Mcbain and building a playoff Grinder a la BOS 2011 or STL 2017

Team: 2023-24 Montreal Canadiens

Initial Creation Date: Jun. 13, 2023

Published: Jun. 13, 2023

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

NHL Breakdown of Depth and Roles:

1st= Stars (good Chemistry together too)
2nd = Power Forward Line full of Goal Scorers and net front battlers.
3rd=The Shi* Distrurber or Pest Checking Line
4th=Possession , Goal Scoring and Hits.

1st= Top Pair is a nice balance of offense and defense from solid Veterans.
2nd= Solid secondary pair and future top pair
3rd = Huge pair of 6'4 D who bring Contrasting styles while being solid all around players.


Goalie Tandem is just that , a Tandem and as important as i think Monty has become.
I think if we invest in Blackwood they could be the best Tandem since Thomas and Rask.


This still leaves Farrell, Heineman, Kidney, Dach,Back, Mesar, Roy , Mailloux,Struble and Beck in Laval among others. They'll be there for call up if needed but Development will be key as is Naturally elevating people.

Each of our Laval players will have the chance to push out MTL players for jobs.
Outside our Core we wont be giving out long term deals so next man up stays relevant.
No more days of giving a spot to Armia just because we pay him either way in the NHL or AHL is done.

Now its about Cycling AHL/Young players into a position they become Veterans for the next men up from our deep Laval system.


Laval Roster breakdown:

Farrell-Dach-Roy
Heineman-Kidney-Mesar
Pitlick-Mysak-Back
Simmoneau-Davidson-Armia
Abbadanoto

Trudeau-Mailloux
Struble-Tournigy
Beaudin-JPJ (Chara of the AHL)
Norlinder

Tandem of:
Primeau
Dobes


Again i stress it'll be a Tandem with Dobes and Primeau.
There will be no starter just a tandem and 2 ways to keep their job.
Either elevating each other in a top tandem pairing or taking the job from the other.

That Dcore depth is solid even if JPJ is likely never NHL bound he's a solid AHL Gladiator fans love.
He also Fiercely protects our Goalies which is really why he's there over Dello but i digress.

Offensively we're so stacked we couldnt bring back Belzile if we wanted to sadly.
Though it is likely he'll earn a NHL job somewhere after last years performance.(Richard too)
Its a Solid system with pieces suited to Coach Houle's style. A Style that's helped him wash some of the sh*t off the Houle Name his dad caked on but i digress.


Overall both systems are built with Size and Speed in mind.
Both systems have access to depth needed to become a threat in any post season they make.
They're built to withstand the grind of Physical Series and always rely on the next man up rather then pure Starpower alone.


Draft Day Results:
Reinbacher
Hrabal
Daniil But (Just to hear "Dans Le But by Daniil But" by Michel Lacroix hahaha)



Roster Size:
People say size dont matter and i agree , alone it doesnt.
Coupled with the Speed and Mobility of a Variety of players 5'8-6'6 we're a tough Hybrid team.
Over time more Skill will come on board with speed altering the balance from Size heavy to Speed Heavy players.
But overall that Balance is built to last for at least 4 years.
This gives our DEEP AHL depth pool time to push legit NHL options out when they're ready.
In the Cap era having this much depth and ability to make moves is Stellar.
Then you factor in Michkov and But are set to join the team on ELC's just as cap starts getting tight.
This unfortunately does mean Dach, Mcbain, Anderson and others will be sold off over time as their contracts come up.
But that will only be because Youth Depth pieces like Beck, Kidney, Kappanen, Davidson,ext pushed them out.


Overall my only concern is Dobes and Hrabal as on paper timing fits perfect
But Hrabal likes to overachieve which might make for a NSH situation with Saros,Lanikainen and Askarov.


Protecting the Youth:
Xhekaj and Foligno are two of the Toughest SOB's in the NHL and i still acquired Desharnais.
These guys are finishers they dont instigate and play hockey until its time to send a message.
Days of Caufield getting driven hard into the boards are done, you hit em high,we'll hit you low.
Like WSH with Orlov,Wilson and Hathaway we'll be willing to take the penalty to protect our assets.
We may have to sacrifice a game here or there but it will mean having less injuries.
On a team like MTL injured the way we have been at historic rates since 2017 this is a step forward.
A way to end the culture of perpetual Injuries we have here
Beginning the Culture of High action Impact Hits and the space it creates for our speedy goal scorers.

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