Commandant

High danger scoring chances (ie shots from the slot) were 17-5 for montreal according to Sport Logiq

Agree completely. We keep playing this way and wins will come. This game and the washington game were very similar. We were the clear better team in both and those are legit cup contenders.

We do need another scorer.That said even without getting another we wont see too many 45 save shutouts. Those are rare (even if there were two in the nhl last night).

Plenty of players had bad contract negotiations... I don't hold that against him, and I don't think that says he isn't a team guy. Heck he signed without missing a single regular season game, and then scored in his first game of the year and ended up with 70+ points after that, so I don't worry about the contract stuff. The head coach stuff might be an issue, it might not. I'd want to look into it, but a number of players have had issues with Torts over the years. Lecavalier did back when he was Johansen's age and nearly was traded as a result. On our own team, he also had issues with Dale Weise. He had problems with Kesler and Luongo in Vancouver, with Dubinsky with the Rangers, and with a number of other players over the years.

When a player is having a conflict with John Tortorella, i'm not so quick to say its for sure the player's fault or that he's not a team first guy who really cares.

Eller, LOL

2 goals and 20 assists in those 26 games Lets just ignore those assists though..... 22 points in 26 games is DAMN GOOD for his current 5 million cap hit.

Kassian, if he is in game shape, and has his demons in order... would be the 2nd best RW in our system behind only Gallagher. For that reason, I still think he gets a shot with the team after he's been in the AHL for 4-6 weeks. Expect a January arrival.

Exactly. If you are undersized and have 1 goal and 2 assists in ~30 NHL games (As thomas had), he's never fitting the top 9 in Montreal, and is too small for the fourth line. He might have upside, but he wasn't getting there with us. He never showed the offence at the NHL level to stick. At least Lessio could become a fourth liner.

Even that good deal Callahan, and 2 firsts for MSL and a 2nd.... and one of the first rounders was a conditional pick.... is NOT worth Alex Galchenyuk. Still not the same conversation. 2 late first round picks and soon to be UFA Ryan Callahan <<< Alex Galchenyuk Again.... He got Callahan as a rental (UFA he re-signed) a 1st a conditional second that became a 1st when the rangers made the cup final. You call that raping sather... I call that no where close to AG's value.

Agreed on the first part... doubt yzerman trades him to us. Lets imagine he did though, Stamkos wants to play C and we need a RW... oh well, lets solve that problem. Get Stamkos... let stamkos play Centre, and move chucky to RW. Boom done. If you have the chance, you don't pass up a guy who has 3 seasons of 90+ points under his belt and is 26 years old. Bob McKenzie suggests today that the Stamkos to Toronto thing is far from a done deal, and that Stamkos will evaluate many options including potential suitors in Montreal, Nashville, St. Louis, and others.

The asking price is Galchenyuk? I highly doubt that. Big name players traded since the cap came into place do not get full value. Look at... Thornton, Brad Richards (to Dallas), Gaborik (to New York), Nash, Hossa, Spezza, Seguin, Heatley (to SJ), Kessel, the list goes on. Whether traded at the deadline, or traded mid-season, these guys aren't getting full value in return... and when you consider that Stamkos has a NTC... Tampa will get pennies on the dollar if they move him.

Its all quite simple... in 6 of those 9 games they've scored 2 goals or less. Score some goals. Get a winger. Using the cap space on something that helps for 3-4 weeks until price returns is not near as good as using the cap space on a winger who can help all season long. And yes, price could get injured in the playoffs.... but if Price is injured in the playoffs we are ed either way... Khudobin isn't winning the cup.

Teams don't have a great effect on save percentage.... as for his career... I care what he's doing now, not what he did 3 or 5 years ago. There is a reason he was put on waivers, and there is a reason why Frederick Anderson and John Gibson both have good save percentages behind the EXACT SAME TEAM

He's only been at the helm for 3 deadlines... his fourth is this upcoming deadline. His first year he got Ryder His second year he got Vanek His third year he got Petry. So I have faith in him making a deadline deal. The question is how much better is Khudobin. He had a .900 last year and is .908 so far this year. Thats the same level of goaltending we are currently getting from our two goalies. Lets try to remember we aren't getting Lundqvist or Rinne... the backups who are available are equivalent to what we have.

Thomas had no future with the team, they got a younger kid who might (and I underline might) become a fourth liner... maybe a third at best, but don't expect much out of Lessio either. I like the deal for the simple fact that if you have a 23 year old who is going nowhere, trade him for a 22 year old. Just buys you time.

I think the fact is that he is out of shape and needs far more time in the AHL than a two-week conditioning stint. The Habs (and everyone else) know this and thats why he was waived. If a team claims him, they need to keep him on their big club, they won't be able to send him to the AHL without offering him on waivers (and then back to the Habs first), so no one will claim an out of shape player. I think we see him in Montreal in January.

Price will be back in 3-4 weeks... we could lose every game and still be in a playoff spot when he gets back. making the playoffs is not an issue. Again the question is do you want a goalie who is a very small upgrade now? or do you want to save the cap space for a top six winger at the deadline. I know my choice, and its a very easy one.

I'd wait a bit closer to the deadline, and my preference would be to see if someone younger and with multiple years on their contract shakes loose. If that doesn't happen i look into which of the following UFAs to be are available: in order of preference (obviously some won't be made available for trade, and some won't be available to us, but just a list of UFAs to be). Stamkos Ladd Hudler Nielsen Okposo Eriksson E. Staal Jagr Boedker Backes Vrbata Doan Brouwer Perron Stempniak

Big Behind? [vid] [/vid]

Daley is a terrible, terrible defenceman too. Don't let a crazy high shooting percentage and 16 goals last season fool you. He's basically M-A Bergeron.

You said, "You never want to lose assets for nothing" sure... I agree with that, to an extent. However, the value of this asset is minimal, and we are likely going to lose him for nothing come the summer anyway.... so my point is that there is a difference between keeping a semi-valuable trade asset like Tinordi and avoiding him going on waivers cause you don't want to lose him for nothing, and a goaltender who has far less trade value and who is likely to be exposed in free agency at the end of the season anyways (and there is no guarantee he'd even be claimed).

If we have to use Toke/Condon in the playoffs, we are sunk. But are we any better off with Khudobin in the playoffs? Not really, I still think we are sunk. By sunk i still think we could win a round vs the right opponent, but we aren't winning the cup. The guys we'd need to win the cup without Price, aren't available via waivers or trade right now. Bottom line: like 90% of NHL contenders, we need our #1 goalie to be healthy if we want to go far in the playoffs. Goaltending is too important at playoff time.

Backup goalies are not the same thing as young defenceman. Tokarski is set to be a free agent in the summer anyways. The value of this asset in a trade is not much, and the value of him come July 1st is zero.

he's a .908 this season, and was 900 last season. Is that better than Condon/Tokarski? Or is it a waste of 2.25 million in cap space for more of the same? Personally, I wouldn't use the cap space on khudobin when Price will be back soon enough.... save that money for a RW sniper for the top 6.