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I would love to see him in the lineup getting regular minutes on a scoring line, see how he adapts to his future role. Max is out so Louie should be taking his place on that line. I am going to lose my shit if I see Darche in the top 9 or on the PP.

Okay, it seems that I am in the minority on this one. I don't think that this hit warrants a suspension at all, imo. And if it does by definition of the new head shot rule, than that rule is terribly flawed. The reason it was a "headshot" is because Letang was in the motion of shooting. Max was flying towards him at 100mph and was going to hit him regardless if he was going to shoot or not. He made his mind up well before the hit occurred. I don't understand what is expected of Max in that situation. Stop on a dime? Move around him? Try and stick-check him? It wasn't going to happen. One of the best offensive defensemen in the league is driving towards your net in a good scoring area, what are you supposed to do, let him? What is this league coming to? No more crushing guys with open ice hits I guess. Every single hockey player in the world has been taught to keep their head up. You have to be aware of your surroundings, as hitting is "supposed" to be allowed. Max didn't target his head, it was just the point of contact when it happened. There has to be an onus on the receiving player in these situations. Hypothetically a guy could skate around the ice, bent over with his head down at all times and not be allowed to get hit according to the new headshot rule. It just doesn't make sense, two guys can square off and punch the crap out of eachother with their fists but heaven forbid someone finishes a check on a guy who put himself in a dangerous situation cutting across the middle with his head down. This is frigging hockey folks. There are risks involved when you play and everyone knows it. It is a very lucrative career choice but it comes with inherent risks. It's like someone working in a coal mine, they know what they are getting into when they sign up. They will breathe in toxic chemicals and might die in a shaft explosion. If you don't want to get hit in the head, don't play hockey. Or at least what used to be called hockey.

Sigh, this is unfortunately the most realistic outcome. Burke has been raping Anaheim since he left there. But until then, we can all hope that PG can swing some sort of deal that will improve our team now and not hurt us later. I'm not sure how much center Bobby Ryan has played or if he is the answer, but someone of his ilk would be awesome to solidify the second line center position.

As tantalizing as it sounds to be able to acquire a Stastny, Carter or Ryan, I just don't think that is going to happen. The Jokinen and Koivu's are probably more realistic than anything. How amazing would it be for Koivu to come back and finish his career as a Hab? I would love it as a fan, but bringing back a former captain might disrupt any current leadership in the dressing room.....or add to it, who knows? I just really can't see any big moves happening unless the team is struggling down the stretch. I'd be willing to trade draft picks because the cupboard is fairly stocked at the moment. I also wouldn't give up on the depth that we have to trade it for a big name player. That is one of the reasons why this group has been semi-successful in the playoffs.....depth. It isn't necessary to trade a 7th or 8th defensemen just for the sake of doing it. If history is any indication, those guys will be needed to contribute at some point. It definitely would be nice to have a star forward, but I think that the importance of depth is greatly underrated and shouldn't be overlooked. This team isn't far from contention, it just needs a healthy lineup, a couple guys to produce a little more (I'm sure they will) and if they make the playoffs, they are a scary team to play against.

It is amazing how much better this team looks when Markov has his name penciled in the lineup. It's been so long since he's been a regular, it is easy to forget that he is our best and most important skater. I can't effing wait!

I don't see any point in hypothetically putting together "lines". If they don't work right away they will be broken up, and if they do work, they will just eventually be broken up anyway when it doesn't produce. Coaches don't have patience anymore in this day and age. When their 7 figure job is constantly on the line, they will do whatever they can to change and get a spark. And also with injuries being so rampant in this NHL, it is near impossible to keep combinations together. I guess it can be fun to discuss what "should" be done if we were the coach though.

Well said, this is the reason that I love this board so much. There are many different people with many different opinions, yet most can at least back up their thoughts with logical explanations. It is a really nice break from the major media outlets that tend to twist things whichever way they want. Uninformed fans, who shoot off at the mouth are the ones I dispise, whether they are Habs fans or any other team's.

I lol'd pretty good at these gems.

* Dreadful powerplay, not even a decent scoring chance from what I've seen. * Flyers are closing in on the Habs very quickly when they have possession, meaning they are out-skating them. * Price is pissed off, as well he should be. He has made several beauty saves but yet his team isn't responding. * Diaz looks terrible out there today. * Emelin looks good, but isn't being used in any special teams situations. * I don't have any ideas how they could conceivably comeback in this game, they are getting pummeled in every aspect. It could very well be 7-1 if not for Price. * Too much turkey last night perhaps?

I love fantasizing about Gomez getting traded as much as everyone else, but he isn't even playing to what his actual salary would be next year, let alone his cap hit. I agree there is value to cap floor teams, but with a new CBA coming, I think most will be playing the waiting game to see how it unfolds. If he has a strong second half (which he is accustomed to having), then perhaps the discussion will have some merit. Until then, it's fun to dream.

I have been riding the anti-Darche bandwagon for a long time. Sure he busts his ass, but so would thousands of other fringe NHLers if they had a shot. The guy has hands of stone and drives me crazy with his offensive ineptitude. That is fine if someone were a defensive specialist, but he isn't that either. There's a reason that he's been an AHLer until his thirties. He had a career season last year, although given PP time ahead of more deserving offensive players. His positives for being on the team include: communicating with teammates, showing hustle and hailing from Quebec.

I'd be willing to give him the benefit of the doubt on that if he were to come to Montreal. Management has already set a precedent with younger players partying excessively by shipping them out of town. I'm guessing this current Habs bunch is a bit more tame when it comes to late nights in the fish bowl that is Montreal. Who would Carter party with? And who knows, he may even meet his future wife and settle down from all that. The guy is only going to mature more as time passes. But as long as he can score goals and helps the team win, nobody should care what he does outside the rink.

I don't think anyone has been impressive on the PP this year thus far. But keep in mind Subban has 57 shots and only 1 goal, many of those shots on the PP. Had a couple of those pucks went in, there would be no question he'd be on the first unit. As long as he keeps shooting, good things will happen. He also brings other intangibles to the equation other than the shot from the point. He is ahead of Weber/Diaz in breaking out from the defensive zone, gaining the zone if need be and battles on the boards when he pinches down low. And by "earning" the top spot as you say he needs to do, do you mean having scored 14 goals last year, while the rest of the defensemen tonight had a combined total of 2? If so, then he's earned it. As far as his top line 5 on 5 responsibilities go, he can still do that by playing on the top unit. I mean, if he plays on the second unit, he is still playing almost the same minutes when both units get a crack at it. Playing on the powerplay isn't as tiresome as 5 on 5. He should be playing on the top unit, shift change if it fails halfway through, then rest up to be ready to matchup against whomever Martin wants him to. So I don't really see how Weber/Diaz would be getting more difficult even strength assignments and playing more minutes, as you say.

Well it wasn't the most entertaining of games, but it was a solid effort by our boys. The result could have went either way, and since it was against the champs/hottest team in the league, I can accept it. I didn't really notice any plays or players that stood out as being bad. I guess the only thing I can complain about is why in the F Darche was on the first PP unit in the second. I mean, in what frigging world does he play on any powerplay for any team ever? He probably didn't even play on his peewee house league powerplay. There are 11 forwards, 6 defensemen, a backup goalie and the 2 waterboys that I would rather have on there than him. Oh, and can we not put Subban on the first unit while we are at it? He only has a cannon shot, creativity, can rush it up the ice, gain the blueline, good at keeping it in the zone on clearing attempts and excellent passing. But other than that not much. Just read the post above which explains the Darche selection. But still, come on.

Despite the Rangers being the hottest team in the league and the Habs injury woes, it's not out of the realm of possibility to see a Montreal win. The last few years the Habs have got the better of them. It's just one of those match-ups that stylistically favor us, IMO. Even the last game where we had a ridiculous amount of penalties, we could have still won. I'm saying this game is a coin flip.

Not to mention the millions and millions of more dollars. You just know that thought runs through their heads at some point, how could it not?

Some people wear Superman pajamas. Superman wears Max Pacioretty pajamas.

Carter is an excellent potential trade target for this team. He's big, he can score, he has a decent cap hit and he is a RH shot (something that is very much needed at forward but is NEVER a topic of discussion). We definitely have some young assets that can be parted with if Columbus decides to blow it up and rebuild. Although I'm unsure of their willingness to do so after acquiring him and the Wiz in the offseason, it doesn't really send a good message to their fans.

Man those lines do look sweet. Our top 9 when healthy makes for 3 solid, capable scoring lines, with a great 4th line that knows their role. Anything that keeps Darche out of the top 9 or PP makes me happy. And the defense when healthy also looks solid. I really hate to complain about injuries but I can't get over how different this team would look without them. The injury situation on defense could be a blessing in disguise for the future. When Spacek and Gill retire or move on, we have rookies now who will be able to jump right in to make an easy transition to full time.

It's easy to forget that we have a new backup this year because we hardly see him, haha I know. Yes, Budaj played against Nashville, played well and got the win.

Wow, that's alot of injuries. A little north of $22 million sitting in the pressbox. I wouldn't be too disappointed with a loss tonight. Can we ever have a healthy lineup? Ever?

I think most of the reason why AK46 is "the whipping boy" for media and fans is because everyone can see how much talent and potential he has, but he doesn't seem to use it most of the time. The guy has a laser beam shot, a big body that he can crush with, good speed and great hands. It is frustrating to watch him play when he doesn't seem to utilize all these abilities. We have all been waiting for him to unleash on a consistent basis, but it's never happened. The thing is though, that this happens all across the league with all kinds of players. It's what separates the great for the good. AK will never be a great player, he has all the tools but not the tool box. I am not hating on the guy, personally I like having him in the lineup and want to keep him but I think what we see is what we are going to get.

It shouldn't be a secret that the success of our powerplay is the biggest key in getting wins. We just don't generate enough offense 5 on 5 to win most games. The powerplay is struggling because we have a forward and either a rookie or sophomore running it. There also seems to be trouble gaining the zone and getting set up. I know that it seems like forever since he played, but Markov is the straw that stirs our drink. All the while since he has been injured, it has been just a revolving door of replacements. It is easy to forget how important this guy is to our team, arguably our most important player. I'm sick of reading people questioning the resigning, or saying that his career is finished. Once he comes back and is even 75% of the player he was, you will see a huge difference in the PP and also the win column.

I agree that letting Hamrlik walk was a big mistake. It seems that nobody appreciated the things he did while he was here, and how often it was him who ate up alot of valuable minutes when others were injured. I desperately wanted the Hammer back instead of one-dimensional-Gill but here we are. And about the Wiz, he was merely brought in as a replacement for Markov, a band-aid sort of speak. I don't believe he was in the long term plans at any point with management. I'm sure if he were to be available at a decent price, but surely they knew he would fetch far more than his worth on the open market.

There were a few careless penalties but come on, 9 friggin minors! One of those games where you can actually say the refs screwed us. If this game had of went 4 periods, Habs would have won. Cole had some good chances to bury a couple and a few posts were hit. All in all a decent back to back road game played. It looks like things might be turning around.