The Chicoutimi Cucumber

The thing with Xhekaj is - even if we rate him as high as a potential 2nd pairing guy, he will be no ordinary 2nd pairing guy. He brings attributes that are both rare and exceptionally valuable: (a) a ridiculously cannonading 107-MPH shot and (b) off-the-chart physical prowess. The latter, especially, is really hard to find. His specific exceptional qualities will make him significantly harder to replace than a “normal” 2nd pairing guy. All of which is to say, the Habs would be within reason to be asking a LOT to give up WiFi. (Whether this is actually the case, I have no idea). There’s maybe a slight analogy with a guy like Lucic, forgetting for a moment about that jackass’s other issues. Offensively, in his heyday Lucic produced like a 50-60 point guy - good but not great - but I don’t think anyone doubted that he was worth waaay more than a standard guy with that profile, because he was a gorilla on skates. I’m not saying WiFi is a player of that level of impact…just that his value may be skewed upward because of his exceptionally rare skill-set.

Hahahaha, I dunno...I'm starting to warm to "SUCKING FOR CELEBRINI' But I should take the W and run

WINNER??🏆 “Lackin’ for Macklin?”

But where is the internal rhyming, alliteration, or assonance, my friend? "Lose-a-rini for Celebrini" would be the Ned Flanders version...

“Cellar for Celebrini?” “Play obscenely for Celebrini?” After a loss, you “Celebrate for Celebrini?” It’s not “Fail for Nail,” I’ll grant ya 🤷‍♂️

We have to hope that it’s a question of incremental improvements to individual young players, and that eventually those improvements will tip us over the edge into better results. From that point of view, we just haven’t hit “critical mass” yet. That’s sort of what Hughes said in his presser. In effect: we like how our young players are coming along, but projecting team performance is much harder. I suspect it’s going to be a bumpy ride, TBH. Look at teams like Buffalo and Ottawa that were expected to surge forward but instead crapped out. I can imagine a future where the Habs’ period of struggling (a) drags on longer than we want (b) causes the fanbase to sour and then (c) after everyone has given up on the team, and media “experts” project “another tough year” for the Canadiens, we see the dam break and start winning lots of games. In this hypothetical future, the key thing will be for management not to panic and do a Mcdonagh/Sergachev type trade out of a sense that things aren’t working. Stay the course and stick to the process.

Couldn't watch this one because I was at a curling bonspiel...sounds like I picked a good one to skip

Again…that team had the 2nd best PP…obviously its even strength scoring was horrible but the PP was not the problem.

That could well be…but if you’re going down, at least go down swinging. Fill the place to the rafters. Make sure that, if the team isn’t viable, it’s because of a wider economic issue, NOT due to lukewarm fan interest. At this point, if the team folds, the fans will have no one to blame but themselves.

Probably. What I’m saying is that Peg fans are absolutely in a “use it or lose it” situation and should have understood this from the get-go. Ultimately, if they’re not going to games, then they will lose the team, period - and quite quickly, I’d imagine. I don’t know what their problem is. I always thought they were devoted fans. They have a surprisingly competitive team this year, they should be banging the doors down. If the issue is that the average fan in Winnipeg just can’t afford NHL prices, then that is truly sad, but it also means that they are not an NHL city, full stop.

Here we are re-litigating this argument, LOL. I was convinced at the time that Metro was being used on the PP because he was the only damned player on the entire team that actually went to the net and was willing to stand in front of it on the power play. It wasn’t a case of The Count being a village idiot - more like, his other players just were not giving him what he needed in that capacity. And look, the guy got 16 goals that year, so it’s not like he was cement hands out there. Finally: the Habs were 2nd overall in PP that year! Obviously JM was doing something right. https://www.covers.com/sport/hockey/nhl/statistics/team-powerplay/2009-2010

Funny thing about Savard - the fact that he has another year on his deal might actually be a selling point for the Canucks. They have a huge number of D on expiring deals. If they’re not convinced about re-signing Zadorov, Myers, or Cole, they might appreciate the certainty of Savard’s contract. All that said, this is just me talking; I haven’t hear any rumours linking Savard to the Canucks.

Hopefully the Nordiques stay dead. Forever. Winnipeg fans simply do not have the option of NOT coming out in massive numbers, night in and night out. I thought that was understood when they got their team back. 🤷‍♂️

I’m here listening to sports radio in Vancouver…there is a huge proportion of the fanbase that is skeptical about whether the Canucks should re-sign Elias Pettersson.

I remember people on this board absolutely eviscerating The Count for using him on the PP so much. My rebuttal was that he was the only guy who reliably went to the net, so he got the gig. 🤷‍♂️ It seemed weird to me that he couldn’t get another contract after a season in which he played a useful role on the Habs and got 16 goals, but I guess that’s life when you’re a 30+ journeyman.

Unfortunately Jim Benning is no longer Cancuks GM. Otherwise, I'm sure we could package Gally and Andy together in return for a high pick and quality prospect.

Van might be interested in a Pezzetta type as depth. They've had injuries in their bottom-6 and the feeling is that this has contributed to their recent dip in performance. And if you're trying to win the Cup, you need to have some bench strength. However, I really doubt anyone, including Vancouver, is coughing up significant assets for Pezzetta. Maybe a 4th rounder. So in that sense, the entire scenario isn't worth getting too excited about one way or another. Frankly, what I mostly hear about in Van is the need to be 8, 9 deep at D in order to make a deep run. David Savard is the Hab they should be targeting, in pure hockey terms. I get that the cap may preclude that. But that's probably what they need from the Canadiens roster.

Good point. If he keeps playing like that, he'll be an all-star - or a top-4 guy at the very least.

It'd be great to see Wifi building on that phenomenal game last night.

I liked Metro! Wasn’t he used on the PP, though, to the general rage of the fanbase? I forget if it was him or someone else. He had a cool name to boot.

I never meant to suggest bullying - MUCH too strong a word. I just thought there was a scornful tone directed at the poster in a couple of replies. Didn't mean to cause a ruckus or accuse anybody.

I wonder if they're concerned that the team has looked unduly terrible since losing Monahan and want White to help stabilize the situation at C a bit. Makes sense, especially if Gignac clears.

Canadiens claim Colin White from Pittsburgh; place Brandon Gignac on waivers | Montréal Canadiens (nhl.com) Seems like a bit of an odd minor move to me, but what do I know. I guess they feel the need for a little more veteran FW experience in the organization.

Let's keep it civil, s'il vous plait. The guy is entitled to his opinion, respectfully expressed. My take on this is: even if MSL isn't that great in managing veterans, that's not his primary purpose. He is here, above all, to help our prospects and young players develop. On that score, the results are very promising. Personally, I really don't care too much how turds like Dandonov or Drouin are doing without him, nor do I fret over the thought that they might have been borderline adequate 6th forwards with us under a different coach. This is a rebuild. In a year or at most two, the organizational goals will pivot toward winning lots of hockey games. At that point, we will see whether MSL's bench management and veteran management are up to the task. I think he has a chance to be one of those rare Barry Trotz-type coaches who define the team for years and years, but he will have to get over that hump. In terms of probabilities, the likeliest outcome is that a team would ditch the "rebuild" coach once it's time to contend. It's just that MSL is an outside-the-box thinker and has been defying the odds his entire life, so I'd say it's 50/50 in his case.

Anderson is a “problem” playing like he is, on the ticket he is. The best hope is probably that he reboots over the summer and comes back as “normal” Josh Anderson - a player I always liked and defended, even with his considerable limitations. That guy has some value. Not the current guy.