2021-22 State of the Habs

[ramcharger440]

26 minutes ago, jennifer_rocket said:

Sure do hope we get Harris signed once the NCAA stuff is done.

It will be up to him really, you can tell the teams wants it done and I feel like we have the guys in the front office to get it done.

[maas_art]

49 minutes ago, jennifer_rocket said:

Sure do hope we get Harris signed once the NCAA stuff is done.

We could find out as early as this weekend.  Its unlikely that  Northeastern gets past both Western Michigan and the winner of Minnesota/UMass, so there's a good chance his NCAA days are over in the next few days.

We could offer him a contract immediately & have him in the lineup next week actually. 
 

 

[claremont]

1 hour ago, maas_art said:

Right now i think there's possibilities.  Barron, Guhle, Harris, Mailloux and Norlinder - even Romanov - all still have the potential to be 1st pairing guys. Will any of them? Who knows, but with that many possibilities you have to hope at least one or 2 will work out.

 

And I’m one of the few that is still hoping Jayden Struble can reach a higher level of performance on the LHD side - a project based on his NCAA performance but that’s what may happen when you draft out if a prep school / high school before college 

[maas_art]

4 minutes ago, claremont said:

And I’m one of the few that is still hoping Jayden Struble can reach a higher level of performance on the LHD side - a project based on his NCAA performance but that’s what may happen when you draft out if a prep school / high school before college 

True, there's a couple of other guys like Struble, Fairbrother, Xhekaj etc who have a decent chance at turning pro and you never know how some guys are going to develop.

Petry had great metrics but never broke 40 points till he turned 30.  He only had one season over 16 points through his 20s! I like where our depth on defense is going... i am not sure how good it will look next year but  excited to see it in a year or two. 

[campabee82]

It's official, we are eliminated from the playoffs. Washington sits 38 points ahead and we have 18 games remaining (36 points), so even if we won them all and everyone ahead lost their games we would finish 2 points behind the Caps. 

[Regis22]

Jordan Harris signed to a 2 yr entry level contract .

 

The Canadiens have agreed to terms on a two-year, entry-level contract with defenseman Jordan Harris (2021-22 to 2022-23).

Let's see what he's got 

 

[H_T_L]

Ylolen called up after the Leaf game.

[ramcharger440]

16 minutes ago, H_T_L said:

Ylolen called up after the Leaf game.

Will be nice to see what he can bring.

[maas_art]

Savard with 3 points in 3 games under MSL! lol. 
I know, tiny sample size (and he still looks a little lost at times out there) but very curious to see how he finishes out the year.    Under DD he was actively hurting us but if he can end up being at very least a net-neutral player, the contract wont look nearly as bad & maybe he even becomes tradable or a decent #5-6 option. 

I have heard he was playing most of the season hurt so its possible was just not as bad as he seemed (and i dont remember him ever looking as bad as he did to start this year).... 

[habsisme]

1 hour ago, maas_art said:

Savard with 3 points in 3 games under MSL! lol. 
I know, tiny sample size (and he still looks a little lost at times out there) but very curious to see how he finishes out the year.    Under DD he was actively hurting us but if he can end up being at very least a net-neutral player, the contract wont look nearly as bad & maybe he even becomes tradable or a decent #5-6 option. 

I have heard he was playing most of the season hurt so its possible was just not as bad as he seemed (and i dont remember him ever looking as bad as he did to start this year).... 

Small sample size but given so many players have done better with MSL, maybe Savard isn't as bad as we think

[habsisme]

Habs no longer in last place

[Graeme-1]

3 hours ago, maas_art said:

Savard with 3 points in 3 games under MSL! lol. 
I know, tiny sample size (and he still looks a little lost at times out there) but very curious to see how he finishes out the year.    Under DD he was actively hurting us but if he can end up being at very least a net-neutral player, the contract wont look nearly as bad & maybe he even becomes tradable or a decent #5-6 option. 

I have heard he was playing most of the season hurt so its possible was just not as bad as he seemed (and i dont remember him ever looking as bad as he did to start this year).... 

He can't possibly be as bad as he seemed.  It was less than a year ago he was an important depth piece of the cup champions. I suppose you could argue the team won despite him, but Tampa is a smart organization and as much as I'm totally onboard with analytics and modern thinking, I think we can sometimes be a little too quick to dismiss players.  It's true that the wheels can fall off players fast once they're past 30, but I'm not sure that's what happened here.

There's no way he can live up to his contract: too much money for too many years to a player who is on the wrong side of 30, but I think he can be a useful depth piece if used properly.  Ideally we won't be paying our depth pieces that much, but if we have a lot of rookie deals over the next few seasons it might not be the end of the world.

[electron58]

5 hours ago, Graeme-1 said:

He can't possibly be as bad as he seemed.  It was less than a year ago he was an important depth piece of the cup champions. I suppose you could argue the team won despite him, but Tampa is a smart organization and as much as I'm totally onboard with analytics and modern thinking, I think we can sometimes be a little too quick to dismiss players.  It's true that the wheels can fall off players fast once they're past 30, but I'm not sure that's what happened here.

There's no way he can live up to his contract: too much money for too many years to a player who is on the wrong side of 30, but I think he can be a useful depth piece if used properly.  Ideally we won't be paying our depth pieces that much, but if we have a lot of rookie deals over the next few seasons it might not be the end of the world.

Didn't Savard get the primary assist on the Stanley Cup winning goal?

[maas_art]

11 hours ago, Graeme-1 said:

There's no way he can live up to his contract: too much money for too many years to a player who is on the wrong side of 30, but I think he can be a useful depth piece if used properly.  Ideally we won't be paying our depth pieces that much, but if we have a lot of rookie deals over the next few seasons it might not be the end of the world.

I dont know man, $3.5m per year isnt chump change but it isnt massive either. Lots of #4-5 dmen with a deal like that, especially when you consider most of our d-corps is probably going to be on ELCs very soon...   I think there's still potential for him on this roster if this is more of what we're actually going to get going forward... 

[BigTed3]

12 hours ago, Graeme-1 said:

He can't possibly be as bad as he seemed.  It was less than a year ago he was an important depth piece of the cup champions. I suppose you could argue the team won despite him, but Tampa is a smart organization and as much as I'm totally onboard with analytics and modern thinking, I think we can sometimes be a little too quick to dismiss players.  It's true that the wheels can fall off players fast once they're past 30, but I'm not sure that's what happened here.

There's no way he can live up to his contract: too much money for too many years to a player who is on the wrong side of 30, but I think he can be a useful depth piece if used properly.  Ideally we won't be paying our depth pieces that much, but if we have a lot of rookie deals over the next few seasons it might not be the end of the world.

 

9 minutes ago, maas_art said:

I dont know man, $3.5m per year isnt chump change but it isnt massive either. Lots of #4-5 dmen with a deal like that, especially when you consider most of our d-corps is probably going to be on ELCs very soon...   I think there's still potential for him on this roster if this is more of what we're actually going to get going forward... 

Here's my issue: Savard has scored two goals in his past three games and he's joined the rush a bit and we're seeing more offence from him. But that doesn't necessarily mean he's helping the team win games. The Habs won the game last night, but did they win because the team played well or did they win because of Allen? For me, it's an easy answer. It was because of Allen. For the game, the Habs had a Corsi of 30%, so more than 2/3 of the shot attempts at 5v5 were by Toronto. That's not a recipe for success. Scoring chances was even worse, only 29% for Montreal and 71% for Toronto. And if you look at expected goals the Habs were at 24% for the game and just 6% in the 3rd period. In other words, take goaltending out and play the same period over and over and you'd expect the Leafs to have scored 94% of the goals. We managed to capitalize on one chance, and Allen basically saved our bacon. Look back at the Florida game and it was the same story: we had something like a 35-36% Corsi for the game. Look back at last year's post-season and it was the same in a lot of our games. Price stole games then, Allen's stealing the now. But it's hard for me to give credit to the players for the win. Yes, they showed heart and determination and they skated, but they were flat out over-matched in the skill department, and if we had swapped goalies with the Leafs, we probably would have lost last night's game 8-2.

So now let's look at Savard's personal numbers. He had a Corsi of 28%. When he was on the ice, there were 6 scoring chances for the Habs and 12 for Toronto. Sure, that's better than the 23% Corsi that Edmundson put up, along with the 3 scoring chances for and 19 against when he was on. But Savard was 2nd worst on the D corps and 4th worst overall. For the year, Savard is batting a 43% Corsi, 40% for scoring chances, and 41% expected goals. And other than the 2016-17 season with Columbus, he's been a negative possession player every single year of his career. So the bottom line for me is that sure, we remember those scoring chances for that he was involved in, but he gave up twice as many last night as we created with him on. And the numbers for this season and for his career as a whole suggest that last night wasn't an exception, that's just what happens when he's on and he's just that type of player. As a franchise, we've been lucky by how many elite goaltenders we've had play for us, but on the other hand, goalie play has masked bad systems and bad players for decades, and it would be a shame to not recognize this happening in Savard's case here.

[Regis22]

https://awinninghabit.com/2022/03/28/jordan-harris-walked-bergevin-charge/

Canadiens: Jordan Harris Would’ve Walked If Bergevin Were In Charge

 

Many stories have been leaked as to some of the poor decisions Marc Bergevin has taken during his time as the Montreal Canadiens’ general manager. The most glaring is of course the handling of player development. Players such as Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Max Domi, Charlie Lindgren, Michael McNiven and Michael McCarron just to name a few, have taken shots at their former team on the way the Canadiens would develop their players.

Many stories have surfaced as to how they were either put under a tremendous amount of pressure, or have been left to their own demise. Jordan Harris, wanted no part in that kind of treatment.

When teams were put into hotel bubbles during the 2020-21 playoffs, teams would go to lengths to get caterers to supply the players with the adequate nutrition needed in order to remain in peak shape. Canadiens players were left on their own and had to rely on Uber Eats more often than not.

These are just some of the many leaked stories that reportedly happened during the Bergevin regime.

[electron58]

Yup. More obvious every day,  that the previous regime was a hypocritical turd.

[jennifer_rocket]

1 hour ago, Regis22 said:

https://awinninghabit.com/2022/03/28/jordan-harris-walked-bergevin-charge/

Canadiens: Jordan Harris Would’ve Walked If Bergevin Were In Charge

 

Many stories have been leaked as to some of the poor decisions Marc Bergevin has taken during his time as the Montreal Canadiens’ general manager. The most glaring is of course the handling of player development. Players such as Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Max Domi, Charlie Lindgren, Michael McNiven and Michael McCarron just to name a few, have taken shots at their former team on the way the Canadiens would develop their players.

Many stories have surfaced as to how they were either put under a tremendous amount of pressure, or have been left to their own demise. Jordan Harris, wanted no part in that kind of treatment.

When teams were put into hotel bubbles during the 2020-21 playoffs, teams would go to lengths to get caterers to supply the players with the adequate nutrition needed in order to remain in peak shape. Canadiens players were left on their own and had to rely on Uber Eats more often than not.

These are just some of the many leaked stories that reportedly happened during the Bergevin regime.

TBH, I wouldn't have blamed Harris if he wanted to walk (if MB was still in charge). MB seemed petty and our prospect development was sketchy. Happy to see how things are going under Gorton and Hughes so far. Getting Harris signed is another success for the new management team. Let's hope he turns into a solid NHLer!

[BigTed3]

Multiple stories coming out about Chantal Machabee telling Caufield he should go and do interviews and be open and show people his true personality, with Caufield replying that this was in opposition to what the previous management group had told him, stating that he should always try to be bland and cliche so that he didn't ruffle any feathers. Reporters saying this basically started with Therrien shutting down the triple low five and then continued from there under Bergevin's regime. I don't think we can comprehend the damage Bergevin and company did to this team in his time here. Thank goodness he's finally gone and we have a group in here that finally seems to understand people.

[jennifer_rocket]

1 hour ago, BigTed3 said:

Multiple stories coming out about Chantal Machabee telling Caufield he should go and do interviews and be open and show people his true personality, with Caufield replying that this was in opposition to what the previous management group had told him, stating that he should always try to be bland and cliche so that he didn't ruffle any feathers. Reporters saying this basically started with Therrien shutting down the triple low five and then continued from there under Bergevin's regime. I don't think we can comprehend the damage Bergevin and company did to this team in his time here. Thank goodness he's finally gone and we have a group in here that finally seems to understand people.

Yeah, purely from a business standpoint, it never made sense to me how it seemed like the players were prohibited from... like... enjoying themselves and being expressive. Subban being an obvious example. It's Montreal. Fans love hockey. Let the players have some fun and express their personalities. It makes the whole experience better for players and fans.

[maas_art]

1 hour ago, BigTed3 said:

Multiple stories coming out about Chantal Machabee telling Caufield he should go and do interviews and be open and show people his true personality, with Caufield replying that this was in opposition to what the previous management group had told him, stating that he should always try to be bland and cliche so that he didn't ruffle any feathers. Reporters saying this basically started with Therrien shutting down the triple low five and then continued from there under Bergevin's regime. I don't think we can comprehend the damage Bergevin and company did to this team in his time here. Thank goodness he's finally gone and we have a group in here that finally seems to understand people.

This is why i wonder if HuGo throws a 1 year offer to PK.  He's (obviously) not the player he once was but could still be an effective #4-6 dman. It would be a great way to say "we're not the old management" and also a nice way to bring closure to a guy who was clearly polarizing but inarguably a huge positive off the ice for the community & the kids of Montreal. If only we didnt have Savard under contract... 

[electron58]

1 hour ago, BigTed3 said:

Multiple stories coming out about Chantal Machabee telling Caufield he should go and do interviews and be open and show people his true personality, with Caufield replying that this was in opposition to what the previous management group had told him, stating that he should always try to be bland and cliche so that he didn't ruffle any feathers. Reporters saying this basically started with Therrien shutting down the triple low five and then continued from there under Bergevin's regime. I don't think we can comprehend the damage Bergevin and company did to this team in his time here. Thank goodness he's finally gone and we have a group in here that finally seems to understand people.

100% in agreement.  I've been advocating this for years. A corporation in the biggest entertainment market in the world, stifling Players from promoting the Team? Are you kidding me? Mr. Molson should have got rid of the previous regime when they thought about trading PK. Actually,  they should have dumped the previous regime, sooner! Unfortunately,  I was always in the minority. 

[jennifer_rocket]

They would've sold a million triple-low-five t-shirts had they ever made them.

[BigTed3]

52 minutes ago, jennifer_rocket said:

They would've sold a million triple-low-five t-shirts had they ever made them.

Maybe. But whether they would have or not, it's just something that adds to the entertainment of the game. It's much easier to sell the game to casual fans when you have players with personality and who put on a show... Kovalev, Subban, Ovechkin, Marchand, etc. Whether you love them or hate them, they create storylines and they draw interest towards the game. Some players are able to bring attention just by their level of play, like Crosby or McDavid, but they also have zero personality, and there's a different group of fans who also want to be entertained by players showing emotion or rivalry and the stories behind the game. Same deal in the NFL, where they tried to limit player celebrations and taunting and so on... but everyone loves a good touchdown dance and team celebration, so come on, if you want to cater to your fans, let it happen. Therrien basically gave a giant finger to fan entertainment just for his own ego so he could try to prove to everyone that he was the boss and made the decisions.

[habsisme]

I don't know if Bergevin really stiffled them but I think we're making to much of an issue with this. I'm all for Caufield being more open but I don't need PKs on my team if I can avoid them. When I go to work, I want to work with people who appreciate me and work as a team, not someone who thinks hockey is a jump off point to celebirty and media. 

Yes, they probably were too grumpy about stuff like this, but its not without reasoning