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Is Adam Engstrom forcing Kent Hughes’ hand?
In this episode, Shaun Starr and Marco D’Amico break down the incredible season Adam Engstrom is having with the Laval Rocket and what it means for the Montreal Canadiens’ future. Is he becoming a prime trade chip, or is he emerging as a long-term NHL blueliner in Montreal?
We dive into how Engstrom’s development impacts David Reinbacher, the Habs’ defensive depth chart, and potential trade scenarios. Plus, we take a closer look at Laval Rocket forward Florian Xhekaj and the season he’s putting together.
What role could Engstrom fill at the NHL level? Is Montreal building from within or preparing for a major move? Let’s break it all down.
💬 Drop your thoughts in the comments and join the conversation!
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31 Comments
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Angstrom is in front of number 47 and 72 he should be with the habs as it is.
The Habs should've selected Ryan Leonard instead of David Reinbacher
Is Reinbacher looking like Hughes' draft version of KK? Looking like an oft injured bust at 5th overall from where I sit. Thoughts?
no 72 and 47 just do not play at a level to justify there presence on a regular frame rate? Angstrom 's value keeps going up. I understand Harbour's presence being a important one for the tough side of the game. but it makes it hard on rising young defenceman who are looking for a spot on the D in Mtl
Glad to hear Hage and Entrom playing well
As usual we start by looking art POINTS.Unless a prospect can make the top 6 he is not useful as a scorer he needs to be a ROLE player.Players that score points do so becuase they get high minutes and PP time bottom 6 on MTL won't get points.
I am happy to hear Engstrom mentioned he is a VERY good D man a well rounded player I pointed this out back in training camp.His skating is smooth and he plays with his head up he is VERY smart.
The only problem would be if he is paired with a much less smart D man it would put too much load on him to carry his partner.
I see this with Matheson when he tries too hard to help his partner he gets caught and plays worse.
The "transition" ordeal is mostly because of PRESSURE players often over play over skate just to impress their coach.IF MSL is the coach people THINK he is well no problem the coach should make his players feel comfortable but as we have seen he was VERY quick to punish Arber any time he made a mistake.MSL even sent Arber down when he was a PLUS ..lmao so yeah I don;'t share the opinion that MSL gets the best from his players.
17:52 when listing Florian's linemates, did anyone else notice Shaun's Freudian slip in mentioning the Sabres UFA Alex Tuch instead of his brother Luke Tuch from the Laval Rocket?
I wonder if it might be good to bring Engstrom up and work towards having him become a replacement (in the longterm) for Mike Matheson as he starts to age out. Step one might be trading Struble and putting Engstrom into the roster, and in to the lineup strategically (e.g., platooning Engstrom and Xhekaj as needed and to foster competition, or possibly to fill in for Top 4 injuries) until he "earns" a permanent spot. (I got to see Engstrom's OT GWG v. Syracuse last Friday!)
I also wonder…Slaf's most important role on the Suzuki-Caufield line may have been "puck-getter," which I think limited his true potential as play maker/shooter from the slot. I think a player like Anderson or (perhaps better when he is ready) Florian might be able to perform and provide value as a wing on that line, and he would be the only left-handed shooter/faceoff on that line. It would take some more cooking for Florian to be ready for a role like that, but it might be an option to experiment with in pre-season next year (given that we don't yet know if Hage is NCAA, AHL or NHL yet or if he would be ready for a first-line role immediately).
I should remind those that put value on a RD then why did MTL pick Slafkovsky who was terrible back then he was green in every aspect of the game when they COULD have taken Simon Nemec whom was imo already NHL ready as a RIGHT D.
This is why I don't make assumptions and give credit to managmeent "just because" I go by the facts what is actually happening.Now to be fair to Hughes IDK maybe that decision was coerced by his scouts and his managing partner but fact is we took a GAMBLE on a forward in a WEAK draft while a NHL ready RD was available.
hindsight is NOT an excuse only the facts matter management decided a RD was not as valuable as a GAMBLE on a forward in a very weak draft .So people can say whatever they want make assumptions or give THEIR opinion the fact is Hughes decided a RD was not as valuable as everyone is claiming.If people still disagree then your saying Hughes made a bad decision again hindsight does not count.
Please do not trade Engstrom, he’s so much more skilled than Xhekaj, better positioning, speed and gap control. Xhekaj is a good nuclear option for playoffs if we’re getting pushed around, but we need to keep Engstrom’s skill for our blue line. The Habs are winning, absolutely no need to trade him right now
They can be patient with Reinbacher, is made of porcelaine. Trade it before is not worth anything
Trade Reinbacker before his value goes to nothing
There is no way I am trading Engstrom who is also pretty rugged and loves to hit and use his body to protect the puck. With his level of hockey sense, being able to play both sides of the D, I would make space by moving Strubble, Arber and Reinbacher way before I even touch Engstrom. I have had a crush on Engstrom since last year.
You can't keep everybody and 3 LHD are signed long term plus Dobson. Engstrom won't get the opportunities he's getting in Laval to improve his value here. The team is a top-10 now that just needs a couple of pieces. Use him to see if you can get a playing now asset under contract like a forward or RHD.
Reinbacher is still on the FIRST year of his THREE year entry level deal. There is no rush.
If you're St Louis you would have to be interested in a MayYou-Engstrom pairing imo. They still have so many forwards they can deal.
Struble and Carrier are not going to be with the team in the next two years. The later is to small for bottom pairing.
Hutson-Dobson
Matheson-Engstrom
Guhle-Carrier
What are they waiting for.
Reinbacher probably be traded. Struble also. WiFi the 7th defense man
Marco mentioned window with regards to the top 4 defense. If we have a locked top 4 defense for 5 years minimum, then why isn't GM Hughes pushing to round out the top 6?
Gotta start Dobes against Minnesota, if Montembault starts I pray they find a way to win 8-7
Trotz stepping down. If they do a full rebuild start the Forsberg rumours…
Engstrom is NHL ready. Keeping him in Laval after this season is pointless. Something's gonna have to give.
Trade Matheson and Struble for a Gorilla to play with Lane at the deadline and bring Engstrom up. Trade Reinbacher because Engstrom is a better D-Man and will be adding points to the team! P.S. Your podcast is the best for Hab's fans.
Buddy, Josiah Didier, not Joshua. Jesus, know your team
Nicklas Lidstrom was drafted in the 3rd round. I'm far from saying he will be the same player, but the way he thinks the game and manages is is very similar, he hasn't been played as much yet. Marty does not know how to manage goaltending and defense, that's super obvious. Engstrom's average with the main club has been just over 12 minutes. I don't need to go into how much the D and G have been mismanaged, but he's no genius. Even Engstrom in Laval, he wasn't managed as well as he could have been last year. Certain players have the acumen to be out in front of the curve when it comes to ability. He played in the SHL before he came to Laval, the team truly didn't know what they had when he started in Laval.
Marco telling us straight up that habs will trade Reinbacher in a package for Robert Thomas, you heard it here first.
David Reinbacher is 21, he's been injured multiple times, and is still growing, slower than the team would have liked, but he will play in the NHL, middle to bottom pairing
I think Carrie will be traded possibly at the deadline but certainly in the summer and Angstrom is in. Thanks John is an upgrade over Carrie any day of the week?
The decision on Engstrom is simple. Could he step in now in the event of an injury? If yes, then you trade Struble at the deadline. If not, you don’t trade any dmen. Depending on injuries, odds are high that all of Struble, Engstrom and even DR will be needed to get through the rest of the regular season and the playoffs.