Montreal Canadiens
- Thread starter Fun For All
- Start date
Thank fuck that's over...I already had the noose around my head and was just figuring out who I wanted to kick the chair out.
The referee made sure Ovechkin would win this series. Usually, the refs kind of level things out as the games go on. Not this time.
Hahaha...holy fuck...referees are always against the Habs, they never get the breaks.
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A very positive year for the Canadiens, becoming a playoff team, and growing one of the top farm systems. They may have hit a home run with Demidov at #5 last summer.
Looks like they will have about $12m of cap space heading into next year, and they already have a full 20 man squad in place at $77M or so. So they have plenty of flexibiity this offseason. And they have 2 first round picks and 3 second rounders at the draft.
Forwards - They lose Armia and Dvorak from their squad last night, but they are replaced by Dach and Laine. They have a few prospects like Beck and Roy who could also make the jump.
Defence - They lose David Savard to retirement, but he is replaced by Xhekaj, Reinbacher or Mailloux in the top 6.
Goalies - Montembault and Dobes are solid, and you have Jacob Fowler who some consider the top goalie prospect in the world just signed out of the NCAA who can hopefully become the starter by 26/27 or 27/28.
What will the Canadiens do with the $12M?
I see them acquiring two pieces
- My guess is a #4-#6 type veteran D that will cost around $3-$4M to replace Savard to insulate the youth.... I think they will continue to ride Hutson, Matheson, and Guhle, as their top 3 D, followed by Carrier.
- A second line centre. Provides an option to move Dach to Centre or Wing - don't think they can project Dach as a top 6 forward anymore.
But if they want to acquire a higher player on D or up front, they certaintly can do it. They have cap space, prospects and picks.
Can even dump Laine's contract even needed.
Looks like they will have about $12m of cap space heading into next year, and they already have a full 20 man squad in place at $77M or so. So they have plenty of flexibiity this offseason. And they have 2 first round picks and 3 second rounders at the draft.
Forwards - They lose Armia and Dvorak from their squad last night, but they are replaced by Dach and Laine. They have a few prospects like Beck and Roy who could also make the jump.
Defence - They lose David Savard to retirement, but he is replaced by Xhekaj, Reinbacher or Mailloux in the top 6.
Goalies - Montembault and Dobes are solid, and you have Jacob Fowler who some consider the top goalie prospect in the world just signed out of the NCAA who can hopefully become the starter by 26/27 or 27/28.
What will the Canadiens do with the $12M?
I see them acquiring two pieces
- My guess is a #4-#6 type veteran D that will cost around $3-$4M to replace Savard to insulate the youth.... I think they will continue to ride Hutson, Matheson, and Guhle, as their top 3 D, followed by Carrier.
- A second line centre. Provides an option to move Dach to Centre or Wing - don't think they can project Dach as a top 6 forward anymore.
But if they want to acquire a higher player on D or up front, they certaintly can do it. They have cap space, prospects and picks.
Can even dump Laine's contract even needed.
@maurice93 - I always enjoy reading your posts on the Habs and the NHL.
You never can predict with certainty the NHL career arc of young players - but the Habs have a core of promising young players (Demidov, Hutson, Guhle, Slafkovsky) proven still young players (Suzuki, Caulfield) and some just finished in the NCAA (Fowler, Hage)
Performance is hardest to project for goalies but I am hoping that Jacob Fowler is the second coming of Ken Dryden as a college goalie who becomes a solid NHL goaltender.
As you said with their high 2025 draft picks and good Cap Space the future could be very bright for the Habs.
You never can predict with certainty the NHL career arc of young players - but the Habs have a core of promising young players (Demidov, Hutson, Guhle, Slafkovsky) proven still young players (Suzuki, Caulfield) and some just finished in the NCAA (Fowler, Hage)
Performance is hardest to project for goalies but I am hoping that Jacob Fowler is the second coming of Ken Dryden as a college goalie who becomes a solid NHL goaltender.
As you said with their high 2025 draft picks and good Cap Space the future could be very bright for the Habs.
Yeah I tend to agree with this. Laine is a one trick pony. Give him the puck on the power play and outside of that he is a liability on the ice. Too much inconsistencies with him. Dach also needs to go, he's a glass cannon.
But that's the last year in his contract, then he is UFA. I say try to trade him before the next trade deadline, even if all you get is a couple late draft picks it's better than letting him walk or incurring a penalty for buying out.
Might be a hard time to find s team that wants to pick up a contract like that, Habs would have to eat some of it.
Maybe he'll have a decent year in his UFA year so he can get another contract.
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Which one are you in that photo? My money is that you are the guy on the right !!!
Well Montreal certainly has the cap space to do that with. At this point if you could get a 5th or 6th round draft pick for him I'd say it's a good return, even if you have to retain half his cap for one year
Laine will be a contract buy out I think. Will probably goplay in Europe.
Its not the fact that he can score bangers here and there. Its the fact he creates turnovers all the time...
The Habs have young players... they often had Susuki, Caufield, Slaf, Hudson and Demidov on same line during playoffs. Average age of 20!
There is little chance that the Habs buyout Laine. The problem is that a buyout would extend Laine's cap hit into 2026/2027 which the Canadiens do not want to do with the extension of Hutson coming that year.
A buyout of Laine means the following:
- Save $2.3M in pure cash
- Save $4.7M in cap space in 2025/2026
- Lose $2.4M in cap space in 2026/2027
The Habs value that $2.4m of cap space in 26/27, more than the $4.7M of cap space in 2025/2026.
The much more likely scenario is that the Habs trade Laine (and say a 3rd and 6th) with up to 50% salary retention. Perhaps they even dangle the 2nd rounder they got from Columbus for taking on Laine in the first place to lower that retention.
They still save as much cap space in 25/26 ($4.3 million, or more if they can eat less than 50%) and there would be no cap hit in 26/27.
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The Habs are now moving out of the asset acquisition stage (accumulating youth and picks) and moving into the asset consolidation stage where you bring in a few veterans and where the cap starts to become more of an issue as you try to build a team that fits.
Hughes did well in the asset accumulation stage... made some shrewd moves like the Monahan trade (in and out). The Newhook trade was a miss. Got really lucky with Demidov, that other teams passed on him. Hutson and Fowler seem like home run picks in the 2nd. Slaf was OK at #1 I suppose, because it was a weak draft. Got the extensions done at good numbers for the most part.
But many a GM have been unable to take a team to the elite level once they need to worry about the cap and fit -- and once Hutson and Demidov are extended in a few years we will be there, Hughes is helped by Anderson and Gallagher rolling off in a few years, And a number of good contract hits... I think of all our long term contracts the only one that looks like it might not be a hit is Slaf (and it still might be)
Might as well keep Dach.
Dach's only has a $3M cap hit next year which based on 22/23 he can play up to (of course he has been a mess since). They can still use a center or a winger to fill in for Dvorak/Laine/Armia and it will be a prove it year for Dach,
But 25/26 might be it for him in Montreal once his contract is up.
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No to a buyout - buyout impacts 26/27 cap space which would be a bad outcome for Habs. Trade with retention (and a few middling picks) is the better option.
They will certainly have to eat some -- even up to 50% -- and they will probably need to throw in a pick or two
I think Laine + 3rd + 6th + 40% retained probably gets something done (maybe they could do a bit better than that,, less picks or retention). The Habs got a 2nd from Columbus for taking on the full contract.
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