in the top-5 and trade some veterans. So we will be better off with the young player we will pick in the top-5 than with an aging Radulov for four more years and a big cap hit. Markov is now too old. Also, if this bad season allows to to trade Max and Plek for good young assets and picks, then it will be even better.

Yes, thank heavens for Bergy. Keep stomping, you might be able to push that bar so deep into the ground even Bergevin and his entourage can get over it.

Make shitty moves, sign shitty players like Alzner (who is also here for four more years except we won't get one good season to show for it) and let good players like Radu leave and replace them with, well, nothing. Team predictably craters. "Brilliant. A Machiavellian stroke!"

The only way this will be seen as a positive turning point for the franchise is if this dumpster fire of a season forces Molson to take a flamethrower to the entire management, and we can try again with better coaches and front office staff.

 

[habsterr]

Yes and the result would a first round exit by Tampa bay.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I think so. Price got off to a terrible start but he came back and we won a bunch of games. We were actually still in the playoff hunt at that point. Then we went six games in a row scoring one goal or less. And we didn't just lose Markov and Radulov this season, we lost Markov Radulov AND Weber. No way to make the playoffs if that happens. Without Markov and Weber on the back end it's meant more minutes and greater roles for blueliners not good enough to be there. And Radulov was great with Galchenyuk until he got hurt.

It's probably for the best though. If nothing else it's really exposed Bergevin as arguably the worst GM in the league (certainly near the bottom anyway) and so long term it might actually help us if Molson wakes up to this fact.

 

[badbrains]

I'd say yes. Assuming with still have Drouin and Alzner, I'd say yes by a point or two. I think Radulov would get more out of Drouin than any other hab.

Nothing better than that because Weber has been missing all season.

The inconvenient truth about Weber is that the team's win/loss record is not better with him in the lineup. For a supposed franchise D man, that's cause for concern.

 

[Simarino]

Ignoring the fact that they couldn't fit in the salary cap, yes.

Give Hemsky and Alzner's money to Markov and cap space's money to Radu.....It was fiting, MB just needed to not let his ego get in the way and give the amount of money recquired to keep them. Dont try to play hardball when you have 0 leverage, you needed these guys alot more than they needed you clown!!!

 

[Burke the Legend]

I love Markov, but his impact last season has become mythological. His age was definitely starting to show, he was looking old and weak defensively. He always was a bit but smart positioning and stick checking made up for it, but decline from age was showing. The Rangers were targeting him hard in the playoffs with soft dump ins to his corner, and he was struggling. Weber basically was carrying, which Weber can do with almost anyone, but that's not exactly ideal and not worth the kind of money Markov wanted. Markov would have really looked bad this season with Weber out injured.

Radulov loss was tougher because he is a prime age impact player , and that represents the missing 8$ million talent in free cap, but I don't know if him alone would have done it. This D looks so bad right now without Weber and Price is having a difficult season. Would Radulov make up the -29 differential and near bottom in GA? Don't think so.