Montreal Canadiens

[ericdaoust]

Habs will be selling low so of course the return will be underwhelming.

[ericdaoust]

Rick Dudley leaves Canadiens to become Hurricanes' VP of hockey operations

[Thunder]

For all I know, he may be a very competent guy, but I'm glad he's gone. It's time for fresh ideas and a new perspective. Not sure if his departure was his idea or if it was a "mutual" decision, but I'm hopin Bergevin benefits from not being surrounded by all the usual suspects going forward.

[ericdaoust]

Lukas Vejdemo signs ELC with Canadiens

[fungchen3]

I don't see the Canadiens moving the #3 pick. According to most, this is a 3-tiered draft ...

TIER 1: Dahlin
TIER 2: Svechnikov and Zadina
TIER 3: Everyone else

If the Canadiens drop out of the 2nd tier they darn better get a good return and be proven right. If they pass on Zadina and he becomes the next David Pastrnak, they will revolt on St. Catherines Street. The scary thing is, I have this feeling they are going to pick Tkachuk at 3 - which is risky, but Tkachuk has good skill and will win the fans over with his physical play, which the Habs lack.

[Thunder]

The Habs also lack goal scoring, which tends to be an important component of winning in a game designed around the basic concept of outscoring the opponent.

If you're going to pass on the guy who scored 40+ goals for a guy who scored only 8, you better be damn sure about what you're doing.

[newfcollins]

I think they're going to choose a dman. If they do that, they better trade down to try to pick up an asset.

[Thunder]

Bergevin swung and missed a couple of times with bold moves (Subban and Sergachev). At this juncture, a smart man would probably go along with the consensus and use the pick on Zadina. Harder for people to blame you in case of failure when you go for the consensus pick. Another gamble that doesn't pay off may well be the third strike.

[fungchen3]

Bergevin swung and missed a couple of times with bold moves (Subban and Sergachev). At this juncture, a smart man would probably go along with the consensus and use the pick on Zadina. Harder for people to blame you in case of failure when you go for the consensus pick. Another gamble that doesn't pay off may well be the third strike.

This is exactly how I feel. Yet, we're talking about Bergevin. Zadina or Svechnikov, if he slips to 3, are absolutely the safe choices.
The Habs can't afford to mess this one up.

[Thunder]

This is exactly how I feel. Yet, we're talking about Bergevin. Zadina or Svechnikov, if he slips to 3, are absolutely the safe choices.
The Habs can't afford to mess this one up.

Oh, it's definitely a possibility. That said, my understanding is that Timmins is usually allowed to make the call.

[fungchen3]

Oh, it's definitely a possibility. That said, my understanding is that Timmins is usually allowed to make the call.

Well, I think these are the only feasible options:

1. The Canes pass on Svechnikov and the 2nd best prospect falls to the Habs; they take him.
2. The Habs take the consensus choice in Zadina.
3. The Habs take a gamble and select Tkachuk based on bloodlines, scoring ability, and the notion they want to get bigger and stronger. Tkachuk is Shayne Corson 2.0 or better.
4. The Habs address D and go for the swift-skating Hughes, the dynamic Boqvist, or the heavy-handed Bouchard.
5. The Habs trade down a few spots and take a D plus add a future 1st or additional 2nd in the draft.
6. The Habs move the pick for a youngish, "proven" center (Nugent-Hopkins type).

Unfortunately, they need to make this call before they can test free agency and target particular players.
I mean, say after taking Dahlin, Buffalo wants to make a huge splash and unite WJ standouts Mittelstadt and Tkachuk, so they offer Montreal ...

Pick 32
Sam Reinhart
Marco Scandella
Cliff Pu

... does Bergevin turn that down?
The Habs have notoriously drafted well in the 2nd round but not so much in the 1st, recently. They also pick 35 and 38, so they could really clean up early in the 2nd round.

As for the Sabres, could you imagine a young core of ...

Eichel
Mittelstadt
Tkachuk
Nylander
Dahlin
Ristolainen

That's sweetness.

[Jouko-Pouko]

NHL scouts seem to believe that there's some separation between Svechnikov and Zadina, and Zadina is actually almost equal to Tkachuk. Based on TSN Draft Ranking, tiers are actually:
Tier 1: Dahlin
Tier 2: Svechnikov
Tier 3: Zadina and Tkachuk
Tier 4: Bouchard
Tier 5: Boqvist, Wahlstrom and Dobson
Tier 6: Hughes
Tier 7: Kotkaniemi
Tier 8: Veleno, Hayton, Smith
Tier 9: Farabee
Tier 10: Kravtsov and Denisenko

[ericdaoust]

This discussion about tiers has reached a tier of its own!

[rufio.85]

Well, I think these are the only feasible options:

1. The Canes pass on Svechnikov and the 2nd best prospect falls to the Habs; they take him.
2. The Habs take the consensus choice in Zadina.
3. The Habs take a gamble and select Tkachuk based on bloodlines, scoring ability, and the notion they want to get bigger and stronger. Tkachuk is Shayne Corson 2.0 or better.
4. The Habs address D and go for the swift-skating Hughes, the dynamic Boqvist, or the heavy-handed Bouchard.
5. The Habs trade down a few spots and take a D plus add a future 1st or additional 2nd in the draft.
6. The Habs move the pick for a youngish, "proven" center (Nugent-Hopkins type).

Unfortunately, they need to make this call before they can test free agency and target particular players.
I mean, say after taking Dahlin, Buffalo wants to make a huge splash and unite WJ standouts Mittelstadt and Tkachuk, so they offer Montreal ...

Pick 32
Sam Reinhart
Marco Scandella
Cliff Pu

... does Bergevin turn that down?
The Habs have notoriously drafted well in the 2nd round but not so much in the 1st, recently. They also pick 35 and 38, so they could really clean up early in the 2nd round.

As for the Sabres, could you imagine a young core of ...

Eichel
Mittelstadt
Tkachuk
Nylander
Dahlin
Ristolainen

That's sweetness.

Interesting scenario. Let's not forget Pacioretty.
Lots of possibilities with that chip in play, including acquiring an extra first.
If Patches is indeed on the move, I can't believe that Bergevin will actually go for a dman when Zadina (or Svechnikov?) is available at 3.

[ericdaoust]

Jake Evans has sports hernia surgery, out 3 months. He'll be in camp but I'd say this makes it less likely he'll be a preseason standout.

Seems like everyone in the organization is having offseason surgery...