Yesterday, colleague Maxime Truman wrote that there was a good chance the Habs would draft a defenseman #5 in the upcoming draft.
I agree with him: as long as we’re drafting a lesser forward, we might as well go for a defenseman who has the potential to control the club’s blue line in the long term… in order to move another defenseman currently with the club. #ManageYourAssets #DraftDefenders
Incidentally, Grant McCagg agreed in a recent tweet.
This from an NHL source this morning. “There’s a lot of talk that it’s going to be either Demidov or Buium at five but it’s hard to pin down. The Denver staff thinks he could go as high as 5. They give me the impression that Montreal loves him.”
The plot thickens. I think that…
– Grant McCagg (@grantmccagg) June 19, 2024
Basically, the former Canadiens scout said that according to one source, there’s a lot of talk that pick #5 will come down to either Ivan Demidov or Zeev Buium.
The staff in Denver, where the defenseman plays, has the feeling that the Habs like their player.
We don’t know if it’s conditional on Cayden Lindstrom being taken by Columbus at #4, but it does mean that there’s another name to be added to the Habs’ potential “list”.
Obviously, the mere fact that Buium is a left-handed defenseman will make many people cringe. However, his offensive potential is very high and he could be an excellent long-term complement to David Reinbacher on a first pairing.
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The Californian has a profile that the Habs don’t have in their bank of prospects. Counting on his services would make it easier for the Habs to trade a top-notch defenseman for reinforcements up front.
I’m talking about REAL offensive reinforcement.
If Buium and Demidov are ever available, the famous “is a defenseman more useful than a winger” debate will be back. And if that’s the case, it will surely mean that clubs like Chicago and Anaheim will (possibly) have chosen the defenseman.
Will the Habs do the same? That remains to be seen. Perhaps the decision will be made this week on the heels of the meeting in Florida between Flanelle management and Demidov at his agent’s showcase ?
Overtime
– No, the Hurricanes GM isn’t a computer.
“We didn’t hire ChatGPT to be the GM”
Quiet, but low-key funny. Canes introduces Eric Tulsky as GM this morning. Given his background, analytics was a big topic. But for me the key word of how he operates is ‘integrate’. Integrating ideas, information and people@wral | #Canes pic.twitter.com/Bcp0919RqL
– Kacy Hintz (@KacyHintz) June 19, 2024
– News from New York.
#Isles News: The New York Islanders have signed forward Kyle MacLean to a three-year contract.
– New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) June 19, 2024
– Are we still talking about this?
Some excellent work here by @reporterchris on the Perry goal, where Nurse called an audible on the line change.
An assist on the game-winner that will never find the game sheet. https://t.co/VAQsidLub6– Mark Spector🇨🇦🇺🇦 (@SportsnetSpec) June 19, 2024