Love how fans don't even put one of the few 20 goal scorers on this team in the top 9.

As for Habs being terrible down the middle, Chucky will bounce back and play like a legit top6 center.

Danault is the new plek and will be just fine in between Patches and Drouin
- WaterBoy

Right now Habs have too much 2nd-3rd line small wingers...I think one of Gallagher-Byron-Shaw needs to go for picks/prospects. Maybe Byron could fetch something decent considering his contract and the season he had last year.

P.S. Danault is the new Plek with a lot less offense...

I would bet the farm that Drouin starts the season on Patches line.
- WaterBoy

Would make a lot of sense, a Patch-Drouin duo could be pretty lethal.

I would bet the farm that Drouin starts the season on Patches line.
- WaterBoy

You have a farm?

Right now Habs have too much 2nd-3rd line small wingers...I think one of Gallagher-Byron-Shaw needs to go for picks/prospects. Maybe Byron could fetch something decent considering his contract and the season he had last year.

P.S. Danault is the new Plek with a lot less offense...
- BashCH

Yeah.. let's trade the only other (frank)ing player that scored 20 goals last season...

Shaw's a 3rd liner.
I'd say Gallagher might never recover from those hand injuries and if so, that also makes him a 3rd liner.

You have a farm?
- pete26

Old McDonald's


And yes... There's a family farm.

If I were a Hab fan I'd be worried.
They do not have a #1 centre. It could be argued they do not have #2 centre either.
They lost Radulov and Markov and essentially replacing them with Alzner and Drouin. Those moves do not make them better.

They traded their top young D prospect for a young winger. Then immediately signed the promising young winger to a big contract.

Their farm system is seen as one of the weakest in the NHL in 2017.
- BernardShakey

As a Hab fan, I'm not worried

I'm confident that Chucky will grow into that #1C role. The offensive production is there, he just needs to get better defensively. A full year under CJ should hopefully do the trick.

Danault is clearly growing into a solid if not great #2C (replacing Plek, as Waterboy said).

Losing Radulov in particular, hurt. Adding Drouin should replace Radulov's playmaking and point production, not to mention a full, healthy season of Gallagher (who is indeed A TOP 6 WINGER FFS).

Losing Markov also hurts, but less so. If Jerabek becomes the equivalent to what Zaitsev was in Toronto last season, then it should be pretty much a wash (except younger and less cap hit).

They traded their top PROSPECT for a young BUDDING STAR WINGER. $5.5 million for 6 years (which eats into a year or two of FA, I believe) is a great deal for a guy who has yet to hit his potential. Today, Bergevin won that deal, hands-down. If Sergachev turns into a #1 Dman (like a Karlsson or an OEL or something) then sure, we lost that one. But who won or lost that deal is years away from being determined and if our window is right now, then it was the right move to make.

Farm is pretty weak, that I agree with. Nothing blue chip or in-your-face elite, but there are some very promising pieces in Hudon, Juulsen, Mete, Bitten, Poehling, Ikonen...

The sky is not falling in Habs land. Main concern for me is puck movement on the back-end. I'm very curious to see how Jerabek turns out. I liked Davidson's game from what I saw last year; hopefully he can take another step forward. Alzner, Schlemko, Streit and Morrow are all question marks for me. Hoping we sign that Butcher kid.

Today @ 11:02 AM ET
I think if Pacioretty plays with Danault then Drouin needs to be on the RW....you need a playmaker to play with patch.

Would leave Lehkonen-Galchenyuk-Gallagher as the 2nd line

Hemsky-Plekanec-Shaw as the 3rd line.

It's not great but isn't bad

Gonna have to disagree with you here. That's a very, very bad lineup

Danault as your top guy? Gallagher as a 2nd (or maybe 1st) line winger? Hemsky and Plekanec getting regular minutes? If this is reality, it's a bleak one

Gallagher is a beauty third-line option. But from an offensive standpoint, you've gotta realize that last year wasn't the outlier. The previous year was

You'd better hope Carey continues to be Carey....
- AxlRose91

Depends man. For some reason kessel was an elite winger but seemed to only be able to play with Bozak. Remember how he was supposed to get better with crosby, it never happened. Pacioretty put up almost 40 playing with Desharnais.
Sometimes you just gel with one guy. Allows Danault to do the dirty work and paccioretty to get open.

I don't think it is as bad as people say

Today @ 11:02 AM ET
I think if Pacioretty plays with Danault then Drouin needs to be on the RW....you need a playmaker to play with patch.

Would leave Lehkonen-Galchenyuk-Gallagher as the 2nd line

Hemsky-Plekanec-Shaw as the 3rd line.

It's not great but isn't bad

Gonna have to disagree with you here. That's a very, very bad lineup

Danault as your top guy? Gallagher as a 2nd (or maybe 1st) line winger? Hemsky and Plekanec getting regular minutes? If this is reality, it's a bleak one

Gallagher is a beauty third-line option. But from an offensive standpoint, you've gotta realize that last year wasn't the outlier. The previous year was

You'd better hope Carey continues to be Carey....
- AxlRose91

and i'll have to disagree with you

Gallagher is a 2nd liner...and the 3rd line is not bad keeping in mind Byron and Hudon can move up if need be... its going in the playoff with no center and the soft wussies of Plek, hemsky and Pacio again that will equal to a first round loss... again if there is no change made.

Depends man. For some reason kessel was an elite winger but seemed to only be able to play with Bozak. Remember how he was supposed to get better with crosby, it never happened. Pacioretty put up almost 40 playing with Desharnais.
Sometimes you just gel with one guy. Allows Danault to do the dirty work and paccioretty to get open.

I don't think it is as bad as people say
- willey101

which is true, the problem is not there. the problem is that Danault is their best C. he's the only legit C who can play top6, and even that is a stretch.
Habs have many wingers who can play top6, but no C.

Something big is coming.....

and i'll have to disagree with you

Gallagher is a 2nd liner...and the 3rd line is not bad keeping in mind Byron and Hudon can move up if need be... its going in the playoff with no center and the soft wussies of Plek, hemsky and Pacio again that will equal to a first round loss... again if there is no change made.
- Xizord

Gallagher is a 1st line winger playing 2nd line minutes.

http://ownthepuck.blogspot.ca/

Something big is coming.....
- Symba007

You on the toilet?

which is true, the problem is not there. the problem is that Danault is their best C. he's the only legit C who can play top6, and even that is a stretch.
Habs have many wingers who can play top6, but no C.
- fidopro

Worst case scenario, Danault is their top C: Danault, Plek, Shaw, Mitchell/McCarron. I agree that that sucks and I'd be pissed if that's what we end up with.

Best case scenario, Drouin and Galchenyuk form a 1A/1B duo as the top two Cs. Though this is not very likely, IMO, but would probably be amazing if it worked out.

Most likely scenario, Galchenyuk is #1C followed by Danault, Plek and Mitchell/McCarron. This is fine. Might not be elite, but it certainly is competitive.

You on the toilet?
- BashCH

MB will not start the season with almost 9M in cap space.

MB will not start the season with almost 9M in cap space.
- Symba007

He'll probably (frank) up and make a bad trade indeed.

He'll probably (frank) up and make a bad trade indeed.
- BashCH

that...is highly possible

MB will not start the season with almost 9M in cap space.
- Symba007

Maybe, King just signed in the KHL

Something big is coming.....
- Symba007

Simon Gagne and Vinny Lecavalier coming out of retirement for 4th line roles.

$4 mill per each.

Something big is coming.....
- Symba007

Geoff?

MB will not start the season with almost 9M in cap space.
- Symba007

nope, and both Bergevin and Julien were clear about not seeing Galchenyuk playing center this upcoming season. If he doesn't, they can't leave things as they are right now.

Love Danault, but he's isn't a 1st line center. Second line center? I don't know. He's a band-aid solution at the moment. Those are getting tiresome.

Either they back up on their statements (again) and Galchenyuk plays center, or something big and/or stupid is coming.

- WaterBoy

oh...you just know the Habs would get the washed up version of him.

Something big is coming.....
- Symba007

Winter?

Winter?
- Fredobbface

White Walkers

nope, and both Bergevin and Julien were clear about not seeing Galchenyuk playing center this upcoming season. If he doesn't, they can't leave things as they are right now.

Love Danault, but he's isn't a 1st line center. Second line center? I don't know. He's a band-aid solution at the moment. Those are getting tiresome.

Either they back up on their statements (again) and Galchenyuk plays center, or something big and/or stupid is coming.
- stinger67

They will try both Drouin and Galchenyuk at centre.

Wouldn't be surprised to see a Pacioretty-Drouin-Gallagher line to start the year and Galchenyuk-Danault-Lehkonen on the 2nd.

In the end, I do believe Galchenyuk will return to where he belongs, as this team's #1 C.

They will try both Drouin and Galchenyuk at centre.

Wouldn't be surprised to see a Pacioretty-Drouin-Gallagher line to start the year and Galchenyuk-Danault-Lehkonen on the 2nd.

In the end, I do believe Galchenyuk will return to where he belongs, as this team's #1 C.
- Scabeh

Danault will center Patches.