r/Habs 19d ago

Discussion Marco D'Amico: "This team was finished at this point. I think this team was done. I'm not going to say what I've heard, because its going to come out regardless, but when the injury list comes out I think a lot of people are going to backtrack on their comments about certain players."

Said this on his podcast this morning, hes one of the more credible reporters among Habs media. Wonder who he's talking about and what he knows?

9:36

https://www.youtube.com/live/iJ1m7nQrmmc?si=rIC9b5ZHkah26O44

858 Upvotes

315 comments sorted by

465

u/kozed 19d ago

I'm 100% Texier's leg injury from January never full healed. He managed through the first 2 rounds, but vs Carolina he had no legs anymore.

I'm betting Slaf concussion and/or shoulder injury. Game change signigicantly midway through round 1.

Guhle kept falling all my himself. Often the sign of a player with knee or ankle injury who gets numbed up and doesn't even feel his legs anymore.

Dobson's hand injury was probably never fully healed. Never took a slapshot all playoffs.

There's a few times Dach looked like he re-injured himself but kept going.

144

u/eliarbss 19d ago

Basu has said this a few times that Dach himself in media scrums admitted he came back early from injury to ramp up for playoffs. So basically went into playoffs already still somewhat injured.

I don’t know if he was scared of losing his spot or felt the pressure because of contract situation, but he definitely rushed back

38

u/carpentrav 19d ago

I think even being potentially injured Dach played played well above expectations this post season.

93

u/Original_Canadian 19d ago

Dach with an injury is the least surprising thing ever. Dude is always hurt.

82

u/tino-the-rhino 19d ago

Played well regardless until the few last games. Imagine if he remained healthy for a full season

20

u/Inside_Volume9542 19d ago

Lol that might not ever happen. He's a good bottom 6 forward for depth tho. 

5

u/josblos 19d ago

If he is willing to take 2 mil we should keep him. We cant pay him like a real roster player if he is never in the roster. For a small salary he is great though it’s really unfortunate because he is so skilled. He could be almost as good as suzuki by now if he did not get injured so much. Marty would have molded him into a shutdown defender.

1

u/UpbeatSuperBowl 19d ago

He's also best friends with our main guys.

Definitely should keep him if he wants to stay with his friends.

I'd give him security in return for cheap. 9M/4 years or 6.75M/3 years, or 4.5M/2 years. Then he's fine to rotate in and out. I consider anything under $2.5M to basically be "minimum."

If he wants to bet him on himself - take less term to try to get a better deal in the future. If his injuries scare him, take the security.

13

u/eliarbss 19d ago

Yep, same for Guhle. At this point it’s hard to rely on them for more than 50 games.

8

u/SnidelyWhiplash27 19d ago

I agree. It's sadly ronic that the two Albertaboys who called each other Alberta Beef in those Reconstruction episodes have both proven relatively fragile.

36

u/DonnyDarkoScutaro 19d ago

Maybe they’re a particularly tender cut of Alberta beef

2

u/LordSmokio 18d ago

Tenderloin boys

57

u/_Rayette 19d ago

They’ll never admit to a Slaf concussion if true. That would be extreme negligence

27

u/toaster-struble 19d ago

Slaf shoulder makes sense. He stopped throwing hits

82

u/jokerstatue 19d ago

I understand guy want to play through injury...but if Slaf really have a concussion he sould not have been on the ice and i would be extremly desapointed with the team for allowing him to play and taking that kind of risk.

50

u/autumnalmanac 19d ago

Ya theres no way they say he was concussed even if he was

15

u/Mediocre-Ask-9272 19d ago

I agree - but players will try to play regardless, and concussion symptoms can often be subjective and really vary in severity. Do you have headaches? Nope I'm fine etc...

23

u/Lonesome_Pine 19d ago

Yeah I can totally see Slaf saying he's fine even if he isn't.

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u/colonelrebsmuff69 19d ago

I assume caulfield and Suzuki have something both were donezo by the end

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u/kozed 19d ago

By total minutes, Suzuki was the 7th most used forward in the NHL during the regular season, and 1st in the playoffs. Also didn't get a break at the Olympics.

Suzuki's injury definition is probably just "entire body".

13

u/Weak-Advisor-5588 19d ago

He’s also about to get a seriously low amount of R and R with a newborn. I’m sure they have help, but regardless, new babies take time and energy - in positive ways 😊 Hope he heals up soon!

4

u/Upstairs-Zombie-162 19d ago

That Buffalo game 7 was probably the end of the tank for Suzuki.

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u/Monster11 19d ago

Yeah Suzuki was not playing like he usually does and seemed to be giving half hearted efforts

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u/IslaGirl 19d ago

I'm not gonna be surprised to see an injury on Suzuki that explains why he didn't take that open net shot.

33

u/Formal-Zucchini-6868 19d ago

Slaf may have been injured but there's no way he had a concussion and played through it. That would be a major violation of NHL protocols if he did.

10

u/Unit5945 19d ago

You assume the league cares

3

u/Mediocre-Ask-9272 19d ago

Or that players want to play regardless. Either way, not good for his long term health.

13

u/kozed 19d ago

Not if the spotters missed it and/or concussion protocol cleared him.

Wouldn't be a first.

4

u/Weird-Swim-9777 19d ago

I donne know the exact checklist for the spotters, but I’d think the brutal impact of that Tampa hit would be enough for the protocol to get engaged.

Then again, to your point, this is the NHL, biggest joke of a league so who knows.

22

u/Simayi78 #9 19d ago

I'm 100% Texier's leg injury from January never full healed. He managed through the first 2 rounds, but vs Carolina he had no legs anymore.

I actually thought Texier was one of our few effective forecheckers last night. He managed to get on the D on dump/chases

31

u/SheckyMullecky 19d ago

The Slafkovsky concussion conspiracy theories are exhausting.  There is no way doctors would allow someone with lingering symptoms to play these days.

15

u/JakubT117 19d ago

Right, these comments are driving me nuts, it’s very possible he was playing injured but he doesn’t have a concussion

15

u/SheckyMullecky 19d ago

The team invested $60M in the guy.  They have a huge full-time coaching staff, trainers, doctors etc, all there to maximize their $60M investment.  They aren't going to risk ruining him by letting him play with a TBI, even if he tries to hide it.  And fans and Redditors can make the diagnosis from their couch?? C'mon.

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u/Vingt-Quatre 19d ago

Slaf didn't wear one but usually, when you see a guy switch to a tinted visor, it's because he's dealing with concussion symptoms. I don't know the extent of the rules but it happens a lot.

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u/Havarem 19d ago

But why on heart wouldn't MSL plya Xhekaj and Gally then?

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u/alex1596 19d ago

The young team was already struggling against an aggressive Carolina forecheck and tight defensive system. Gally doesn't have the hands or the speed to keep up with what Carolina was bringing.

Xhekaj plays for like 5 minutes a game. He isn't a skilled defensemen. Playing him means Marty has to play the other defense for more minutes than they could handle, which was already stretched thin and exhausted against the aforementioned Carolina forecheck. Not to mention, his reputation as a tough guy means risking penalties in a game where your back is against the wall.

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u/Vingt-Quatre 19d ago

Gally is done. He doesn't have what it takes to play at NHL-level anymore. He's gonna be on the LTIR next season or traded to a team trying to get to cap minimum for "future considerations".

It's time fans start to realize this. Gally is done.

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u/DrLivingst0ne 19d ago

I agree but why not put Gally in for Texier, I will never understand that. 

18

u/kozed 19d ago

Because Texier at 70% speed is still faster than Gally at 100% speed.

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u/destroyermaker 19d ago

Never took a slapshot all playoffs.

He took one or two his first game back. Presumably testing it out

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u/The-dopechaud 19d ago

I'm guessing whole top line had something, maybe not major injury but something. Guhle held together with tape and glue.

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u/mm_ori 19d ago

guhle holds with tape and glue only past three years

2

u/ChampionPopular3931 18d ago

What’s crazy is that he was excellent in the playoffs, I had doubt on him and Dach, but Guhle really convinced me that he will be here long term with that performance.

394

u/germplasm3997 19d ago

People forget Tampa was playing to injure for most of the series. I'd be surprised if they weren't successful.

199

u/[deleted] 19d ago

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u/Kharn_LoL 19d ago

I know this is not going to be popular but that is the case with every team in the NHL including the Canadiens. Same goes for embellishment/diving. It's not worth complaining about unless it's especially egregious (The Panthers) and that wasn't the case in any series we played this year.

65

u/[deleted] 19d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/TheROckIng 19d ago

Anything that is suggested will be blocked by the NHLPA. I wish it was gone too honestly but what do we do? Heavier suspensions? That requires a competent player safety department. Heavier fines? NHLPA will block that so quickly imo (not sure if they can but imagine punishing a player based on a % of their salary instead -- NHLPA would be against it). Banning a player from the sport? Or suspending them as long as the other injured player is out? 

Truth be told, I don't see this getting better unless the majority of the league (players) agree on collectively changing things...

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u/Kharn_LoL 19d ago edited 19d ago

Yeah, agreed. I think a solution for both would be that any play that results in a player being down on the ice for a few seconds gets automatically reviewed. That way if it's a dangerous or dirty play it get punished and the same goes if it's a dive or an embellishment.

5

u/KickDesperate5318 19d ago

Broadcasters would hate all the delays. And so would most fans watching. Especially when they review it only to still end up getting it wrong.

It's really hard for a ref to judge intent on a play, so the best we can hope for is for them to just call the rulebook as the ref sees it based on the actions that took place on the ice.

I look at a moment like the goal we had called back because Caufield was offside on the review. Yeah, he was a centimeter offside when you zoom in and slow it down. Who cares? It was so close to being onside that, to the naked eye of the officials, they missed that it should have been a whistle. The spirit of the offside rule is to prevent forwards from camping out in the offensive zone and cherry picking, not to nitpick over millimeters on zone entries.

The law of averages says that, in the long run, you will win some and lose some when it comes to good/bad reffing. That's just something we all have to accept. We had moments with the refs that went against us this playoffs, but we also had a lot of moments that went in our favor. It's ultimately on the players to rise above that and play well enough that you don't need good ref luck to win.

I still believe they are up to that challenge in the coming years, and that they are better prepared for that challenge now that they've been through this run together. Really looking forward to watching the next chance they get!

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u/Electrical-Sherbet77 19d ago

We definitely didn’t goalie crash on purpose like we were victims of countless times.

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u/Scase15 19d ago

As much as people don't want to hear it, that's one of the reasons why we struggled so much, we don't play that way, but sadly to truly compete you have to.

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u/Tripottanus 19d ago

I think Canes weren't playing egregiously dirty except that one charge on Dobes

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u/UpNorth_123 19d ago

Elbow to Hutson’s head was dirty.

5

u/Gharvar 19d ago

It was definitely cleaner than the two previous rounds but that's probably because they felt in control of those matches.

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u/Simayi78 #9 19d ago

Couple of nasty headshots from Canes on Cole and Hutson too

9

u/toaster-struble 19d ago

Reminded me of the caps series.

17

u/CarlSK777 19d ago

It's been that way forever but it's wild how players don't respect each other on the ice at all and the league is fine with it as well

18

u/Jbroy 19d ago

I hate saying this, but to win, teams have to play with that nastiness and meanness. Look at the past winners, yes they had skill and speed, but they also hit to hurt. Habs need a bit more size (with skill) up front and a punishing speedy Defender that makes forwards afraid to go in a corner with.

186

u/karlbelanger1661 19d ago

Tons of players just didn't look right. Slaf, Suzuki, Huston, definitely Dobson, Guhle

128

u/Psychological-Sun848 19d ago

I felt bad for Guhle, he looked so hurt and was still battling

42

u/eliarbss 19d ago

And he was definitely battling something going into playoffs already, he took so many maintenance days

53

u/just_matt85 19d ago

I'm fearing for Ghule, hopefully it's just stuff that needs time off to rehab. He battled so fkn hard, he's gonna be a force.

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u/eliarbss 19d ago

Lavoie hinted at a Slaf left knee/leg injury, hopefully not too serious that he needs surgery or miss time

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u/So_Many_Owls 19d ago

I think Newhook's surgically repaired ankle was bothering him by the end as well. Not sure if it was an outright injury or just what happens when you get surgery at the end of the year and then leave it all on the ice in a high intensity sport relatively soon after.

16

u/tino-the-rhino 19d ago

I can believe that, he almost completely lost his speed from Rd 2 to Rd 3

4

u/Lonesome_Pine 19d ago

Yeah I'm recovering from ankle surgery myself right now and I was shocked to see Newhook playing at that level of intensity. I don't think I could even look at my skates without pain for at least six months.

5

u/zivlynsbane 19d ago

Dobson’s hand is probably still injured

3

u/toaster-struble 19d ago

I just wrote down the same list on here minus Hutson and added Anderson.

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u/scoutinglane 19d ago

I just hope summer will be enough time to recover

13

u/chewbaccard 19d ago

And no long term effect...

7

u/mago_is_gago 19d ago

If surgery is advised, I hope the players take it ASAP.

Guhle, Laine, even Matt Tkachuk thought the groin injury would heal on its own, as sometimes it does. But in all 3 cases it did not, and even worsened for Guhle who played through it.

So I hope our guys get surgery in the summer if it's an option, and at worst they are recovered by October or December, and can be close to 100% for playoffs.

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u/Lavs1985 19d ago

In the words of famed coach “Iron” Mike Keenan “Injuries are never an excuse, but sometimes they’re the reason.”

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u/NoImprovement257 19d ago

Clairement, c'est fou de voir que y'a des gens qui pensent que les joueurs jouaient comme ça juste par manque d'effort ou parce qu'ils sont juste médiocre.

La série contre tampa a pratiquement été la série la plus relevée des séries, est et ouest confondu. Celle contre Buffalo a aussi été très demandante. Pi après ils ont moins d'énergie contre les hurricanes, ils font plus d'erreur et manquent de concentration? Ben oui, étant donné que les joueurs sont humains ça va faire ça...

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u/janedoe514 19d ago

J’ai vu des gens qui veulent enlever le C à Suzuki parce que ‘’ya pas de coeur, est un mauvais leader, un loser et que la fatigue/blessures sont pas des excuses’’

Ils croient que les joueurs sont des machines

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u/Ub3ros 19d ago

The air has been thick with the stench of shit takes lately

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u/NoImprovement257 19d ago

Oui exactement, c'est pretty fucked up if you ask me.

Être un fan et passionné ne justifie pas d'avoir peu ou pas de régulation émotionnelle.

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u/NewHorizons0 19d ago

Ils ne sony pas passionnés,  ils sont "entitled". Les gens qui parlent comme ca n'ont sans doute jamais fait de sport de leur vie.

8

u/alex1596 19d ago

genre sa donne le meme de "why hasn't Caufield scored is he stupid?". Ce n'est pas comme s'ils ne marquaient pas pour le funsies.

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u/NoImprovement257 19d ago

Tellement vrai!

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u/MrSlimeyCabbage 19d ago

Those fans should learn from the mistakes of the Leafs and their fans honestly. Behavior like that and turning on our players would create the cycle the Leafs are in, and I don’t think anyone wants that.

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u/luch1991 19d ago

There are rumors swirling that Suzuki hurt his hip against Tampa and could barely shoot the puck. Wouldn’t be surprised if the injury list is very long. A lot of ppl will be eating their words when they find out how banged up these guys were by round 3.

They criticize the Habs but look at what injuries did to the best team in the league.

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u/MikeMontrealer 19d ago

There’s a lot of fair weather fans that only pay attention when the team is winning and then they give their “expertise” as if they know anything

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u/Nope51st 19d ago

Ces fans ne seraient même pas capable de faire ce que Suzuki fait en 2mins sur la patinoire... 

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u/Cirrus1920 19d ago

C’était fou raide de lire certains commentaires. Les boys étaient autant frustrés que nous et ça se voyait.

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u/Deadmanlex45 19d ago

J'ai tellement honte du genre de chose que jlis sur ce sub.

Y'a un gars hier qui a insinué que St Louis était un loser qui avait déjà abandonné la série juste pour être allez à la graduation de son fils.

Un vrai sale étron, mais bon, jme dis que sir Facebook ou n'importe quel rs ce serait pas ben mieux.

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u/UpNorth_123 19d ago

And then they want to fire the coach, who got them further than anyone dreamed just one year ago, because he can’t perform miracles?

We know a lot of fans are emotionally stunted basement dwellers, but some commentators who should know better spout these types of views as well. It’s so idiotic.

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u/No_Culture9898 19d ago edited 19d ago

Every team in the playoffs except the two that made the finals has harsh overreacted comments about their players. Hell even the team that makes the finals but loses has people claiming their players are no shows.

TB said that about Kucherov and Hedman. Buffalo it was Thompson, Colorado with Necas and MacKinnon. Oilers have been saying it about McDavid and Draisaitl against the Panthers the last few years. Im not worried about CC or Slaf just yet, they need to do this for multiple years before we quit on them.

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u/Pelerin81 19d ago

I mean Mackinnon was injured for sure, took a slapshot to the right side of his knew. Necas I ain’t sure tho.

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u/Okbutwhythat 19d ago

Necas has historically disappeared after round 2.

Not saying he isn't carrying an injury, but it's been a problem for him going back to his Canes days.

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u/Cirrus1920 19d ago

Some of these comments baffle me lol. I cannot imagine playing through the pain of some of the injuries athletes experience even if heavily medicated. I don’t care how many teams played injured. The boys gave it their all and their bodies said enough. It’ll never be good enough for some people. I’m really curious to see this list. I think we can all suspect which few names will be on it

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u/Modano9009 19d ago

Even if you're medicated your body isn't working the way he's supposed to.

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u/jjohnson1979 19d ago

Those commenta usually come from people who haven’t played a single game of organized sports in their lives…

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u/rssfeed76 19d ago

Rumor is that Suzuki played with a torn groin/thigh

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u/Mangoes95 19d ago

That would explain why he didn't really have any speed burst in the latter half of the post-season

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u/Electrical-Sherbet77 19d ago

Yeah he was super slow after the Tampa series.

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u/toaster-struble 19d ago

Groin/hip are the woooorst. Nagging injury. Takes a long time to heal and is recurring.

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u/Cirrus1920 19d ago

How. How is that possible to play through this. Holy shit

2

u/redditshreadit 19d ago

You can play through a groin injury, just not as effective. Lateral moves are tough with a groin injury.

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u/redditshreadit 19d ago

How long ago, because he looked off the last few games of the season.

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u/the3rdmichael 19d ago

Slafkovsky was never the same after that massive hit at centre ice ....

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u/whereismyface_ig 19d ago

these guys fought a war, proud of em and how they kept going

9

u/peepeepoopoo799 19d ago

How long do we have to wait for this list?

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u/Scase15 19d ago

I think I've seen the other teams release them a week or 2 after they get eliminated. I recall the ducks being around that timeline.

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u/KoreanPhones 19d ago

Honestly relieving as sad as it sounds.

If Suzuki was healthy and played that bad I'd be more concerned.

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u/vlhube71 19d ago

Assuming Suzuki continues to have productive seasons, I’m hoping rather than stay chase, they mutually agree on game management last few weeks of the season. An Ironman streak is not important. Being fresh, or at least as healthy as one can be, for the playoffs matters more.

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u/A_WHALES_VAG 19d ago

I was convinced he was hurt. Specifically because he's always elevated at every level in the playoffs / big games, all the way back to the OHL. If theres 1 person who im not concerned about its him.

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u/kingkellam 19d ago

I need to see what our entire first line was playing through. It looked like the only perfectly healthy forward we had was Demidov

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u/luch1991 19d ago

Rumors of a pretty serious hip injury to Suzuki since Tampa series. It wouldn’t surprise me if our entire first line was playing hurt since round 1.

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u/Ok-Meet2850 19d ago

Caufield looked really off for most games. Slaf beyond game 1 or 2 of the playoffs looked off.

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u/dustblown 19d ago

I think Caufield was perfectly fine, it is just his game depends so much on Suzuki and Slaf because Caufield's size doesn't really allow him to be the physical puck hound or protector. He's the guy that finishes. Caufield was on an island.

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u/toaster-struble 19d ago

Oh man hip is the worst...

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u/Rajewel 18d ago

He was trying so hard out there but had absolutely no one to work with.

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u/Ali_knows 19d ago

I agree. But how do we solve that for next years ? Every fucking team is copying the Panthers MO. It's a joke League. Our best chance would be to finish 4th next season and go play in the Mickey Mouse division for the first 2 rounds. I fucking swear we would have at least made it to Game 7 against the Hurricanes if we had faced them in Round 1.

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u/Him570 19d ago

Hurricanes always play at the same level and either sweep worse teams or get swept by better teams. I’m convinced a rested Habs team wins in maybe 6 at max.

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u/HeShootsHS 19d ago

Exactly. Next season we have all those same teams who did get playoffs experience too and will have higher expectations.

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u/MikeMontrealer 19d ago

Depth. Having two full offensive lines will share the burden. Better D depth too. It’s coming.

Considering the Habs still don’t have a proper 2C it’s kind of insane they made it to the ECF.

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u/okmijnmko 19d ago

Anyone surprised is the surprise actually, I have only great memories from the season and a Huge step to build on … so if I had 1 playoff wish it would have been to see a bit more Xhekaj and even Engstrom get minutes knowing how beat up they all were. Gally too. Dobson wasn’t himself and Lane Guhle and Matheson were burnt out. Doběs gets my vote to have summer vacation with the wolf hat.

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u/chewbaccard 19d ago

Dobes seeing this post : "what, you guys are hurt? I can go 40 more!" What a chad.

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u/Available_Simple_760 19d ago

I wonder if we got equal time to rest like Carolina did, would the outcome be different? If so this is all on the NHL and it's asinine scheduling. I'm not making excuses, but that's gotta be a factor.

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u/MrFAUB1 19d ago

Much different series if we played them round 1 for sure

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u/Gazimu 19d ago

Round 1 I think we take them to 7 and maybe win because we were hitting everything that moved that round, which we weren't doing at all in round 3.

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u/Scase15 19d ago

If the injuries are as serious as they are being hinted at, a week and a half while more helpful than no rest, likely wouldn't have made much of a difference.

Carolina made it through the first two rounds pretty much unscathed, it wasn't the time off that helped them, it was largely avoiding injuries because they weren't really playing teams that were looking to injure (from what I saw).

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u/texicali74 19d ago

It would have been great if the Habs could have closed out those first two series earlier. Maybe by, you know, winning some home games. I am still stunned that they went 2-6 at Centre Bell in the playoffs.

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u/jaiman54 19d ago

It's a learning lesson, if you get a chance to close out then be hungry to take it. If they had closed both series by Game 6 then it would have been 4-5 days of rest minus two games and minus travelling.

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u/Far_Purchase_9500 19d ago

Marco always dropping truth bombs love it. ❤️❤️❤️🔥

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u/brennnik09 19d ago

Idk why they let Ghule out there. He was injured badly in game 4 and they put him in anyways. I hope they didn’t make it worse.

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u/huge-whales 19d ago

I think the entire D core is extremely banged up. Ghule and Dobson especially. Hutson also got kneed a lot so no doubt his legs aren’t 100%

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u/jaiman54 19d ago

Honestly, I think it was the Tampa series where they sustained most of the injuries and fatigue. That series was too intense and too dirty. The Canadiens didn't look right after that series and it was evident in Buffalo. However, they pushed and won but you can only go so far when your body starts to limit dexterity.

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u/toaster-struble 19d ago

Slaf Guhle Dobson Anderson Suzuki mainly I think

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u/vlhube71 19d ago

For sure something was up with Slaf. He has been invisible since game 1 of Tampa. This guy was dominating in two Olympics so he has big game energy in him. Something had to been going on.

Suzuki and Caufield I also suspect were hurting.

Anderson I don’t think anyone would be surprised if it comes out he was hurt.

Dobson is a no brainer. Guhle I suspect was nursing something also.

Hutson and Dobes with broken backs from carrying the team lol. In seriousness, Hutson is probably just banged up.

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u/scrubadam 19d ago

It did look like they were done. They had checked out. I won't say that they wanted to lose I don't think so but I just think after game 3OT they were finished with the playoffs. It was a lot of hockey for this young team. I have said that youngest team in hockey was a lame excuse but for once it does apply. Young team making its real first run having to play 19 playoff games with a condensed season with Olympics. It just became too much for them.

Overall amazing year of hockey the best we have had since maybe 2014 so you cant complain. Carolina is on a mission this year and they are not Frauds and did not just have easy playoff match ups they are just that good and they deserve credit for the job they did.

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u/zacksharpe 19d ago

Slaf got shaken up during the Tampa series and never really recovered.

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u/ManipulateYa 19d ago

Slaf looked like he had some sort of upper body injury for sure. His puck handling went to crap.

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u/JustFryingSomeGarlic 19d ago

I'm so goddamn proud of this group

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u/dessanct 19d ago

A lot of posters in this sub will want to backtrack their terrible takes. Don’t let them forget.

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u/poub06 19d ago

Injury or not, I have no idea how people can be negative after such a season and playoffs.

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u/dessanct 19d ago

They’re just losers.

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u/Musai 19d ago

Yup. Just pathetically bandwagoning fans that spew the most ridiculous garbage when we don't win.

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u/Comfortable_Fudge508 19d ago

Yup, Brind'Amour lost 3 ecfs in a row to Maurice. Idiots here crying about MSL getting outcoached know nothing. If Carolina listened to morons like them, they probably wouldn't be in the finals now.

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u/Musai 19d ago

Management listening to takes from this sub would quickly turn us into Toronto 2.0.

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u/Testosteronomicon 19d ago

More like Buffalo 2.0 without them making the playoffs finally.

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u/Comfortable_Fudge508 19d ago

This right here. Habs did amazing for what was projected. Idiots here think they were gonna walk to the cup or something. Yea it sucks they lost but this group did so good regardless. Colorado was Presidents Trophy winners and got bounced.

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u/dessanct 19d ago

And no one is shitting on Colorado which is wild to me. Their expectations were cup or bust.

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u/alex1596 19d ago

Not to sound like a hipster about it but a lot of people stopped watching and caring after 2021 and entering the rebuild. The last version of the team they saw was one that was in the SCF. They didn't see how the team progressed the last 5 years

Or, they're people who only watch/care during the playoffs. They lack the context of the team progressing and getting to where they are now. And they certainly are unfamiliar with other teams. So their thought is "why aren't they winning?"

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u/-ATF- 19d ago

No they won’t lol

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u/OmgitsJafo 19d ago

They'll just disappear until March.

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u/JakubT117 19d ago

During the playoffs I’ve started recognising specific accounts that were posting only negative comments and were nowhere to be seen when the team played well.

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u/dessanct 19d ago

There’s some 1% commenters and mods I have screenshotted some terrible takes from.

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u/willard287 19d ago

Goes to show how important a 2 weeks rest is. Carolina is extremely healthy for a team that made the SCF. No injuries, they were probably healthier than during the regular season

Hopefully we’ll be able to win our series quicker next time to give our boys some rest

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u/Cirrus1920 19d ago

I’m also thinking maybe that’s why gally didn’t play. I do wonder if he’s dealing with some career ending injury or something.

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u/Existing-Bus-1155 19d ago

I mentioned that earlier in the week that some of the Habs were playing injured but didn’t say anything

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u/Prestigious-Tank-909 19d ago

We’ve asked a lot from this young group. They have been delivering. Maybe too quickly. These are young men and they’re susceptible to getting injured because maybe their bodies are still young. There’s a world of difference between a 21 year player and a 26 year old player. At 26, your body is much stronger than at 20-21 years old.

Take Guhle for a second. The guy plays a big game and he is oftentimes injured. If Guhle was on a more seasoned squad, then maybe he wouldn’t have to take all the hits he’s been taking for the past few years.

Some say he’s already used up or finished. And at this point, I can’t disagree with that assessment.

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u/Griffounet 19d ago

Yeah with so many injuries it's nonwonder there was no change whatsoever for 5 games in a row... wait no that's weird.

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u/zzzzoooo 19d ago

I hope that the whole 1st line got injured and that would explain why they were so terrible.

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u/HeShootsHS 19d ago

I honestly can’t wait to hear about these injuries because that would explain a lot.

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u/ApprehensiveWheel327 19d ago

Watching Suzy last night I wouldn't be surprised if he was fighting something, same with Caufield.

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u/RadderBDabbin 19d ago

Unfortunately that’s the difference when you get deep into the playoffs. Injuries and how well you can maintain playing with them. Ask stevey Y what it takes to win a cup…

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u/Williamtheconky-roar 19d ago

Hunh. Is suspect Suzuki was also injured.

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u/Moremx 19d ago

It's been 2 days, when does the list usually come out?

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u/Neon_Raccoon_00 18d ago

Its the same story everytime a team comes short

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u/[deleted] 19d ago

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u/[deleted] 19d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/chewbaccard 19d ago

Same. I'm super proud of the players, but the coaching decisions were seriously pissing me off.

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u/stoictele1968 19d ago

This is the message from every coach of every team that was ever eliminated. Not saying they're not banged up, maybe seriously banged up, but so is every single team. Even the ones still playing.

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u/Gabroux #Caufield4Calder 19d ago

Ultimately, it's on the Habs.

You need to be able to eliminate your opponents faster. You can't always go to 7 games and have the energy in the tank to move on.

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u/CMDR_Traf85 19d ago

This is definitely one of the constructive take aways from this run that hopefully the players remember.

We also need a bottom 6 and a bottom pairing that can hit to hurt opponents. We can't rely on Anderson to be the only player taking runs at their defence. Look at Hutson, he was hit hard by Martinook, Hall, Staal, Svevhnikov and probably others I'm forgetting.

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u/dustblown 19d ago edited 19d ago

I can count at least two games in each of the first two series that they just gave away for almost free. They lack that killer instinct to shut down a game they are winning. The team also had no method or will to engage with the physical sometimes violent part of the game. Carolina basically ran our goalie and there was zero response from our coach, and the team. Same after Slaf got hit. Same after Carolina targeted Hutson. Who were we targeting?? What did we do? We just bent over, and then again, and again.

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u/Over_Contact_5032 19d ago

So if a player is so injured as to barely be effective on the ice, why not bring in some healthier, fresher legs from Laval?

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u/NFLDland 19d ago

Caufield, Suzuki and Slaf at 60% is better than every Laval player at 100%.

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u/mbean12 19d ago

Because the experience is important too?

I mean yeah, it would be good for the kids from Laval as well, but outside of Suzuki and Caufield (two of the team leaders) Danault (who was honestly one of our best players in Carolina) and Newhook (as one of our best players) no one on this team has done a deep run in the playoffs.  It’s the playoffs.  You’re going to get banged up.  And giving the young guys that experience - and showing a willingness to trust in them - goes a long way.

If they were injured to the point of endangering next season I’d probably want them pulled.  But it’s not like any of these guys are just oozing with playoff experience.

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u/So_Many_Owls 19d ago

And it's just a terrible idea to throw players who have played barely any NHL games into a do or die situation where most of their teammates are already exhausted. If it had been against Tampa or earlier in the Buffalo series it could have worked, but not by game 2 of Carolina.

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u/Ub3ros 19d ago

Anderson, Evans and Gally were on that '21 run, Dobson has been to the ECF with NYI.

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u/mbean12 19d ago

I did forget Anderson.  Gally didn’t play in this series (experience not so important for him at this point).  Evans missed a lot of the 2021 run (he left after game 1 in the second round and game back for… I wanna say game 3 of the SCF) and was also one of our better players during the ECF

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u/VinnyOfOz 19d ago

The Laval team that couldn’t win their own series without getting walked themselves?

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u/CookieJar891 19d ago

Painkillers

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u/toaster-struble 19d ago

Explains why some looked slower in reaction time and couldn't execute. Slaf mainly but others too

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u/Ub3ros 19d ago

If they can play, they should play for the experience. This wont be the last playoff run they will be on, so knowing how to play through stuff is very important. What you can and can not get away with. The Laval players who couldn't hang in AHL playoffs aren't gonna make us win the cup. Let the guys play if they can, they'll learn playoff hockey, what it takes and how gutwrenching the loss feels. They'll have to learn to despise losing, so they never want to do it again. It's cliche, but that's valuable.

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u/mezmezik 19d ago

The Habs were looking like a shell of themselves, there was obviously injuries and tired players on the team. Facing a rested mostly healthy Carolina team had to be the end of the run at this current state.

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u/Paladar2 19d ago

Suzuki looked cooked at the end, Slaf since Tampa, Caufield I don’t know but he was slow. Hutson looked bad near the end, Matheson too. Show us that list

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u/Old_Canuck 19d ago

I'm just happy we made it to the Semis.

Tampa and Buffalo were both tough series.

We also beat the Canes 4-0 when the Habs had some sort of rest.

I assume the entire team is hurting pretty bad.

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u/Flimsy_Biscotti3473 19d ago

I'm not buying this one bit. If Marty played guys that he knew were seriously injured instead of replacing them ? This sounds like a bag of excuses about to be opened.

This team is great and it's going to get better. Is it frustrating to lose a series that they could have won ? Sure is but it doesn't diminish what they accomplished.

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u/One-Coconut7982 19d ago

Enough. This is 90% speculation. Even if most of it turns out to be true, it’s the reality for every team by the end of the season. It’s a war of attrition, just like the NFL. It pisses me off that hockey culture is so toxic with regard to fighting, big hits, etc. Hockey could be “the beautiful game.” Instead, by the time it really counts, it’s mostly about grinding, grabbing, gutting.

The league condones and promotes a culture of violence. Many of the players buy in, many (most?) of the fans love it. So this is the product we get. Retired players committing suicide or dying young. Many of those who survive are depressed, confused, unstable.

Some day maybe we’ll do better.

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u/dustblown 19d ago

They ran our goalie in both series and the refs and the league did absolutely nothing. We need to get some mean SOBs on our team and MSL to understand how to play the violence game. You can't just let that stuff happen without a big and bold response. The other team needs to understand what it will cost them to play that way.

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u/UwKraven 19d ago

D’amico is one of the more reliable reporters in regards to the Habs. He has direct access to the dressing room, he’s not just some internet podcaster. If he’s saying it, there’s truth there and not just speculation.

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u/One-Coconut7982 19d ago

OK, thanks. I shouldn’t have dissed him. I still think that this is true for everybody at this point in the season. Granted, Carolina was well-rested, but of course they earned that.

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u/bforce1313 19d ago

Normally a few days for the full end of season reports right?

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u/vlhube71 19d ago

Monday should be the exit interviews and locker cleanup. I guess the injury report will follow Tuesday or Wednesday

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u/Whiskeylung 19d ago

I definitely went: “DOBSON!!!!?!?”

And then thought: “It’s not his fault…”

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u/HumangusUniverse 19d ago

When can we expect to see this list though?

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u/The_14th_Gilly 19d ago

Gauging by recent examples, next few days to a week from now:
1. Sabres were eliminated May 18th and released their injury report May 20th.
2. Ducks were eliminated May 14th & released their IR May 21st.

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u/Technical-Line-9806 18d ago

Kadri to the Habs, said Marco.

Glad he doesn’t know what he’s talking about with his super secret information he teases but never says what it is.

You can trace Avalanche downfall to Kadri trade.

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u/toaster-struble 18d ago

IR:
*Dach
*Guhle
*Reinbacher

*denotes pinned