BMO HAB

I like some of the "thoughts" the Wilily 1 has for the re-shaping of the team. As you can see he was right about Cammy being moved away for a roster player/prospect/pic. Unfortunately I don't agree in the manner the team handled this transaction. I think that with some of the "mis-handlings" by management this year...game day firings/in-game trades....lack of preparation to properly ice a competitive team and pointing the proverbial finger down the line at individuals who were part of the process not part of the solution. Letting Kirk Muller get away from this organization was a momumental error. But it was quickly brushed under the carpet until the results became so bad that an ultramatim caused an exchange of wills battle that resulted in Perry Pearn losing his job 90 mins. before a home game against Philly. Now what Free Agent takes a look at this train wreck called the montreal Canadiens and says..."Oh Yeah....I want to go there" What do you think those Junior Kids are thinking as we step to the podium next June? If its PG walking up those steps with his group of acolytes then they have to be petrified on the thoughts of being selected by the Habs. Ok...I've vented.....we need to make within the next 4 weeks overtures to AK46 and Moen to see if they are interested in signing extentions now. If they are dead against then by all means they must be packaged up and sent out before the deadline. We can't wait for the deadline to come to us. We are not in the luxury position here. We are going to be paying the piper here. So the faster we do it the better. If we wait...we will morre than likely lose the chance to move one or both and that will leave us with again a free UFA(s) walking away and ZERO return. I can't say enough on how much this year's managemnt team including Molson is reminding me of how the Leafs were being run for the last 40 odd years prior to Burke getting on board. We lack vision...we use bandaid solutions to get us one day to the next. We're myopic and stubborn to the core How can the richest team in the NHL not have more than 1 PT resource scouting Quebec is beyound me. For a public company to get down on their knees to the French Press is just un-thinkable to me. This is a business/sport....best people, best players are hired to be employed by the team. There is no quota system. The government does not own the team....a public company owns them. GO HABS GO!!!

Well it has started...whether it was Gautier on his own or from orders from above(Gainey + Molson). In a totally unclassy display Cammy was removed in-game in Boston with the team trailing by 1 going into the 3rd period. What kind of message is this to the team? Do you really expect to see them pushing hard to jump teams ahead of them trying to reach the 8th spot for the playoffs when management handcuffs them like this? Can you tell me why we take the Russian Dozer out of tonites game vs the Sens in place of Campoli? Oh I forgot its an "Alum" game old Ottawa players get to lace'm up together. This team's management really doesn't want to win this year. We're sitting 12th but the Isles have 2 games in hand and we're staring at another loss vs. the Rangers Sunday with Budajai in goal. We are the team champions of the 2 goal game and its going to take us a while to get out of that rut. As far as future moves.."Kovy" above drafted up a pretty smart list. I'm torn on Weber as he is a "poster boy" for mis-used for the last year and a half. The guy is sheer dynamite on the PP with that shot. He knows how to sneak in and use it from the face-off circle or can blast away from the point. I think with fresh mgmt + new coach in place he could be a good asset for us next year. Kabby could be had for a pick for a playoff team thats looking for a PP-defensive playmaker. I think we need in the next 4 wks to approach both Moen + AK to see their feelings on signing extentions. I think with the gaffs our Mgmt has made this year it is going to be extrememly difficult to attract FAs here this summer. So retaining to big Power Forwards that can help this team is a good idea. If they are sour to rre-signing then you push them out asap and don't wait for the deadline. We cannot continue this habit of letting our UFAs walk away for free. This has cost us dearly in the past and hurt our future. We are living those results now. I just have this feeling that we are not going to address the Team's biggest need once again - #1 Centre. We need a Joe Thornton protoype player - that size, stature & ability. No more of this drafting or trading for the 5" 7" player types. Until the NHL had ridded itself of the nastyness that pervades the sport today - see Boston Bruins line-up and general on-ice attitude & antics......big and bold is the way to go......and one last thing. For crying out loud.....can they score for pete's sake! Isn't that the most important part of the game besides winning.

I would not be wanting to move Eller at any point now. I think there is huge upside for him. He's tall with very smooth skating ability and is a very sharp tape to tape passer. I think he got a lot of insight and teaching from Capt. Kirk last year and it all started to come together for him towards the end of the year. You cannot argue that his performance in the playoffs was the best 7 game stretch he played all season. He showed a lot of heart, courage and determination and no fear out there. It was a gutsy play on his part to suit up and play in game 7 after the injury to his shoulder from the previous game. This young man will be able to grow into the #2 centre role for us within the next 5 yrs. I know it seems here that the Habs trade Hat Trick of players: Gomez, Spacek & Weber will not go away. I do think there will be a deal prior to the season that will see one of the later 2 move on. Maybe both. but I do not think we will see Gomez go. I think PG is too worried by the gap that would exist behind his departure. With no one having stood on their head in training camp except two underage juniors its too big a risk to take unless.......we are getting one quality centre coming back the other way. Remember, he doesn't have to be a #1...a solid #2 or 3 will fit the bill. I think the worry of the Markov status will quiet down abit with the CC signing. However, it would be nice to know for sure what is really going on with PK. Is it just a little nagging thing or is it more than that. His injury status is the key one for me. Markov as far as I'm concerned is just the icing on the cake for this year and on. Subban is the meat & potatoes......we need that raw energy every night...20 + minutes of up and down the rink and letting fly some rifle blasts from his cannon. Also, without him on the ice.....Hal Gill becomes a sitting duck unless JM remembers that Gorges used to play with him.

I think he will be like all newbies to the league. He is going to have some real highs when he has games where he is intimadating and flattening guys left and right. He's going to have those lows when he goes to hit and misses and gets scored upon as he is out of the play on a 2 on 1 or worse situation. In the end it will even out and I see a 60-40 split this year for him as he gets used to the game, the travel, the media and last but not least.....the many ways of JM.

I think someone tagged it right earlier. We're getting some proven experience without giving up 2nd & 3rd round pics that impairs our future growth. There has been a lot of rumours going around that the Team is about to do some sort of deal with Weber + ? going somewhere. I just hope that a) we get some muscle( not a goon) who can play physical in front of the net and in the corners without taking penalties and not letting anybody "run" Price anymore without knowing there will be full consequences for doing so. and b) another physical presence up front with some scoring ability. I know that sounds like asking for the moon but we are still too small, too soft and JM is too stubborn to change course on his way to the same predictable game plan. I don't know if this Gallagher kid will stay around more than the 9 games but maybe he will light a fire under some of our "UMT's" that limit our teams abilities to move into the top echelon of the league. Oh...UMT's....Under Motivated Types.....

I agree.....goal-tending is our strength. If the reports are true that Markov has signed again then our defense has taken another step forward. I do understand that PG is in talks with the Hammers agent. It appears that Spacek is suffering from a concussion like syndrome - dizziness and has not been able to shake it since the end of the playoffs. Probably from the Lucic hit in Game 6 in Montreal. You remember...the classy "can't see me" shot from behind that papered Spacek into the glass. Please note: "Can't see me" is the new wording adopted yesterday by the NHL to eliminate "Blindside" from their language. Apparantly it was confusing to: League officials, General Managers and Goons. Now where was I? Right, so with defense on the mend....it our forwards. Its imperative that we find more players that know what to do with the business end of the hockey stick. WE seem to employ too many players out there that play like its Ringette. They can't lifet the puck into the net if their contract depended upon it. I would have inserted "Team" in their but we were eliminated so that didn't work. I think having both Max & DD back will help for sure. We need to have a consistent season from AK as well. The other key up front is Gomez....we cannot wait until April to hear him say that the playoffs are a different season and he's hoping to have a better season there then he did in the regular season. I beleive that he deserves a 2nd chance but he doesn't get all the benefits of it. He's had 2 seasons here and he has not played up to par in either of them or the playoffs. So he comes to camp in the number 2 slot as far as centre's go unless we deal for someone like Laaich in Washington. Then he moves down a notch. He'll hold the #3 slot until Eller gets back from his injury and will battle him for the 4th slot. If his game and contributions have not shown merit by end of December then I believe it is imcumbent on PG to put him on waivers and if he has to move him to Hamilton if he clears. WE cannot be giving over 18 mins. a nite to this guy for reg + PP time when they is little return and little if any defense. WE have to move on for the good of the team. I think that the team should have a set time during practice to work on Offensive rebounds. As noted earlier our failure to finish off the numerous opportunities presented by Thomas ended up in our early exit. There are certain areas that can be worked on: positioning, hand/eye co-ordination, stick-work and other I'm sure. With improved focus will come improved results. It only makes sense to do the same at the other end on how better to defned them as well to eliminate 2nd and 3rd opportunities that over time end up as GA. This could prove to be a WIN-WIN for the team.

It is still too early to make that determination. There are a lot of pucks in play right now and it would be truly guess work to answer that question today. This should prove to be a very interesting week ahead as the draft comes up. Will PG get deals in place for Gorges and Markov. What will he do with the Miz...sign or trade? Pouliot...sign or trade? Max P......sign a 1 yr. or lock him up? DD....is he a keeper or trade bait for a chnce to bring in some size or do we keep and how do we sign...short or long? Back-up goal-tender...keep as is or look at other options? As someone mentioned here earlier injuries are bound to happen over the couse of the season. Our team cannot afford long term injuries to: Price, Plexs, Subban & probably Cammie. We could also not afford to lose Markov again especially if the Wiz is not retained. I say Price is the key person on the team we cannot afford to lose. When we avg. less than 3 goals per game (26th ranked in the league) how do you equate that to being a Top 5 team? We're like Vancouver in the Cup finals over 82 games just slightly higher but with superior goaltending. We will never be a Top 5 team under the current structure of play. If our game was more like Tampa's I would say "Hell yes!!" in a heart-beat. But this sit back and wait for the coma to settle in will never get us there. The ground and pound offense of the other teams matched against us will wear us out at the end I'm afraid to say.