July 14, 2025 The Montreal Canadiens went into the off-season with some obvious questions about their defense group. David Savard had announced his retirement and, with him being one of two right shots on defense, the hole he was leaving was real. The questions were obvious. Would David Reinbacher and/or Logan Mailloux be ready toContinue reading “The plan for the Habs D is entangled with the plan for Mike Matheson”
Tag Archives: David Savard
In this draft window, the Habs accelerated their ascent to a contention window
June. 29, 2025 We should not be surprised. HuGo has been active in every draft window since their arrival, beyond simply drafting at their designated spots, to improve the Montreal Canadiens. But their Friday trade to acquire Noah Dobson, and then sign him to a contract that covers his entire prime years, was a stepContinue reading “In this draft window, the Habs accelerated their ascent to a contention window”
The Habs approach to the 2025 trade deadline was a head scratcher
March 8, 2025 On Friday, March 7th, Trade Deadline Day for the 2024-25 season came and went and the Montreal Canadiens did exactly nothing. For the first time in his tenure, General Manager Kent Hughes failed to capitalize on an important window of change for the Habs. The extension for Jake Evans is something. WeContinue reading “The Habs approach to the 2025 trade deadline was a head scratcher”
Approaching another window of change, the blueprint for the the Habs is clear
March 1, 2025 Hockey fans have six more sleeps before the 2024-25 NHL trade deadline, but may not have to wait that long for business to pick up. It’s not uncommon for the dam to break on the weekend before the deadline as general managers try to get ahead of the rush. This dynamic mayContinue reading “Approaching another window of change, the blueprint for the the Habs is clear”
Approaching the 4N break, key Habs storylines could become business
February 2, 2025 The Montreal Canadiens have just 5 games between now and the Four Nations break. 51 games into the 2024-25 season, the Habs have a record of 24-22-5 and have already been on a roller coaster of storylines. From high hopes in training camp to heartbreaker injuries, from giving up on one rookieContinue reading “Approaching the 4N break, key Habs storylines could become business”
In the Carrier deal, the Habs chose predictability over potential
December 19, 2024 The pending Christmas roster freeze for the 2024-25 season has felt a little like trade deadline, and the Montreal Canadiens got in on the action. On Wednesday night, the Habs traded Justin Barron to the Nashville Predators for Alexandre Carrier. Carrier is currently in year one of a three-year contract that carriesContinue reading “In the Carrier deal, the Habs chose predictability over potential”
Should the Habs be in the trade market this early in the season?
October 30, 2024 The Montreal Canadiens ended their third week of play in the 2024-25 NHL season with a 4-4-1 record, a .500 clip that has them tied with several other teams for third place in the Atlantic Division. But the third week also saw the Habs smack dab in the middle of trade rumourContinue reading “Should the Habs be in the trade market this early in the season?”
With the crazy preseason done, HuGo shouldn’t pull any punches
October 7, 2024 The Montreal Canadiens played their last preseason game on Saturday night, and not a minute too soon. From losing off-season acquisition Patrik Laine to injury, to the coach refusing to play his top line in the final preparation match fearing the same outcome, the preseason was a bit of a shit show.Continue reading “With the crazy preseason done, HuGo shouldn’t pull any punches”
Critical storylines as we transition to the Habs main training camp
September 17, 2024 The annual golf tournament is a sure sign that a new season for the Montreal Canadiens is about to kick off. On Monday, players, coaching staff and management teed off in Laval, and we can almost smell the rink. The rookie tournament is done and there were no major surprises. Lane HutsonContinue reading “Critical storylines as we transition to the Habs main training camp”
Checking in on the Habs progress against the McGuire Profile
August 24, 2024 On April 20, 2023 I wrote an article assessing where the Montreal Canadiens were in their development against what I named the McGuire Profile. The McGuire Profile is a 7-player profile which hockey analyst Pierre McGuire says was developed based on conversations with Scotty Bowman. The profile identifies seven essential pieces toContinue reading “Checking in on the Habs progress against the McGuire Profile”
Hab At Her 