Looks like the habs will be on the outside looking in again. A backup goalie is not the only thing keeping this team out of the playoffs.

i guess the line parings themselves are decent though, and what this focuses on.

yep the main thing is price. That contract and that playstyle are big uh ohs.

I'd be happy if that's all that happened.

I can't live with another Niemi or Kinkaid type of year

I don't trust that this roster will just magically fill in and become good. None of these players are true top liners. It's a team of middle six guys and prospects with 2nd line potential at best. Romanov will be a nice addition and the blue line has filled in good, however, this is a team desperate for a trade or a signing and the fans won't admit how bad they need it.

Honestly, that Domi contract would make me pretty uncomfortable.

Ylonen just arrived in North America, and didn't have the time to play a single game in Laval. He will most certainly not play in the NHL this year (or at least, at the start of the season). I would like to see Josh Anderson in this spot, maybe acquired with a trade.

Except MTL wasn't that far out of the running, they got 1 win out of Kinkaid this season (he let in 5 goals that game...)

hate to break it to you, but this team is a lot further than the fanbase admits it to be. Evaluate the competition and their rosters.

Not having a true elite forward is a bit loss, especially given your top line on most other teams is a 2nd line. You have 3 2nd lines. That's not enough.

Agreed, I think bigger moves are overdue down the line. But no secondary goaltending is a non-starter. It should be the number one priority for MTL this summer. (I'd rather see Primeau play in Laval next season and Lindgren is one of a dozen 'meh' AHL goalies)

Suzuki Drouin Domi and even Kotkaniemi have top line potential, we could argue Gallagher is a first liner. MTL won’t be contending next year or the year after, they just need to let the kids develop, that’s it

Suzuki doesn't seem like the top end guy to carry a team. I would compare him to Hertl as an above average 2nd liner that can't quite take over the top line. Kotka is too hard to know about, but he also seems like 2nd line quality.
Domi is coming off a down year and appears to be capped at a 2nd line position. Drouin might have top line left in him, but that's a stretch.

These might be "your" first liners, but on most any other team, not one of these players makes the top line if the lines are arranged by skill.

My point isn't to say the habs suck, it's to say that they need to do something more and aren't. Everyone seems so happy with a roster that is destined to be bottom feeding again.

We CAN’T have top end talent, no FA wants to come here and we almost never draft in the top5 ( KK and Galchenuyk )

That's why pieces like Tatar and Domi (lehkonen too) should be moved. You get the pieces to make an even larger trade. That's the mentality Vegas and other teams in the playoff race have been doing for a while. They sell one piece, then combine the return to get something better.

I do see what you mean with no FA wanting to go there, that's tough luck - but if you look at some of the best teams, they are often not built around free agency.

They are built around the draft ( WpG ) : Scheifele Laine Ehlers Morrissey Connor etc MTL always need to be in the playoffs so have late pick, WPG draft Scheifele in 2011 ( 7 OA ) Trouba in 2012 ( 9 OA ) Morrissey in 2013 ( 13 OA ) Ehlers in 2014 ( 9 OA ) Connor in 2015 ( 17 OA ) Laine in 2016 ( 2 OA ) holy **** Kotkaniemi 2018 good, Caufield 2019 good, Rossi/Perfetti in 2020 good, but people are complaining, hey stfu and wait