@jpsnow13 @just_a_guess @drambui

@shanesaw9 @koskinen_the_great @blazingbat11

Thoughts guys ?

if mtl wants to compete at that time, i expect gallagher is gone. most likely bought out. in 2 years i expect to have a bit more prospect up (hopefully roy at the very least). it really depend how fast the guys are developping.

its clear hughes doesnt want to rebuild for too long (with the dach and newhook trades), i bet we finish bottom 8 this year and try to make a push with one or 2 ufa signing the year after.

General thoughts:

In 3 seasons, Gally will be 34 and done. Placing him on LTIR opens a spot for Roy/Mesar/Rohrer

Evans and Kovacevic will be replaced by guys on ELCs for sure. That makes place for Kapanen/Davidson/Kidney and Mailloux/Hutson/Engstrom

Matheson and/or Harris will be gone IMO. Prime trading assets.

This team needs a big left handed C/LW (if you switch Caufield and Slaf). I'm not sold on Heineman yet.

Montembault will be worth +$5M as a hometown UFA. See Ullmark, Husso, Merzlikins... If I'm KH, I give it to him as the free agent market will be poop. Still need a back up though...

Finally, is Dach 1C in 3 years? He might be...

I think by 2025-2026 one of Anderson and Gally will be gone. I think that they will make a shot at a big ufa. If Nylander becomes available Mtl should gave him is 10millions. Nylander have been a clutch players for the Leafs and always play extremely great at Bell center. By then Joshua Roy will be on the roster. Also if Montembeault get a hot start Mtl will try to sign him for 5 years. That will gave them a security before they found a another option.

Habs already finished bottom 5 in 2023
But bottom 5 again in 2024 is still a possibility

I also think Gallagher will be LTIRed in 2025-2026.

I like Kapanen a lot, but I think it’s too earlier for him
Kidney … maybe he’ll be in Laval top 6 in two years
Rohrer will be in his first or second season with Laval, not expecting him any time soon to fight for a roster spot
Mesar needs time, but he has talent. Still too early for him IMO
I don’t think Davidson signs an ELC after this year. It will depend how it goes in the AHL
Roy on the other hand could be ready, replacing Gallagher

I expect Montembeault to sign a two years deal after this season around 3M, to know what we have in him. I think he is dog****, but he played decent halfway through the season

If the Leafs can magically place Murray on LTIR when he was perfectly healthy on the bench in the playoffs, I'm sure Gallagher will hang them up in a few years. Carey Price probably is holding his spot for team softball in Kelowna.

I chuckled when Grant McCagg had ranked Kapanen in front of Beck and of course is Mailloux at number 1! Controversy creates cash..

I have no idea what Slafkovsky will be! I have never been a fan. His hockey awareness wasn't there last season. He's slimed down quite a bit *supposedly* so hopefully his on ice vision/instincts can improve otherwise he will have a short career.

Heineman might be the most interesting prospect coming up besides Sean Farrell when it comes to floor onwards to a ceiling. Both could be top6 mainstays or fizzle out completely. I, admittedly, didnt watch any of developmental camp but what I heard was that Luke Tuch looked legit.

They have some decisions on defence. Not sold on Barron looks like a decent puck mover with some defensive prowess but not sure he will be a solution in the long run. They are probably going to try Guhle on the right this season. Guhle/Matheson might be a pair going forward. Matheson probably is dealt in one of the next 2 trade deadlines. I'm sure that was an idea when Hughes traded for Mike but he's been so good as 'the guy' in Montreal tho he wont be moved unless the price is big and it should be if he repeats his last season. Hard to see Hutson/Reinbacher not being a pair going forward. They had good chemistry at camp and liked playing with each other. Their attributes blend well together.

Fowler in nets is an intriguing potential solution.

The Habs absolutely need a top3 pick this year and a high end forward like Celebrini or Ivan Demidov otherwise i dont see them competing with Buffalo or Ottawa. They need some luck here in the lottery to be anything close to a contender in the coming years.

I heard Armia has been trashing the Habs over in Finland. Would be nice to get a mutual contract termination there.

I agree chances are high Gallagher will be LTIRetired, but if not, depending on his production, he could very well be bought out if Habs are going for it and are competitive in the playoffs.

With 1 year left, Price’s contract could be moved to a bottom feeder needing to get to the cap floor, or a contender looking to utilize LTIR.

You also have to imagine that not all prospects are going to hit AND/OR some of the current youth on the team won’t “improve”. So I’d have to guess there will be veteran players signed or acquired via trade sprinkled on the roster.

Goaltending NEEDS to be better by 2025-26. Monty has improved, but I still don’t buy into him becoming a clear cut 1A starting G, and none of the goalie prospects we have really stand out *yet* to be confident they can split the net with him either.


So for this lineup, my guesses would be guys like Ylonen, Gallagher, Evans at forward and 1 or 2 of the current D squad (not necessarily Matheson) won’t be with the team anymore, and a vet goalie will signed or acquired via trade to complement Monty or be the designated “#1 goalie”.

Wouldn’t surprise me either if Anderson is traded at some point too, with the salary cap increasing exponentially over the next few years, his cap hit will become more and more digestible for teams. Although I’d still prefer keeping him.

@koskinen_the_great @blazingbat11
I will answer you here instead of quoting everything

Koskinen : I like Kapanen floor, he could be the answer at 4C. But he is clearly not ahead of Beck in my book. I’m not sold on Mailloux at all, but neither on Barron. I just wish one of those two becomes a top 4 dman. Reinbachcer-Mailloux/Barron-Mailloux/Barron. I watched the game ‘au camp de perfectionnement’, Luke Tuch stands out physically, but he has ZERO vision. He is a North-South power forward, like Josh Anderson. But he got 4th line potential, which I didn’t see before. Who stands out were : Lane Hutson, Adam Engstrom & William Trudeau. Jayden Struble & Luke Tuch were solid. People say the Hutson-Reinbacher pairing looked good, but that’s bull****. It could have been Hutson & me and people would have said the same. Armia just said he doesn’t like MTL media, not a big deal. I agree, MTL need a top 3 pick, but I don’t think we will get it.

Blazingbat : I agree with pretty much everything you said

Gally will not Be on the team at this point. We would definitely spend money on a FA top 6 winger which would displace Anderson back to the 3rd line. I think ylonen needs looks and minutes or he will be useless as well, he’s a top 9 or bust type player.

There’s no good FA in two years outside Rantanen but he isn’t leaving COL. Next year there’s a couple of good UFA : Nylander, Marchesseault, for exemple

They should throw a bag at those type of guys. The versatility of newhook and dach as a top 6 pieces means they can go for top centres or wingers as they see fit

I wouldnt worry too much about the Habs place in the standings. Yes, they had a lot of injuries but many factors are working against them in the coming year. They are still not close to the playoff bubble. They are 'improved' but they weren't in a lot of games last season and when they were in games it was cause of goaltending, a lot of the times. They will may be in more games but the results will be more or less the same maybe even worse. This will be the toughest season on the players psyche as last season there were no expectations but they are all expected to leap forward this year. Just look at teams like the Senators that have had it tough getting over the hump with expectations growing. We will really see the leadership in the dressing room tested with such a young team. I expect a bottom 5 finish in the overall standings and dead last in the East next to Philly.

I agree with everything you said, let’s hope MTL ends up with a top 5 pick