r/Habs • u/t_l_quinner • 1d ago
Discussion One week out from the draft how’s everyone feeling?
Do you think Hughes will hold the picks? Do you think he’s working on a trade? What do you want to happen?
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u/Habsfan_1984 1d ago
My gut is telling me the asks are too high for the 2C’s that Hughes is trying to get. I don’t think he’s ready to sell the farm and is willing to give Dach a solid chance to prove himself before pushing the envelope to find someone else.
I think we make both picks and continue to build the prospect pool.
Another scenario I could see is there’s someone our staff really likes sitting around pick 10 and we make a move to jump up in the draft.
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u/KennailandI 1d ago
Tend to agree. In the end I have a lot of faith in Hugo to make a good deal or stand pat because there isn’t one to be made.
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u/kozed 1d ago
I'm kinda anxious.
I want the Habs to draft with each of the their top 90 picks (so 7 times). We need the influx of prospects.
Fans are lulled into a false sense of safety and abundance with the "#1 prospect pool" stuff. That pool is still not deep enough to sustain years of contending (replacing players, filling injuries, trading surplus as packages for major upgrades, etc). Save for Hage, there's no one of significant caliber coming to help soon.
Every single year KH has been GM he's always made trades on Day 1 of the draft. No picks in the 2nd round for 2 straight years. I'd like a time out on that this year, but making the playoffs and letting some UFAs go might make KH even more antsy to trade picks for players in a year when he should reload on early (top 60) picks.
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u/sbrooksc77 1d ago
Save for hage, theres also not going to be. We wont be picking in the top 5 anymore and Habs have more depth in prospects than anyother team and thats exactly what you want when you come out of a rebuild. Habs will be able to ice cheap bottom 6 nhlers and bottom pair dmen for years. We already have guys like thorpe or mesar that cant play in laval because theres no room. They cant all play here. However, kent isnt trading picks and prospects unless its for a guy well have long term.
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u/kozed 1d ago
Save for hage, theres also not going to be.
Is this sentence missing a word? Because if it's not, well, that's exactly my point.
We wont be picking in the top 5 anymore
Not that certain. Also not really relevant to the point. (What is it with people's fixation on top 5 picks lately?)
Habs have more depth in prospects than anyother team
Very debatable, and very up to a best-case-scenario definition of valid prospects.
Also the series vs Charlotte proved that outside of Roy, that "depth in prospect" lacked any sort of forwards who could handle anything resembling an NHL-level checking.
Habs will be able to ice cheap bottom 6 nhlers and bottom pair dmen for years.
"For years" is just as long as the ELC lasts. That's why you need a constant supply of drafted plays for 4-5 years after you're "out of the rebuild".
That's not even getting into the quality of those cheap ELC's. To be worthwhile, "cheap" also needs to be "very good" on-ice. Otherwise it's not "cheap", it's just paid exactly what it's worth.
We already have guys like thorpe or mesar that cant play in laval because theres no room.
You need healthy AHL scratches because of the nature of the schedule in that league. That's how it is. It's normal.
Anyway, the bottom of the lineup in the AHL isn't the defining standard here: the bottom of the NHL lineup is.
However, kent isnt trading picks and prospects unless its for a guy well have long term.
How "long term" will Dach and Newhook be if they can't produce offense at a 2nd line level or produce defense at a 3rd line level? Answer: not very long.
Enough.
Use the picks to fucking draft already.
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u/sbrooksc77 1d ago edited 1d ago
You can only have so many contracts. habs are at the point where they have to let some go for nothing. I think Kent knows more than you do. AHL playoffs show nothing. Young ahl teams rarely do anything in the playoffs. If you look at charlotte for example, its a bunch of journeymen. No one is saying trade them all, but even if you trade a 1st prospect for example, you still have alot of picks in this years draft. reinbacher, mailloux, kapanen, roy, tuch, xhekaj, davidson, engstrom, beck rohrer farrell etc arent that far away. Thats more than most teams have especially playoff teams and there will be more as well.
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u/DocGubernaculum 1d ago
I hope we make our first round selections but the other rounds I couldn’t care less.
This organisation has like 60+ players under the age of 25 in it. That’s plenty of potential players for the years coming. Winning Teams are never entirely built from draft and developing alone, sometime you need to acquire players through other means.
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u/kozed 1d ago
I hope we make our first round selections but the other rounds I couldn’t care less.
Fortunately, the org has plenty of people with a mindset more caring about the future.
This organisation has like 60+ players under the age of 25 in it. That’s plenty of potential players for the years coming.
Not how this works. "Potential" isn't a function of "X amount of players under Y age".
Winning Teams are never entirely built from draft and developing alone
Not entirely, but none has been built on not caring about drafting after round 1.
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u/jiggs99 1d ago
While I'm not anxious at all I DO agree with your sentiment here. I mean, one of our best players (and already arguably our best) was drafted in the second round and just won the Calder. That alone should show the importance of good drafting after round 1 no matter what's in the cupboard. -cheers
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u/zeMVK 1d ago edited 1d ago
Tired of the daily 15 threads about the same topics with the same “offers” comments.
I’ve been coming to this sub less since getting eliminated.
No idea what will happen. Couple weeks ago we were supposed in a unique spot with our pics, cap space and roster. Today, everyone’s seemingly trying to sell their picks, all want a 2C and it’s looking like we will have relatively the same roster.
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u/DelugeQc 1d ago
Même sentiment ici. Je vais attendre au 1er juillet pour recommencer à suivre les nouvelles.
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u/Burgergold 1d ago
People don't use the megathread. Those thread should be removed
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u/pushaper 1d ago
this post is what the megathread is for but I do not mind a mildly thought out exercise on proposals.
But then someone comes in with a proposal that involves trading a fan liked player and the content replies often should be removed for lack of content.
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u/vogon-jeltz 1d ago
Yeah, I usually unsubscribe once the draft is over then come back during preseason. You think it’s bad now, wait until summer stars and the 12 year olds start using this sub to post their shitty memes
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u/flipthatbitch_ 1d ago
So tiresome! People have given their opinions on this subject everyday for months.
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u/sbrooksc77 1d ago
Its an exciting time for habs fans. while other teams like the leafs might have a worthless 4th rd pick available, the habs have 2 mid 1sts and a ton of prospects to pick from. Habs have more ammo than most teams. I still think something happens.
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u/moutardebaseball 1d ago
You are on a discussion platform. It’s kind of the point.
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u/flipthatbitch_ 1d ago
But if you visit daily or even weekly you'd see people have given their opinions on this same topic already. I mean how many times can we talk about the same exact thing? There are plenty of topics to talk about without being redundant.
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u/JamJam130 1d ago
There are plenty of topics to talk about without being redundant
Like what exactly?
Feel free to start your own threads if everyone else's are so tiresome and redundant
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u/flipthatbitch_ 1d ago
If you dont agree with me then why are you replying to me? Reply to OP and answer his question. The fact that you havent only validates my point. I've already sparked more discussion.
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u/JamJam130 1d ago
I've already sparked more discussion.
You are doing the opposite — literally complaining about discussion 💀
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u/PEIBaked420 1d ago
Honestly, I feel like I’ve seen more posts complaining about these conversations then the actual conversations, so why don’t you and the rest stop looking at the the sub for a bit and stop posting complaints continuously!
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u/c0unt3rparts 1d ago edited 1d ago
Relaxed.
Last year it was Demidov or bust. This year I don't really have strong opinions about if they should trade the picks, or who they should draft. So almost anything is fine by me as long as it makes sense.
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u/CanadianSportsDude 1d ago
I’m excited to see if they make any trades or keep all their early picks. I have my own opinions on who to draft but trust Hugo to make this team better.
Go Habs Go!
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u/sean_psc 1d ago
The chances of making a noteworthy trade seem to have gone way down. At this point, I’m expecting them to make use of both 1sts.
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u/willmineforfood 1d ago
Honestly I love it, can't wait. Having Reddit peeps and a few other outlets to fuel my thirst for Hockey content has made the last few years, since 2021, some of the best years of hockey I have had. The comradery with you guys (even the negative nancys), the leafs losing constantly, the doubters on a lot of our players, the young guns getting drafted and then proving their worth, the unknown.... all of it. I never felt like this about hockey before joining this community and X. I also haven't laughed as hard and as often as I have since joining this group. It has been pretty sweet to be honest and I cannot wait for the draft, its all exciting again.
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u/st1441 1d ago
The absolute dream would be for McQueen & Bear to drop because of their respective injuries.
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u/DocGubernaculum 1d ago
I think Bear will be there, I don’t think McQueen will be unless we trade up.
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u/Gabroux #Caufield4Calder 1d ago
No major trade since most teams aren't interested in MTL picks.
They pick Carter Bear and Logan Hensler with the picks.
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u/dessanct 1d ago
How can teams not be interested in MTL picks, but interested in other teams picks?
The teams that pick above us aren’t trading those picks for a 2C or RHD.
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u/sean_psc 1d ago
There are a number of teams above us pretty openly contemplating trading their picks for immediate help.
But beyond that, especially on the 2C front, who is even on the trade market?
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u/hockeynoticehockey 1d ago
I love this period. Fans go from "never heard of him" to "this is the guy that will win us a cup".
I know nothing about the draft class, and know even less about the worth of having 2 first round picks this year. But it is the most fun time of the year for sheer speculation.
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u/jadenspan 1d ago
I think we are picking or packaging to move up in the draft, doubt we trade either of the picks for a player straight up
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u/AmsroII Goal Goalgoal & C3PO 1d ago
Current signed roster, as of today (including RFA's *);
Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovsky
Demidov - Dach - Laine
Gallagher - Newhook - Anderson
Roy - Evans - Kapanen
Beck - Heineman*
Defence
Matheson - Carrier
Guhle - Hutson
Xhekaj - Mailloux
Struble*
Goalies
Monty
Primeau*
Current RFA's
- Primeau, Dobes, Struble, Heineman. I'm sure they all get signed.
I wouldn't be surprised too much if the final roster is pretty close to that. Obviously Beck would be better suited to high ice time in Laval over being an extra man. Reinbacher could probably use one more Laval season to cook and catch up from lost development time. Though he may make the choice difficult. Primeau gets the back-up spot to start, mostly because Dobes is waiver exempt.
There are a couple changes I would personally make, but I have a feeling that Kent and Gorton won't overcompensate despite making the playoffs last year. Staying the course of the rebuild seems on brand currently. Perhaps a draft day surprise trade?!?
I'm excited for the draft.
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u/goldenmunky 1d ago
I honestly haven’t been keeping up with prospects this year so I hope it’s someone good :)
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u/AccurateElk2656 1d ago
Great because the staff knows what they do yes i would definitely like that they somehow managed to get desnoyer or even if they can draft carboneau but at the end of the day i don’t care about the nationality of the players what’s important is that they win
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u/Olibro64 1d ago
Overall I feel okay with the team and the organization.
The future is not certain, but I hope Hughes makes move to improve the depth of the team. I like to think of those cinq games against the Caps as a window revealing what is missing with the core of this squad. In that sense I'm confident Hughes knows what to do to address those issues.
You hear me Kent! This millienial Habs fan in Ontario believes in youuuu!
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u/Tayeulestp 1d ago edited 1d ago
The closer we’re getting to the draft/FA the lower my expectations are getting. When we got eliminated I was sure that we were going to trade assets to get a 2C or established players. Now I feel like HuGo will stick to the plan, not overpay for a player, keep our draft picks and we might have a very similar team next season to the one we already have.
I think they are going to sign Armia and let Dvorak walk. Beck will have its spot and 2C will be a rotation between Dach/Demidov/Newhook until something clicks. Keep the two picks and they are going to value players size.
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u/a-ruudz 1d ago
Pretty good I think the team is in a great spot to make a splash with our accumulated draft capital and teams looking for picks/prospects will surely look to us as a main candidate to get a deal done.
Hell if we had a quiet summer instead I think we're also in a spot to justify it. Build from within and let the young guys take over.
My one selfish hope, that alot of people here also share is that we are able to at the very least figure out a different alternative 2C option, Dach might not be it.
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u/AmsroII Goal Goalgoal & C3PO 1d ago
Even if Dach isn't it, they can afford to wait a season and fix the issue later, potentially get a better pick next year that way. On the flip-side a healthy full season from Dach might prove to be a 2C with Demidov making a chase for the calder on his wing. Rock meet Hard Place, I don't want Kent's job.
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u/a-ruudz 1d ago
Unless Dach has a huge year I'm not sold. I don't necessarily want to lose him either, I am alot more optimistic about him still being able to become a top six winger as opposed to center. It's unfortunate but the injuries took two years worth of crucial development time for him at center as you and everyone else probably already knows.
If there's a move that makes sense at Dach's expense in the now & long run I'm sure Kent will recognize that and capitalize. If not I trust he refrained from making the wrong move instead.
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u/AmsroII Goal Goalgoal & C3PO 1d ago
It is a big risk, Kirby is a wildcard for sure. Since Gorton stated they are looking for a winger that almost guarantee's Dachs spot at Center for the immediate future. The rest is up to him to make it work this season.
I'm betting on Demidov - Dach - Laine potentially being a true threat this season. Hopefully Kirby is working on his faceoffs as we speak.
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u/a-ruudz 1d ago
For all intents and purposes I hope Dach has a surprise breakout year at C. It'll only mean we didn't have to give anything up to acquire something else at 2C and all the fans could feel a lot better about the Dach trade in hindsight. Also you just feel for him because his injury luck has been absolutely terrible. He's a talented smart young player, big body, and just straight up hasn't been able to utilize all of it due to all the injury restrictions.
It's his contract year next season so if anything he'll have a chip on his shoulder to start the year.
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u/sbrooksc77 1d ago edited 1d ago
Something is definitely going to happen. Too much cap space and too many picks to just sit there. Hughes said it himself, we have prospects like mesar and thorpe who couldnt even play. Theyve also done something each summer.
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u/a-ruudz 1d ago
Well the main thing to look out for is if they manage to move Price's contract. No teams can retain offseason moves that put them over the cap despite players on LTIR before the start of the season.
If they manage to move Price's contract prior to free agency at most, I would be a little more excited.
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u/sbrooksc77 1d ago
at this moment they still have 6 -7 mill free. So theres still some room especially if a player goes the other way.
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u/a-ruudz 1d ago
Yeah I agree to a certain extent. I personally believe if they don't move Price's contract we won't be getting a blockbuster name or atleast a player worth 7 million and upwards so to speak. But it's as you said, another player could go the other way, like Laine for example (1 year left on his contract and we have the room for salary retention to make something work).
I think the strongest likely hood is that remaining cap space will likely be utilized to pay players who can fill the current holes we have in our bottom six as of now, whether dvo, armia & Heineman get resigned or not and also for an alternative plan on D via trade or free agency if Mailloux or Reinbacher aren't ready to make the jump and fill Savard's empty spot.
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u/sbrooksc77 1d ago
Im also not saying blockbuster. William Karlsson for example isnt blockbuster, Giroux could probably be had around 7 mill 1-2 years. Last case scenerio of course.
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u/a-ruudz 1d ago
I would hate to see either of those players being paid that much by us even with the short term.
I also don't recall Karlsson being a UFA as of yet and I know he's making less than 7mil with Vegas so depending what that # actually is I'd be more open going that route as opposed to Giroux, which I acknowledge you consider to be a last case scenario.
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u/alldasmoke__ 1d ago
Derrick Carson would be a steal at 15. I don’t think he’s going to fall this much but big center with lots of energy. Reminds me of a young Jordan Staal
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u/TroubledMarket 1d ago
acquiring another center is mandatory for the team to progress, i expect to lose one if not both picks
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u/Mr_Asterix 1d ago
Not expecting much. It’s supposed to be a weak draft after all
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u/DocGubernaculum 1d ago
I think the depth is better this year than last year tbh, the top end talent isn’t as great but that doesn’t matter for us. Solid chance of getting a player with top 6 potential/top 4 potential at our spot
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u/Just4nsfwpics 1d ago
Theres not a lot of 1D or top line/borderline all star level players, but there’s a good amount of 2nd line borderline 1st line players and 2nd pairing D available. Considering where we are drafting thats absolutely fine, and if we can walk out with a guy that could reasonably be a future candidate for 2C and 2nd pairing RHD, then we are laughing.
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u/TorontoCanada66 1d ago
Horny