xXx..CK..xXx

Price being hurt is becoming a yearly theme song. There are no positive ways to spin it unless being "unlucky" can be considered a positive. Your argument falls under #1. If he played through "it" and aggravated it, then the trainers are not doing their job or a Price has too much control over things. As many would say, while he may be a competitor, he is not a doctor and he's not likely to be the one to say "I can't go today". Athletes are pretty smart in that regard but I've seen Price push himself through things before.

If we're getting Ekmann Larsson, then we better not be sending Weber the other way even if the argument was that he's better. I doubt there's much of a reason Phoenix would do that deal either without myself having looked at their respective contracts. I'm looking forward to this one. I'll throw out a 4 or 5 to 2 win suggestion for the Habs. Although with Lindgren in net.... we might do better

Alright he was hurt but then why did he even play in that Minnesota game? Did it become worse in that game? It seems to me that his lateral movement was struggling for longer than it should have been either way. Then again if there's any thing I have conspiracy theories about around here, it does surround our goaltending, oddly enough. Any way my mind breaks it down there's something fishy. 1) Price is injured but played Minnesota because he has too much say and/or is not honest with the training staff 2) Price is injured and the Habs don't have confidence in their backup goaltending and/or team without Price 3) Price is hurting but has been lacking confidence and needed a mental break Or the argument against... 4) Price is injured and will be back in a few games. No big deal. Likely scenario but it still doesn't explain why Price's injury correlates with his lateral movement when his lateral movement has been struggling almost all season. At a certain point, one has to realize they are not playing up to standards and this can have an exponential effect on play.

I hate to start speculation of any kind, although I'm sure it's already being speculated, but I'm not sure how much I buy into this whole injury thing. My personal speculation is that he does have a slight injury but one that he would usually play through. That it coincided with some poor play of his leads me to believe that this may be an excuse to have start him "fresh" when feeling better. Mentally, he will have felt as though he wasn't playing up to his standards because he wasn't feeling well physically, rather than because he just isn't playing well. When did he get hurt? What play was it, or was it in practice? Again, I'm sure there's a slight injury but there's too much to the timing and it doesn't seem as though there was a specific incident that hurt him to the extent that he wouldn't be able to suit up.

I'm not a typical Habs fan who always demands a big splash. I was happy with the Vanek trade but it wasn't like i was demanding it. We should be worried this season because we still don't have the most competent of partners for Weber. I like Mete and hope he sticks with the squad for the entire season but I never expected him to still be on the top pair come playoff time. That's an unrealistic expectation. You may be right about Markov being old and slow but then I'll stop being generous and say I dislike the Sergachev for Drouin trade period, if that's truly the case. Regardless of talent, we potentially solved an issue by creating another. We lost Beaulieu, Markov and Emelin and then traded Sergachev? Do I have to mention they are all left handed? I see that you like Alzner, and that's perfectly fine, but that's going to certainly differentiate our opinions about how the left side of the Habs defence looks. What we do know about Markov is that he still capable of logging over 20 minutes in the KHL and still able to produce points and would have been a great quarterback for the powerplay (something they were looking for in Streit, as well as something Sergachev is already capable of) and Markov's simple presence helps the Habs. The record our team has had with and without him over the past decade + demonstrate that. Markov is older, but it wasn't the plan to let Markov go. Bergevin admitted that he wanted to resign Markov or Radulov and so it wasn't entirely because of his age that he was let walk. IF it turns out to be realistic that Markov can barely play at this point, that would have simply been a lucky (yet predictable) byproduct of the entire situation.

You don't have to give that. We should be worried this season. If we signed Markov, it's not an issue. I'd love to be the most positive poster on here on a consistent basis, but we don't win the cup this year, that move, and much more importantly not resigning Markov after that move will be a big part of the reason. Nashville just got a #1 C (on the Habs) for some prospects and I doubt they are on Sergachev's level. Sure argue away that Turris is not on Drouin's level but that's completely besides the point. All of this is to say that I can just jump in a boat with everyone and say that Sergachev for Drouin is a homerun when looked at on its own. Love drouin, disliked the trade.

The best part, in my opinion, about having a Gibson, Vasilevskiy or Murray are (were) the fact that those teams have also had solid backups. Gibson has Murray, Vasilevskiy has Budaj and Murray had Marc Andre Fleury during their cup run, or vice versa. In my opinion, none of Tampa Bay or Anaheim this year or Pittsburgh last year go anywhere without such a 1-2 punch. Pittsburgh used it to change the momentum in a series they were being outplayed and I am convinced that Budaj and more likely Miller will play relatively important roles for their squads this season. Miller already has. Allotting 10.5 million to your starting goaltender does somewhat inhibit how much should be spent on backup goaltending. Sure some of the goalies you listed make 4-6 million but it also allows them to dish out 2 million for a decent backup. The cap will go up in theory and so while 10.5 looks big now, in a few years it may just be the perfect amount for a goalie of Price's caliber. The issue I have with devoting 10.5 Million to a goalie rather than 4-5 million is not that it's too much to devote to a goalie when we need quality players up front. It's more along the lines of the reality that it forces the team to rely on the starting goaltender to a heavy extent and make questionable calls when it comes to the team's goaltending. It's changed a little bit with Julien, but there have been so many unique decisions made as a result of Price being Price. Last year, Therrien had to "fear" pulling Price even though it would have been the correct decision and then there were situations like leaving in Montoya for 10 goals against Columbus. Our leader in Price has such a unique and strict schedule and it's as though he needs special treatment. I repeat that in the game against Columbus last year, Price probably wouldn't have been ready to play even if Montoya got injured. He rarely takes a day off but when he does it's so scheduled that the team seemingly cannot adjust to the moment. I don't want to get rid of Price, and I think the cap hit is actually fine, but I do wish we could have a backup goaltender who could either take over when the going gets tough or help push him to excel. This seems to be unrealistic with a goalie like Price and as fans have stated a goalie like Montoya does seem to be the "perfect backup" because he is so accepting of the role. On another note, Lindgren gets the start tonight for a second game in a row. I think it's entirely possible for the Oilers to win a cup in large part due to McDavid and I think it's entirely possible for the Habs to win a cup in large part due to Price. The issue with this train of though lays with expectations. In my memory, there has actually only been one season where Carey Price held an aura above all others in the league. This was 2014-15 when he had 9 shutouts and below a 2.00 GAA, although he has had other good years. The point is that if Carey Price reaches the level he did in 2014-15 for an entire playoff run, it's likely that the Habs could win a cup just because of him. In that season, he demonstrated a level above any other goaltender. I completely agree that we have yet to see this come to fruition during the playoffs, but the possibility is there. Sustaining it over 4 rounds is perhaps a little bit exaggerated, but if he can play lights out in general, including the final series and we win the cup, it should be enough of a consideration. Would I expect this to happen in dynastic fashion with the Habs winning 5 cups in a row? Likely not. But Price only needs to get hot by his standards in one season for the Canadiens to possibly win a cup because of him. It's become an accepted theory that "any goalie can get hot" and match Price but more often than not, this shouldn't be true. Quite often it's not that the opposing goaltender was equal to Price, it's sincerely that the players in front of him made the other goalie look good to a certain extent. For that reason, we do need to ice a team in front of him, of course, but he can certainly be the main reason the Habs win a cup. We've just yet to see it.

I agree. Colorado did seem to get a nice return and Nashville came out from it all quite nicely as well. From their side of things, a lot of it depends on what the Senators' relationship with Turris was like in my opinion. For some reason, I get the feeling there was something going on there as well and if that's the case, Ottawa got a nice player in return in Duchene. There also remains the possibility that he resigns with them or signs an extension. Kind of like what we should have done with Radulov.

The way Lindgren played last night did indeed throw me for a little loop. On one hand, that's exactly what I was asking for. A backup who the team can be excited about and who gives a new or renewed energy to the team. On the other hand, he is young and relatively unproven and so it is tough to give him the reigns at this point in time. If this were someone like Miller, I'd say he should be starting until Price is fully healthy or when (if) he comes back to earth. I do somewhat agree that Lindgren should be given some more starts but I also agree that it should not mean starting every single game for the next 20 games. Hopefully Price isn't injured too long but if he's out for a few weeks, I'd give both Montoya and Lindgren some starts and hopefully we find out that we do have something here in Lindgren. Joe's point is well taken and it's along the lines of where I was going. While he's young, Lindgren has the potential to be a starter in this league while Montoya does not. What a wonderful problem to have that would be.

So you guys think Ottawa got hosed because the player they received is only a slight upgrade? I agree Ottawa gave up too much and I understand that draft picks/prospects were also involved but I don't see it as a trade that's necessarily going to hurt them. Duchene will be a handful. I'm not certain how realistic it is to assume that Turris and Ottawa would have come to the same agreement he did with Nashville? If they could have signed Turris, it is a bit of a strange deal. Then again, not many people on here believe in Duchene anymore and I still think he's going to have a great season (Turris should as well). Duchene would have looked good in a Habs jersey. I wouldn't have included Chucky in a move for him anymore though.

I swear I was just coming to make an appearance in order to jinx Crawford's shutout streak but my phone was dead. Oh well.

Would have been nice to land Turris or Duchene but spilled milk. I was in the minority when it came to discussions on acquiring him but I think Duchene will have a fine year.

I think Jets fans will be complaining about the officiating a lot more than Habsland

It's all about perception. Weber and Pacioretty would definitely be leaned on, on most teams in the NHL. It sounds poetic to say that they aren't leaders but they are decent core pieces to build a team around. Drouin is also a solid piece. Gallagher is a leader and Byron is relied upon too much but does lead by example. Shaw and Danault are not leaders but complimentary pieces on any team.

Nice, your buddy Petry, Stogey.

Weber's been solid too. They account for two of my three Habs fantasy players... The third being (Mete).

I have a good feeling about this powerplay

There will be goals this game.

I'm not the type to beat a dead horse, especially when it seems to be unanimously accepted that my opinion is in the minority. I'm also not sure about the extent of Price's "injury". With that being said, this is the exact type of situation where we can see whether or not our backup goaltending is an issue for our squad. I get the feeling, and am hoping (?) that Price's injury won't keep him out for long, but if Montoya plays the next 3 games, then we'll get an idea if he's capable to keep the team afloat. I find it hard to believe that he will play all these games in a row, considering the Habs play tomorrow as well but we'll see how this plays out. I've heard very little about Price's injury other than it's relatively minor, but what I will say is that it seems to be a common theme that every time he's off his game, there seems to be something "injury" related. Either he has some lingering issues which I find hard to believe because of the contract the organization gave him, something is wrong mentally and he needs the injury excuse to take pressure off, or he's extremely unlucky and keeps getting hurt whenever he's trying to work his way out of a rut. Whatever the case, with Price struggling and a team much reliant on their goalie, we'll see how Montoya fairs. The team doesn't have much more margin for error when it comes to simply throwing games away. I stated earlier that we'll see if Montoya can keep the team afloat but in my opinion, he needs to do more than that at this stage of the game. There are backup goalies in this league who could step into this role and make the team feel as though they don't even need Price back. That was the point of this thread. We've become spoiled with our starting goaltending being so great but eventually, amidst all the Habs fans who want to even consider trading Price, that's only going to become a realistic option once we have either a plan in action to acquire a staring goalie in return, or a capable backup in the organization who out of the blue made Price somewhat expendable as long as we get an elite player in return. Whether we trade Price or not in the long run, we will eventually have the capable backup I'm referring to and it while may be 4 years before Price goes through something like this again, hopefully the team is prepared when it does. I wish Montoya the best of luck here. I won't be eyeing him so much as I will be focusing on how the team plays in front of him.

I don't really consider Craig Anderson a mid level goalie and if he is, they aren't available every year for nothing. The goalies who are available are the Pavelecs, Elliotts, Masons and Ryan Millers. Some would be fine backups but nothing compared to what Price can bring as a starter. How much have the islanders won with Tavares as their #1 and Halak in net?

That's a really dumb thing to say but he does work for the media. If Price will bounce back, then he hasn't mentally checked out. If he doesn't bounce back, it's probably indicative that he was struggling this season, rather than having mentally checked out. Even the greatest players will have off seasons or stretches by their standards. In the recent past, Price has always had to be the man. There have been many seasons where if we were going to win the cup, it was going to have been because of him. I'm not a huge fan of the team put together in the off season but Price's play itself has been one of the main contributors to our poor start and so rather than looking outward and blaming others (in the scenarios presented but tanguay), maybe he should do a little introspection and remind himself that he himself needs to be better if the Habs are to have a shot at winning the cup. If Price were thinking that was, which he isn't, he would be basically saying he has no faith in himself.

Yeah, and we're going to just automatically get Craig Anderson? Ask Philly how nice it's been waiting since 1975 when they won their last ring. They are still looking for that goalie. Last few times they got a sniff? In '97, Mike Vernon won the Connie Smythe and I'm sure they loved that. Michael Leighton also couldn't do much in their last final against Chicago. The game has changed but I'm not sure where the evidence lays demonstrating that goaltendingn is less important than ever. Jonathan Quick and Tim Thomas won back to back Conne Smythe's in 2011 and 2012 and these are not just "goaltenders who can get hot for a series" and match Price's level. If anything, I believe goaltenders like Price have become a little too mechanical and lack that reactionary instinct a goalie should have when the unexpected happens. Price does it from time to time but far from the extent that Quick or Thomas have. I would try to acquire Tavares but surely we can do so without sending Price the other way. We've just started a season with 8 million in cap space available and we're still trying to find a way to save the space. We could fot both players on the roster, even with Price's raise. Galchenyuk, Danault, Draft pick/prospect could get her done. I'm sure there are other pieces we could send as well for those who love Galchenyuk.

Honestly, when the playoffs started, Fleury was the starter and Murray was the backup. Fleury makes about 5.5 million and Murray makes less than 600k. I'm not sure that type of thing could be replicated but the point remains that they did not overly devote money to their goaltending situation. What's very true is that starting next year, we have about 10+ million devoted to Price and so we shouldn't be trying to spend too much money on our backup. With that being said, Ryan Miller makes 2 million and a goalie lie Peter Budaj doesn't make much more than Montoya. When I look at those two goalies, I admit that many people may argue that Budaj and Montoya are similar caliber. The one thing I will note in difference, however, is that Montoya has been a career backup goalie, whereas Budaj has been a starter before. When Quick went down last year, he was able to sustain a pretty high level for an extended period of time. Once again, while this thread has been misinterpreted as a slight against Montoya, it's not. But I am still not convinced that he would be able to take over the reigns of this team should it be deemed necessary for any reason. In my honest opinion, I would not say that last night's performance put the topic to rest. It's too easy to state that we won a game and that things are great. I would also have not came here and ranted had Montoya lost the game. With that being said, Montoya let a goal in about 30 seconds into the game. Although the Habs played well (read further), that's not the type of goaltending that will instill confidence in the team. The positives I saw were that: 1) He made a decent stop on a breakaway when the Habs were leading 5-3. That is exactly the type of thing I was referring to as Miller made about 3-4 of those types of saves in his Overtime game to help lead the Ducks to a victory over the Canes. 2) The team played well in front of him. This reality was the purpose of this thread in the first place. Perhaps the title of my thread is wrong as I should have named it "The Habs Need A Backup Goalie Who Can Instil Confidence in the Team" The Montreal Canadiens have a unique situation. It was stated yesterday that Price had the day off because Waite wanted to have 3 consecutive "work days" to tweak some minor issues that he noticed Price was having. I'm not sure of any other goalie in the league who goes through that type of thing. I can ensure you that had we been the team who let in 8 goals, we would have seen Montoya in the net for all 8 of them, unlike Anderson who got replaced by Condon. I do not think Condon is a better goaltender than Montoya, but I do believe Price is a unique goaltender and having a backup like Montoya allows for some strange decision making when it comes to our team's goaltending. Again, I wouldn't imagine it's necessarily an easy thing to find a goaltender with all the prerequisites I've asked for. This also has nothing to do with how "Montoya is a capable backup goaltender". I'm sure he is. I personally do think that Anaheim did find a gem this off season though and with some shrewd scouting and management, anything is possible and a team who relies so much on goaltending should pay attention to it. As for internal competition, the point is that while Price is likely motivated, he doesn't have anything to worry about. That's not meant in the literal sense, but having a goalie who could step in when the going gets rough, would be good for the team, not only Price. No one ever stated in this thread that this is a number one important thing for the habs. In my oponion, the most important need still revolves around the center position. I do believe that this small, overlooked thing is of secondary importance, along with some help on the back end though, and I think the situation is somewhat unique to the Montreal Canadiens.

And yet the comments that keep getting overlooked are those such as "he's been playing better" or "he keeps scoring". I'm not saying it's my opinion, but the possibility that the tough love approach has worked with him is real. Everyone says he needs to be coddled and well, apparently not.

I repeat I'm not a Julien fan but it seems to be one of those situations once again where if Galchenyuk succeeds, it's despite the coach and if he does nothing, the coach should have done more for him. Galchenyuk's been doing fine regardless of his minutes. There's no story here.