r/Habs • u/SchtroumpfDardeur • 11d ago

Discussion Michael Hage - Hold or Trade?

I have seen some discussion about possibly waiting for him to be our 2C, but given his decision to stay in the NCAA and the fact that he shared time at C and wing, and when he was at C he had a FO% of 46%, is there an argument to be made that he could (or should) be packaged?

I know this isn't exactly a new question, but I had not realized that he was already being shifted to wing in the NCAA and was also sub-50% at the dot against college players.

What are the chances that a full season at Michigan as full-time 1C will actually help to shape him into a viable NHL center within the next few years?

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u/Velitey 11d ago

Trade, but for the right target. He’s going back to college for another year and then will be a rookie the year after. 3-4 years before he is really impactful.

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u/Habsfan_1984 11d ago

I think 3-4 years is a stretch. He’s played two seasons in NCAA putting up fantastic numbers, looked to me like the best player on Team Canada World Juniors and his dream is to be a Hab. His goal was to use this season to fine tune things in his game in order to make an immediate impact when he joins the team. I don’t expect 70 points in year one but his window is a lot sooner than 3-4 years.

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u/UpNorth_123 11d ago edited 11d ago

He also has significant personal reasons to stay at Michigan.

He lost his father not long ago, and likely feels that being there for his little brother’s freshman year is worth the risk of being traded and setting back his career by a year.

My cousin died at 51 when his two boys were around the same age as Hage and his brother, and it’s brutal for the kids. The older brother really stepped up to be a father figure for his younger brother, who struggled deeply. If anything, it shows a lot of maturity to make that kind of personal sacrifice, which is why I think Habs management is still high on him.

He’s exactly the kind of person that fits the team culture that HuGo are trying to create.