Machine of Loving Grace

Gomez looks good at least...

What a bullet by Ovy.

Give Josh Gorges the C in the meantime.

Wilson is not a good coach for Toronto and their terrible defence when it's supposedly filled with "potential top four defencemen" is kind of proof of that. Toronto can get the goals but they continue to rely on goaltending performances to get out of holes that their blueline creates. Plus they have next to zero penalty killers in their roster and even worse they have no real shut down line. They continue to rely on hot lines. It's why they are struggling right now. Burke is the kind of guy who sticks by his word and I don't necessarily want that, to be honest. He stuck by his terrible goalie in Vancouver and it burned the Canucks. He stuck by giving Bryzgalov a new home no matter what and ended up putting him on waivers when he didn't have to. He's completely unwilling to put out an offer sheet on a player because he bitched about teams doing it. Roy sounds like the perfect GM but who knows. What I want first and foremost is a smart hockey mind who doesn't budge for it based on what the media tells him. Only what his staff tells him. I'd rather that than someone who fights the media.

It's just brand favouritism. Journalists, photojournalists to be specific have always preferred the Canon brand to other brands. I own a Nikon and it does everything a Canon does. It's really all about your (expensive) lenses.

These mindsets are why there are people who believe the Montreal Canadiens haven't won a Stanley Cup since 1993 because there are not as many Quebecois on the team.

Lets just hope the Leafs give up Schenn and Kadri for him and he walks next summer to go play again for the Ducks.

Of course. There's no such thing as an untouchable player. However, I don't see any plausible trade for Subban right now, especially since his value is perceived low when he's right now playing better defensively than last season. He's just not scoring so it's being written as a poor season for him.

If Subban gets traded and I don't read in the second graph, "Jonathan Toews has been unhappy in Chicago for quite some time" I'm going to kill. Moblins. In Zelda.

If he's being used to try to get a much better player, fine. If he's being "shopped" by Gauthier, fire him.

Wiz has two goals, a -18 and a broken foot. I'm pretty sure on the same leg he missed 53 games on. I'd rather be tied to Markov for three years than Wiz for six.

I'd like to see Montreal flip him for a prospect. I don't expect anyone great, maybe a long term project.

The big blueliner in Montreal's future is Jarred Tinordi. Unless we can find someone to take a one to two year deal with size, best to use a smart D-man like Diaz until Tinordi is ready for the NHL. What Brendan Gallagher lacks in size he backs up with intensity and aggression. His height won't be a mark against his ability even in the NHL. Danny Kristo seems to play with an edge as well if his recent suspension has anything to say about it. Steve Quailer is really coming into his own as of late and I could see him on Montreal's bottom six. Michael Bournival is destined to make our bottom six as well. That's size, strength and intensity built through our draft. Extremely important and valuable.

Even with adding guys like Bourque and Blunden, Montreal is now just an average sized team. The most important thing is Montreal is adding size that can skate. It'd be hard for me to cheer a slow Canadiens team. It just wouldn't feel like Montreal. I don't expect a one season turnaround. I hope Montreal considers trying some youngsters in a top scoring winger role now that Cammalleri is gone. Experiment with Leblanc, Palushaj and Gallagher in the top line role, see what sticks. Moen and Kostitsyn should be traded for draft picks and prospects, same to Gill, Campoli and Weber. Expect a Bottom 10 finish and use the season as experience. 13-14 will be Gionta, Markov and Kaberle's last years with the club. That's the season you make a playoff run but don't give up too much because 14-15 is when the team should be ready to be a contender again. The top prospects should be ready to play and free agents should be considering Montreal as a great destination to win a Cup again.

Cammalleri always had an ego and was always a selfish player on the ice. However, he was also a guy who would celebrate his teammates goals more than his own and would stick up for his teammates in the press. I don't deny anything calling him a prima donna but that's just the way he plays. He was never going to be a two way player no matter how many times Martin made him play the PK. He's the guy who finishes your passes on the PP and buys you dinner later. A majority of superstars have this kind of attitude. We just buy into the media stories of these guys being all humble and quiet. Mark Messier was one of the biggest assholes to ever step in an NHL locker room but if you believe the hype he was the greatest captain to ever lace up skates. The reason why this stuff didn't go public until Vancouver is he wasn't good enough on the ice any more to mask his attitude and Vancouver didn't romanticize him like Edmonton and New York did.

It was very hard to do a bidding war with Cammalleri. Montreal was already being blasted by the media. Openly trading Cammalleri would have just made things worse and even if Cammalleri wasn't the most popular guy in the locker room, he was still liked and considered a veteran. I don't think it would have been good for the locker either. Then again, things have been so terrible they might as well have. If you're gonna fall, you better go rock bottom.

Georges Laraque once said that Cammalleri got bashed by Martin for "asking for a letter" and playing a bad game. Then at a Habs Christmas party, Maxim Lapierre chose Mike Cammalleri to give a gift to. Cammalleri opened it up to see a big letter C. He got furious about it and left the Christmas party. Laraque was one of the big leakers from the Habs dressing room and I guess told a lot of negative stories about Cammalleri's ego. No idea how he even had that many. CBC loves Cammalleri because at one point the hockey media deemed Cammalleri the "Superstar" of the Habs and the guy you throw up in frozen images, show highlights from and generally focus on. This wasn't just the hockey media but the NHL did it as well with the tire rolling commercial. Him, Price and Subban were the faces of the team. Since Cammalleri stayed in Canada with the trade I believe they consider it Calgary getting a "Superstar" and that gives them someone other than Iginla to show in a Flames sweater.

Exactly. I'm shocked that Price could ever love Montreal or even want to re-sign. The fans here have for the most part been brutal to him. Most goalies don't start receiving consideration of being a starter until they reach 24. At 24, Price has been a starter/1b for four seasons, deep into his fifth. That's ridiculous. If Price wants to stay in Montreal long-term he's a bigger person than I am. If I was in his skates I'd be looking for the quickest contract to get me into UFA status.

I like how he was accused of turtling. Sure, that's sort of what he did, but when a dozen players come barrelling down on you, I don't care if I got a visor on, I'm turtling too. Last thing I need is a skate to the jaw.

Anyone got a 3DS? 5026-4966-3093 (Dubya) Let me know if you add me. Right now I just play Mario Kart 7 and Swapnote.

They got a first round pick and a conditional second. That's more similar to what we would have got for Price. Halak, even with his post-season performance, was considered an unproven goaltender and his size was considered a question mark for him. History has proven those GMs right as he is unquestionably a starting goaltender but he's platooning in St. Louis just like he did in Montreal because he can't really handle the pressure of a starter schedule. As for goalie money, people need to stop thinking this is 2005-2006. Price is great and there's a good reason why teams had more interest in him than Halak after the 08-09 post-season run. Price deserves every penny he asks for.

I want an update on Ryan White. My patience with gingers is thin already!

Subban spits on ice. Del Zotto skates over ice. Del Zotto trips and falls and breaks his neck. Subban goes to jail like the... like the... like the GREATER TORONTO AREA THUG HE IS! Roberto Alomar he ain't.

I've always said, the youngsters in your system have until they reach age 25 to make mistakes. Once they hit 25, they should be scrutinized for the mistakes they commonly make.

If he can score five on five and play motivated for the Habs, he'll be fantastic for Montreal. He has the potential to put up 30 goals and 50 points a season, which is a steal for his cap hit. Unfortunately, he couldn't do that in his own home province so I think that's un unrealistic expectation for Montreal. 20 goals and 40 points would be great. It won't replace Cammalleri but this trade wasn't about replacing Cammalleri.