SLBAM: Why not the Canadiens’ first choice for Pierre-Luc Dubois?

What’s up gang. A new week means a new question from a new person. I love it.

By the way, if you have any suggestions for my articles, don’t hesitate to leave me a comment, I’m very open to improving everything. Now let’s get to the heart of the matter, the answers to your questions of the week.

do you think mitchkov will sign another contract in russia after this one?

– yannick beaudoin 💉💉 (@yb3808) June 9, 2023

I don’t think so. The only way I can see would be if the war continues in Russia and the KHL and the Russian government prevent anyone from leaving the continent.

The kid’s lifelong dream is to be an NHL player, so unless he can’t 100% make it to North America, I can’t see him signing a contract extension.

And let’s not forget that, at his age, signing a contract extension in the KHL as he has done, ensures him a bright future at a young age without even having played a single game in the NHL.

So it’s very well thought out, in my opinion.

I’d also like to finish by saying that it’s hard to see a drafted player returning to play in the KHL to improve for 2-3 years before making the jump to the big club (the KHL being the second best league in the world, by the way), but that everyone’s in favor of returning a young player drafted at the junior level or in American college?

Double standards in this case.

Would I take it? I’ve always said, if you have two first-round picks, yes, you have to take him if he’s available. I’ve also talked about the chance of him slipping outside the top-10 for any number of reasons (anything but because of his talent).

If you’re the CH and you don’t want to take the chance of taking him at #5 if he’s still available to avoid drama, you owe it to yourself to move back a few spots.

Complete player, capable of the best and the worst. He’s just had three 60+ point seasons in the last five. The progression curve is there and it’s a bit like the player, who hasn’t stopped improving since he was young. That’s all to the good.

He’s capable of being a power forward, capable of playing on special units and capable of using his stick and physique to defend well, without necessarily being a perfect shutdown forward.

On the other hand, there are starting to be several red flags about it, and that’s not necessarily positive.

But it’s also true that he gets a lot more attention in Montreal than anywhere else, since he’s a Quebecer. To think that he’s the only one in the NHL who’s like that, oh no. He’s not the first who’s like that. He’s not the first to ask to be traded, and he won’t be the last either.

Would I take him to Montreal? Yes, without hesitation, but not at any price and, above all, with a long-term contract to go with it.

Finally, Bob Hartley’s comments made me laugh out loud this week. I have the utmost respect for Bob, and he was a great help to me in signing my second KHL contract.

But to hear him say that PLD is a third-line player for a championship team… He’s right in the sense that if you have a PLD on a 3, you should win and yes indeed, it shows why championship teams have great players on a 3. You have to understand the logic behind it.

PLD is an excellent player, but he’s not necessarily a number 1 center. You need stock around him, and if you look at the champion teams of recent years. Look at their top 6 and you’ll understand.

Yes without hesitation if I’m the CH and if I’m able to sign PLD to a long-term contract.

If it’s not a long-term contract, no. I wouldn’t give a pick for a rental player, no matter how good he is. The Habs’ phase isn’t there yet, winning a championship at all costs.

But right now, with the announcement from PLD’s agent, the Jets have less leeway knowing that he won’t even sign a one-year extension with them. So you have to trade him, but who will take him?

Probably several teams, but they all have the same fear. What if Dubois signed a one-year deal with an aspiring team, only to test the free agent market and break the bank?

I wonder, and I have enormous respect for the work Antho does. But how important are media interviews to drafted players?

I mean, okay, maybe he didn’t impress in that interview for X-Y reason. But do organizations take into account what the RDS/TSN/TVA analyst then mentions? I think asking the question is answering it.

It’s also important to understand that a 5-20 minute questionnaire doesn’t dictate what a player is like. Antho’s update closes this chapter of people getting worked up over nothing on social networks.

He’s only talking about his own interview, not the overall message of NHL teams.

Another common mistake is not knowing the person before the interview. So we all expect him to be drilled by so agent or others to be as professional as possible and get the best possible answers.

But when a player like that comes along and keeps his attitude and way of doing things, it often shakes people up, especially those who had no idea what the youngster was like before.

ProlongationI

‘ll see you next week and thanks again. Follow me on social networks @Mitch_Giguere.