Hey folks,
We’re very pleased to welcome Arpon Basu from The Athletic for an AMA tonight at 7pm ET.
You can post your questions in this thread, he'll start answering them around 7pm ET.
We’re grateful to Arpon for coming back to do another AMA right before the Montreal Canadiens training camp begins, so let’s welcome him back to the community.
His latest articles:
In new stage of Canadiens rebuild, information is king
What I saw at Canadiens rookie camp: David Reinbacher’s sphere of influence
It’s already clear the Canadiens should give Lane Hutson a chance to start in the NHL
by Go_Habs_Go31
23 Comments
A few times on your podcast with Marc-Antoine, you mentioned some noise in the Canadiens organization about Volokhin being the best goalie prospect in the organization. Would you be able to elaborate a bit further on that?
Hey Arpon,
Last year we saw the habs actually make a pretty aggressive move and waive a veteran with multiple years left (armia) out of camp.
Do you think they would be willing to do that again this year (ie waive someone making more than buryable money) and if so who do you think it would potentially be
Hey Arpon, thanks for doing this! Long time fan of your articles and the podcast.
We heard that a lot of modernization happened within the organization since the change of leadership, do you have any visibility to what continuous improvement initiatives are still underway? How might they impact the team going forward?
Hello Mr. Basu,
Let’s get down to the brass tacks.
Favourite spot to grab a bite near the Bell Centre, and favourite spot in the city?
Thank you for the opportunity, and keep up the stellar journalism!
Arpon, who is scoring more this season? Caufield or Laine? You pick one, I’ll take the other. Loser has to buy beers during one of our playoff games this year. 😏
Hey Arpon,
Simple question here. When is the Notebook podcast starting up again? Thanks!
I believe Reinbacher will start in the NHL. As he brings somethings both Mailloux and Barron don’t.
Do you share my opinion?
Hey Arpon!
Thanks for all your awesome work. After watching the rookie showcase last weekend has your opinion of any of our young dmen changed at all? Which of Hutson, Mailloux, Reinbacher and Engstrom have the best odds of making the team?
I was personally very impressed with reinbacher and engstrom. Hutson obviously was electric at times
Hi Arpon! Thanks for everything that you do! Simple question: which of the following, in your opinion, finishes the season with the most NHL games played: Reinbacher, Mailloux, Hutson, Barron (waivers exempt). Thank you!
Hey Arpon, thanks for doing this. In the likely scenario the Habs finish with a top 10 pick, what type of player do you think they would target? Is there a glaring positional need you think needs to be adressed?
Hi Arpon – first off, say hi to Marc Antoine for me, love the podcast and looking forward to bringing you both back into the weekly rotation.
My question for you is around your role as a journalist/insider. Do you ever find it difficult to balance trust with an organization like the Habs while also doing your best to break news to your audience? Are there ever times where you gain information that the Canadiens may not want in the public right away and how do you handle those dilemmas personally?
PS please add back French episodes! As a native English speaker they were really helpful for me to practice my French comprehension.
What are the odds that two years from now, the Habs are contenders and a certain hall of famer whose name rhymes with Bidney Brosby comes to his childhood favourite team in a bid for one more cup as his contract expires?
Hey Arpon,
When is the basu and godin notebook starting back up? Also where do you see the canadiens finishing in the season and does mailoux start the season in MTL
Hi Arpon Tx for doing AMA, do you think Alex Barré-Boulet has a chance to crack roster or he’s AHL acquisition?
Why did you say Lane Hutson is like Barry Sanders in his 2nd rookie tournament game?
Arpon!
Thanks for doing this. Gotta say I have greatly missed The Notebook this summer. I would listen faithfully to it each week while on power walks this spring, and the longer episodes you guys did at the end of the season allowed me to get all kinds of miles in.
My question: Can you rank these about-to-be-RFAs in the likelihood of them being traded this season? And conversely, is there an RFA or two from this group you could see HuGo re-signing to stay in Montreal providing the price is right?
* Armia
* Barre-Boulet
* Dvorak
* Evans
* Pezetta
* Savard
Hey Arpon, thanks for your time.
Do you feel like there’s room for a guy like Heineman, Beck or Kapanen to make the team out of camp? And which veteran is most likely be left out on offense?
Thank you!
Hi Arpon, just wanted to let you know that i really love your work. Its always nuanced, put in perspective, you find angles that are not exploited by other journalists and you are always fair to the players/managers and the public. So thank you for true unbiased and genuine journalism.
I can’t find anything interesting to ask so I might as well leave a a shoutout. (This is all applicable to Marc-Antoine Godin as well, you guys rock)
Thanks for doing this!
What was your highlight of the 2023-2024 season?
What are you the most excited to see in this season?
I feel as though the colloquial term quarterback for an offensive defenseman is such a misnomer. I think a more accurate term would be point guard because of their ability of distributing the ball/puck and their ability to break down defenses. Wouldn’t that comparison to be more apt? This is what I see when I watch Lane Hutson.
Hi Arpon, love your work! How does your fandom of other sports teams (e.g., the Dolphins) impact how you approach writing for your audience at the Athletic?
Hey Arpon
You’re the reason I subscribe to the NYT. Well worth it.
I would argue that, in addition to better team defence, having Laine return to form is critical to establishing a legitimate 2nd offensive line and better PP which we need to have a shot at the playoffs.
MSL, Hughes, and Laine have all said that the key to him returning to form is just being happy playing the game. What do you think MSL will do to make Laine feel happy playing hockey again?
Follow-up question: where can I get myself a $9M job where my boss’ only concern is my happiness? (J/K)
Hey Arpon! I believe it was the conclusion that our goaltending was surprisingly steady last year. Do you believe that it was an over performance and if so, given that our D core might get younger with Hutson probably coming in, do you think goaltending will be “worse” and even may be at risk of costing us too many games this season?