Monday, 23 September 2019

Pre-season Game 5: Canadiens 0, Tier III Leafs 3

The Canadiens bored us and bored themselves to sleep with a 3-0 loss to the Tier III Leafs.

As soon as the Leafs announced this pitiful lineup, we joked that MLSE should refund the cost of the tickets for spectators at the Nouveau Forum and that the point spread should be around a touchdown.




Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines*


Forwards
Agostino (20) – Shore (26) – Petan (61)
Archibald (49) – Brooks (77) – Bracco (29)
Korshkov (96) – Gaudet (32) – Read (12)
Engvall (47) – Elynuik (76) – Conrad (72)
Defensemen
Gravel (25) – Schmaltz (2)
Harpur (22) – Holl (3)
Rubins (56) – Liljegren (37)
Goaltenders
Hutchinson (30)

Well, the Marlies Lite still beat our half roster full of Barbers and Belziles.  Comfortably.

After 14 fringe players were cut from camp on Sunday, La Presse ran this article saying it was time for the harder choices.

Well, on RDS the superb team of Pierre Houde and Marc Denis discussed the same concept, the same thought I'd been formulating all game long, that when no players stand out, they're making your decisions easier for you.

Charles Hudon came into camp leaner, determined to make an impression, to return to the style of play he demonstrated his first season.  Well, the puck hasn't gone in for him, he hasn't gotten the bounces, he hasn't produced, he hasn't convinced anyone.  Not that I'm looking to get rid of him exactly, he's organizational depth, but we can't carry him on the roster all year long this year like we did last year, for fear of losing him on waivers.

If anything, this early in the season with all clubs healthy and junior players still sticking with their camps, now is the time to try to sneak him through.  I really don't think he'll be claimed, and if he is, well good luck to him, but he's in his mid-twenties now, there's not a lot of upside there, a lot of unfulfilled potential.  He is what he is, a player too good for the AHL maybe, but not really cut out to play on an NHL 4th line, which is an awkward position to be in.  So let's waive him, hope he lands in Laval and can provide veteranship there.  

Same with Karl Alzner.  Let's waive him, cross our fingers that he might get claimed, which he won't.  I mean, bad teams like the Canucks, the Sabres and the Rangers are right up against the cap ceiling.  No one is going to splurge on an over-30 defensive defenceman who's overpaid for three more seasons.  So hope for the best and prepare for the worst, which means he'll be in Laval taking up a developmental spot and crowding our cap space, but there's no way he's sticking in Montréal, not with the pedestrian effort tonight.  If he'd rammed that Kalashnikov guy into the boards a couple times and slowed him down some, I might have sat up and taken notice, but he blew his chance.

Charlie Lindgren, you didn't stand on your head, you're taking the orange line to Montmorency.  Keith Kincaid is having a cakewalk in camp, he's the designated backup.  Charlie's another guy who I don't think might get claimed when put on waivers, he was probably showcased tonight in hopes they could get a low draft pick for him in a trade, and that's not going to happen.  There's a surplus of goalies out there, Charlie's no solution for nobody.

Belzile shmellzile.  None of these guys grabbed the brass ring.  With a few injuries to Mike McCarron and Ryan Poehling and Noah Juulsen, these decisions are making themselves for us, we don't have to hem and haw.  Give Joël Bouchard some bodies to work with.

EDIT: Well that didn't take long...

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