The Chicoutimi Cucumber

Yep, I have long been a Gomez fan, back to his NJ days. I have a weakness for slick, smart playmakers, and his speed has always blew me away. I thought his performance last season was satisfactory (only a fool would expect him to be worth his insane salary). But this season, after being patient for a good long time, I've finally and drastically turned on him. He has been absolutely wretched - a massive liability in every facet of the game outside the neutral zone. One of the worst second-line C I've ever seen on a good team - and that's a pure hockey judgement that has nothing to do with the salary. Unless he redeems himself with an awesome playoff, we'd be better off replacing him with almost ANY second-line-calibre C (including, conceivably, Desharnais). There should be no place on our team for a useless passenger like that.

Kostitsyn was identified by the Bulldogs' coaching staff as a basically lazy and immature player. I remember the coach (I forget his name now ) expressing surprise at Kostitsyn's work ethic in his first season with us - a remark that I took note of, at a time when Sergei seemed like a can't miss kid. The point is, Sergei has shown himself able to suck it up and put in the necessary effort for periods of time in the past. He showed it with us in his first half-season. What he was NOT able to do with us was to sustain that kind of commitment over time. That's why I say we should withhold judgement before declaring that he has experienced a conversion on the road to Nashville. Sooner or later, he may revert to his old ways: entitlement, arrogance, poor team commitment and laziness. Beyond that, Wamsley's right.

I'm not one to pout over lines, but JM's continued allegiance to that second line baffles me. Gomez's performance all season has been absolutely unacceptable - a disgrace to the uniform and an insult to both fans and teammates. And that of his linemates has scarcely been better. In contrast, both Desharnais and Pouliot have done everything one could ask of them. If you ask me, I would move at least Pouliot onto the second line (he did have chemistry with Gomez last season), or, preferably, give those minutes to DD and Pouliot. Maybe I'm overreacting, but I've had it with Kostitsyn's "Will I Ever Find Myself?" act and with Gomez's sheer incompetence. If either of the guys were rookies, they'd have been sent down by now. It's time to stop jerking around and demand performance: players who perform, get the minutes. Period.

I think lazy's right...it's unfair to judge the D based on the last two games. If the team fails to rally tonight for a strong all-around effort, though, then I'll start to worry. They've had a couple of days off to lick their wounds and refocus. Win or lose, I want to see the team play a strong, Jacques-Martin-style defensive game with good puck support tonight. Get back to basics, back to the system. We will stand or fall on that basis.

So far, it's been closer to the 'we're tired we quit' scenario than the 'rebound' scenario. But dlbalr is right, they're battling to find their legs. Meanwhile, Gomez continues to be utterly hapless out there; fortunately DD picked up the slack with that tremdenous pass to MaxPac. I'll likely get flamed for this, but it might be time for JM to discreetly start re-allocating Gomer's minutes to Desharnais. I'm sorry, but he is NOT worse than Gomez at this point.

Gut-check time. We need to nip this losing streak in the bud, and the players need to show they have the cojones to bounce back from the pounding Boston meted out. Sometimes the game *after* the 'big game' is the REAL test. I think it could go either way...the team could rally with a really gutsy all-for-one effort and beat a team they should be able to beat; or they will come out listless and tired and end up pissing two points down the drain. I'll bet that, as the deadline looms, PG is very interested to see how the team responds.

Yeah, PK is a real *problem* 14 points in 16 games...robust physical play...does it all out there...oh, wait, he has a big mouth and only fights now and then. What a shmoe. Save your contempt for useless money pits like Scott Gomez, please.

I seem to recall somewhere that PG has a previous history of seeking big, strong players - more of a believer in this than Gainey, apparently. I can't confirm that, but if it's true then for sure he is aware of the issue and looking to address it.

Well, maybe you're right - less in the sense that we need a goon to win the fights or prevent us from being intimidated, but in the sense that we need a guy who will DESTROY anyone who tries to injure PK, Price or any of the other bread-and-butter assets on the franchise. You've got me there. It's not the fights per se, it's the cheap shots. The NHL has decided that it supports criminal assaults on skilled players, so teams have no choice but to defend themselves.

This is a good, balanced post. I agree that a more bad-assed 4th line that can mete out some punishment would be a good idea (and perhaps an achievable one before the deadline). And bringing up Henry as a semi-regular is also a good idea; in his cups of coffee with us he always seemed competent to take a few NHL shifts on a nightly basis. Clearly, we're not going to reconstruct our team into a bunch of goons, but one or two players can help to shift the overall team image in this respect. As for clutching and grabbing, to me the Devils' game was a bit of a signpost that it's creeping back; and in the playoffs it never went away. But as for dirty, career-jeopardizing play, that's at as high a level as it's ever been. It's stupid, it's disgusting, and it's unacceptable. Look at that nauseating Crosby hit - they issued no suspension because they didn't think the hit was 'intentional.' Well, try that with a judge if you 'accidentally' run someone over. Arbitrary and idiotic. I find it amusing that defenders of 'The Code' position themselves as upholding old notions of virtue and honour, but probably hoorayed unanimously when the Bruins kept pummelling habs' players who were either down or hurt. Pouliot demonstrated a far greater allegiance to this 'Code' when he did the decent thing and stopped pounding his man. For that matter, when Bill McCreary Jr laid out Wayne Gretzky with a legal open-ice hit he was roundly condemned. The NHL actually altered how it was calling abuses in the face-off circle at Sather's request because 'The Kid' was getting carved up night after night. There was a time when the 'Code' said: protect your star players. Things - including this mythical 'Code' - have changed. For the worse.

The NHL is gradually regressing back to the point where it was before the lockout, on two fronts: clutch and grab is slowly creeping back in; and outright thuggery is roaring back. The idiots in charge of this league WANT to see Sidney Crosby's career destroyed by pointless headshots away from the puck (just like they WANTED to see Scott Stevens lay waste to all comers with what should have been classified as illegal elbows to the head). They WANT a league of Matt Cookes where the Crosbies and Savards are left to rebuild shattered frontal lobes and Ovechkin constantly has to watch his knees. They want this, in the name of some asinine code of "manliness" where if you cannot withstand a hammer-blow to the skull, you are some kind of pansy. Mark my words. The golden age of fast, exciting, super-talented hockey we've been enjoying for the past few seasons is drawing to a close. Having said all of this, I don't think last night's game was the big deal that people are making it out to be. 8-6 is a freak event. The Habs are NOT intimidated by goonery; this group never has been. Philly has their number, not because Philly goons it up, but because Philly's D is just too strong. As for Boston, we've beaten them pretty consistently this year. Last night was a bizarre outlier caused by the Habs completely abandoning the system. Beyond that, this game has ZERO playoff relevance for the simple reason that you hardly ever see fighting in the playoffs anymore. So let the Prunes goon it up. Far more salient to the playoffs is hooking, holding, and stickwork, which even in the immediate aftermath of the lockout were permitted to dominate in the playoffs and continue to do so. I think that, between our aged D and Plekanec's notorious carving-knife of a hockey stick, we can compete effectively in THAT sort of game. Could we use one or two big, strong power forwards? Absolutely, but we need them because we need people who can crash through hermetic defences, much more than to open a can of whupass on them.

It's actually 27 teams...you're forgetting about the Flyers

Personally, I really wonder how much of the ongoing complaining about JM has to do with his total lack of charisma as a media personality. I think people infer from his media style that he must be a total dud...because not much in his record with us suggests that he actually is. As for demanding that he harrangue the refs, how quickly we forget Carbo It took a while for the refs to stop punishing us for Carbo's year or so of non-stop bitching at every call. Besides that, Moustakas has a good point; how do you teach a team to be unflappable in the face of adversity, and to take responsibility for what happens on the ice, if you're blaming the refs? There's wisdom in that thar boring JM style.

Winning this game will not cause the Habs to be taken seriously by the know-nothing media blabbers or the legions of ignorant hockey fans. Even a semi-final appearance and spectacular series victories over supposed powerhouses led by Crosby and Ovechkin did not do that. This is in no way a 'must win.' But obviously we want to sustain our recent winning ways; so it's important in the sense that every game in the second half is important.

I agree that the odds of our acquiring a top-4 defenceman are slim. The return would likely have to be a high draft pick, a good young player, or maybe someone like Kostitsyn (but there I'm probably delusional). I would be very happy if we could do it, though. One thing we haven't discussed much on this board so far is what the Habs are positioned to give back in a trade. Does the emergence of Patches and the ongoing inconsistency of Pouliot/Kostitsyn give a surplus at FW? Are there young guys of the D'Agostini/O'Bryne stripe who might interest other organizations, but who clearly aren't in our long-term plans? Do we have a glut of a certain type of defencemen in the system? How are we positioned with draft picks? (Not well, as I recall). It's one thing to talk about our wish-list, it's another to actually think like a GM and calculate what our tradeable assets are.

Argh! We keep talking past each other. Again: YES, I agree that IF we keep everyone, our D is fine. The difference is that I would like a safety net so that we can absorb the loss of a Hammer or a Wiz and still have a strong (preferably enhanced) defence corps, should one or both of these stalwarts walk come summer. Factoring in the added benefit of a major short-term improvement to the club and this seems the way to go provided it can be done. Anyway, time to let this rest, I think!

Defensively I think Wiz is a drop-off from Hammer, but obviously if a choice were forced I'd pick Wiz. I just meant that we're weakened by Hammer's absence. Remember that I'm not counting on Markov any more. Like you, I like our current configuration a whole lot, if you factor in #79; but if you imagine our present Markov-less D AND subtract Hammer, you've got a recipe for adject disaster. The Habs pencilling in Markov to be there at playoff time or for the bulk of a season is equivalent to the Canucks doing the same with Sami Salo. It's just naive at this point. But I suspect you're correct that the Habs will not acquire another top-4 guy this season - if only because they don't grow on trees (unless Garth Snow is the gardener ). All I was saying is that if one comes up, we should be interested.

If the scenario is that we only lose Gill AND re-sign Wiz, then as much as I value Gill, you're right. If the scenario is that we lose 'only' Hammer and re-sign Wiz, then I think that represents a significant loss to the overall D-corps, although perhaps not a crippling one provided everyone else stays healthy - which in Markov's case is a gigantic proviso. If the scenario is that we fail to re-sign Wiz AND one or more of the above, then I think our D is seriously compromised, especially given the likelihood of Markov getting hurt and/or being damaged goods. Therefore, it would still be better to acquire another top-4 defenceman if that can be done, especially if that guy is an upgrade on the declining Hamrlik. This allows us to release both Gill and Hammer without serious cost, or else letting Wiz walk if he can't be re-signed. The goal, after all, is to get better, not simply to accept a 'status quo-minus' version of the current D.

I agree the Habs are unlikely to do pull a Redden on Gomez's ass. But as for that alienating Gio and Cammy, I have a hard time figuring why they'd be terribly upset (in hockey terms) to lose a guy who has become what MUST be one of the league's weakest second-line C. It's one thing to have come here because of Gomez's reputation as a playmaker (an unproven thesis, by the way); but two years in its seems obvious that the guy these skilled wingers would want to play with is Plekanec. See this: http://habsloyalist.blogspot.com/2011/02/aftermath-tale-of-two-centres.html The suggestion has been bobbing around the blogosphere that at some point Desharnais might take over G's slot. Pretty improbable. Nevertheless IF DD continues to progress that could eventually become an option. Things can't go on indefinitely like this. It's true that if Gomez plays strong down the stretch (but folks...here we are) and excels in the playoffs, then he will have redeemed himself and justified JM's patience. But if current trends simply continue unabated until the Habs are eliminated, then I really do feel that all options would have to be on the table regarding everyone's favourite Alaskan. At some point, you do what it takes to win. Period. And frankly I think UFAs respect that attitude more than anything else.

Myself, I think it would be folly to enter 2011-12 with Markov and Subban as our top-2 defencemen. Like it or not, the probability is that Markov will either be a diminished version of himself OR get injured again. You cannot then fall back on Hammer to play 26 minutes a night. And Subban, while he looks like a can't miss kid, will be a sophomore and probably still have ups and downs. This makes either signing Wiz or signing another player of comparable quality a must. BTH's scenario of the status quo MINUS Wiz and maybe Gill isn't an option for a serious team in my book. Therefore, again: if we have the chance to bag another top-4 defenceman, we should do it.

I don't think Gomez has been especially horrendous or anything lately, but come ON. -10 on a team of mostly plus player? 5 points in his last ten games, consistent with his seasonal pace for a 44-point season? That's simply pathetic. Other than a hot December, and with all due respect to his unquestioned ability to at least move the puck effectively through the neutral zone, he has more-or-less sucked ass all season - surely one of the least effective second-line C in the NHL. And I say this as a declared Gomez fan. Is he injured? A victim of weak linemates? Is he suffering under JM's system (perhaps the most plausible explanation, since he lost the internal battle to play a more offensive game?)Or is it possible that the rest of the league simply has the book on this guy and that his old moves/tricks no longer work? This isn't a slump. It's turning into an entire season - not just a season where he's not worth $7.4 mil, which is a given, but a season of sheer, straightforward mediocrity. At what point do we concede that IF by chance Gauthier has the opportunity to bag a legitimate top-2 centreman, the Habs should do the unthinkable and give Gomez the Redden treatment? At what point do we do as Philly and Chicago do and just ruthlessly and relentlessly try to make our team better, hurt feelings or not? Think about it. If (and yes, I know it's a big 'if') you could add a more productive C at (say) $5.5 mil, that still leaves about $2 mil in extra cap space to play around with. I was willing to accept the crazy cap hit when Gomez was in the 60 point range considering his blazing speed and Cup experience. But this is getting preposterous. Note that I'm not just saying 'dump Gomez.' I'm asking how long we are supposed to tolerate this kind of performance before we consider more radical measures.

Setting aside the question of fitting a new acquisition under the cap for this season, it's the very fact that we could lose any or all of those four that suggests to me that it's a good idea to add more quality D now, if we can do so. Like I said, it helps us now and gives us more options going forward.

I like any rumour that has the Habs in pursuit of a rock-solid second-pairing defenceman. This team is built on a defensive system and a D-corps that, when healthy, is under-appreciated. The stronger we are there, the better-positioned we will be both for the stretch run and for the partial retooling on the back end that is inevitable this summer. Add in Markov's propensity for catastrophic injuries and the need to add to the back end becomes even more pronounced. So I'm all for this direction.

I've said before that race plays a subliminal role in this. And I still believe that to be the case. Not for a moment do I believe that his critics overtly subscribe to racist beliefs. What I'm suggesting is that they are using the 'hockey code' as a justification for their negative gut reaction to the sight of a cocky, confident black guy playing hockey. This is, I suspect, especially true of the Milburys and Cherrys, who grew up in an era where African Americans were still expected to 'know their place' and not be 'uppity.' (Again, I do NOT believe that Milbury or Cherry would ever defend that expectation; I'm talking here about deep-seated, gut responses that are a product of social conditioning in a racist society). I realize that this kind of assertion is likely to trigger a strong defensive response, but look at the endless parade of white guys doing exactly the same move as Subban after scoring, then look at Subban doing it...and tell me what the difference is.

You're right that we need more guys like that. The problem lies in acquiring them. Who exactly are we supposed to trade in return for such players? Louis Leblanc? Josh Gorges? It's hard to see how moving young assets or high picks is the right move for our team. So that leaves UFAs. Are there any power forwards coming available this summer? Can we afford them? That's the kicker. I think we ALL agree with your diagnosis. It's the cure that's the hard part. If it were simple, the Habs would have done it long ago.