xXx..CK..xXx

I was kidding, as you know, but the post didn’t have the same kick with the “sarcasm on” emoticon.

🙁 I always wanted to be the person to give you your first downvote, Brian. I was just never given the right opportunity...

My perspective of Shea Weber has a lot to do with his offensive game and more specifically, his slap shot. Shea Weber is not a particularly fast skater but I think he’s actually quicker than some give him credit for, in that he’s far from being a Douglas Murray-like slug. It’s a personal opinion but I feel that when Weber’s offensive game is on, his confidence level goes up and his whole game rises as a consequence. His game was off the first few games this season but that included his patented 110 mph slap shot. He was missing the net, fumbling his reception of certain passes and not even inducing much fear into his opponents who would be forced to block his shots. This ties in with one of the main reasons that I don’t fully mind when it’s somewhat predictable that the puck will end up on his stick for a one timer; someone will still have to have the courage to step in front of his shot, and maybe multiple times. This is not an easy achievement. This is all to say that last game was the first game that I saw with my own eyes, the confident Weber with his slap shot from the point on the power play. I think he had been practicing repeatedly over the past few days. Unfortunately for Erikkson Ek of the Wild, he became Weber’s first casualty this season after blocking Weber’s shot 3 times on the same penalty kill without any reprieve. This left him walking out of the arena in a protective boot around his foot. I do not condone Weber injuring anyone with his shot, but I do take last game as a positive sign for Weber heading into the rest of the season and not only do I expect him to score his first fairly soon, if not tonight, but I expect his overall game to rise as well.

Haydn Fleury just scored. The very next day.

I missed the goal as well😂 Tuned in now but I was on my way home from work during the first period when Mete scored. October 17th, 2019 vs Minnesota at the Centre Bell. It’s also the first time the Habs have scored against Minnesota at home since 2017.

It’s definitely unfair to bring it up at this point. Weber has been off but let’s wait until his first 2 or 3 goal game this year before bringing it up. Without looking up any stats, it’s easy to predict that he’ll score 15 goals this year and put up more than 40 points.

I found myself reminiscing about “Casperetty” this game. I know you didn’t like him, but it’s funny you bring it up because I had the same thought. 33 shots but no pure sniper with a heavy wrister. Caufield is a good call for the future.

Hoping for some good things from Weber on this power play.

First of all, Christian Folin is better than Douglas Murray. Let’s make that clear before the comparison begins to spread like wildfire. Second of all, Christian Folin IS a sniper:

It’s one thing to ask that your team rip off other teams in deals. This is an unrealistic demand. It’s a completely different thing to request that a team attempts to address needs. Teams have holes. Other needs have already been addressed. Needs change over time. These are some of the rebuttals. With that being said, a top pairing caliber LHD has been an issue since Markov left and Markov has been gone so long that there was the possibility to have a discussion about “bringing Markov back after all this time.” Acquiring a top 4 defenseman would hurt. It would not be achieved by trading Hudon, Weise and a 3rd rounder. The issue is that most people are stating that this is a retool period but how can a team transition in quickest fashion out of this retool period? It’s one thing to say the future is bright but there are scenarios where the future becomes now even for those who are retooling. I understand how it’s likely that it takes time, but I don’t buy that it has to. This is not the trade proposal thread but if I combine a few different common thoughts amongst Habs fans, I think an example of something that could be done to speed up the process would be something like including Philip Danault in a trade for a top 4 defenseman. I understand that he can put up 50-60 points all the while being more defensively responsible than any other center we have, but 13-15 goals is not the production of a 1st line Center and for me, I think Domi, Kotkaniemi, Drouin in the worst case, are the types of players who could fill the role. At least better than Victor Mete can handle a top pairing defensive role. On one hand, our Center depth has improved, but on the other hand, Danault is still filling up a spot on our top line and the thought I was suggesting that many Habs have is that Danault is not a top line Center. His value in a trade may be higher than a third line Center though. Those who are mentioning that we should speed up the retool are often mentioning that we should trade players like Price, or Weber but we should always keep those players who actually fill the role their are designated to play. Price and Weber are people you build around even for the next 5 years. If Weber is a second pairing guy by then, that’s fine. He’ll have more of an impact on the team than Danault as a third line Center. Right now, Victor Mete and Phillipe Danault are the two players playing in high value roles they shouldn’t be. The fact that they are playing in these positions, however, give them perceived value and so perhaps there could be a return of great value to two different teams when one of those players are the players involved. I’d rather keep Mete than Danault. This is all to say that it is just an example but I think our biggest obstacles from being a competitive team are actually that we have someone of Mete’s caliber as our top left defense and someone of Danault’s caliber as our top line Center. They are both players I like, I just do not love their roles.

My only issue with Youpi is that he is only the Habs mascot due to the reality that he was out on the streets looking for a sport circa 2004-2005 when the Expos left town. Outside of that, I think he actually matters. Not necessarily to me, though I liked him as a baseball mascot, but I’m sure there are kids 15 and under who only remember him as a Habs mascot and like him. I don’t know enough about mascots but I thought he was one of the better ones in baseball at least.

Any GM, whether Bergevin or someone new needs to evaluate the team’s weaknesses and address them. I’m not intending to beat a dead horse, but my perception is that the main issue that needs to be addressed involves the left side of our defence. I can understand not being able to find a bonafide #1, but what We need is someone better that Mete and while Mete is good, these players are out there. It’s no secret that solid level RHD are much more difficult to acquire than LHD. LHD are out there. Yes it would cost us something. I understand that teams have holes, and I can’t imagine being a team where goaltending is a hole for say, a decade or more. A team like a Philly has suffered through those pains so I guess one could say these things happen and fanbases have to be patient. We’re lucky we have Price. The question was posed however, and my first demand of any GM, whether current or new, would be to utilize our cap space efficiently (as in actually spend it), and find an upgrade on Mete and I have nothing against Mete. That would be a start.

Nice shot by KK. Already two on the road this year.

Arrived home during the 1st intermission and the game’s been on all period but I finally get to zone in with 8:14 left in the second. Time to see how Kinkaid is doing more than anything.

I thought about Boston and Chara as well when considering the Weber topic. I’ve never thought that Chara and Weber were necessarily the exact same type of defensemen. However, people generally consider Boston a team that can make some noise, and even though they miss the playoffs from time to time, they never had to trade away Chara for fear that he would be too old to be their number one during a future “window”. They have a new window, and he is no longer the best d-man on their team and despite his age, he still has a serviceable impact on their team. I think it’s perfectly possible for the Habs to be a competitive team with an older Weber who is now only considered a top 4 defenseman, rather than the top defenseman on the team. That reality is still years away, and that gives us plenty of time to have and/or acquire other players who can grow into the role without even having to get rid of him. It’s also not that I want to wait years; I think we can win with Weber as a number one in the meantime. That’s why I would have agreed that we should have perhaps made at least one other move in the off season. With that being said, I think there are other ways to speed up a rebuild versus trading away your best players. These players (Weber and Price) will be good for years to come. It depends who would be returning in a trade for Weber but it would have to be a future top pairing D-man+ for me to see how it would speed things (without a doubt) up and make sense.