Psycing

Also, project lineup for the Flames vs Canadiens courtesy of their official website: http://flames.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=685950&cmpid=rss-peterson

HabsWorld Keys to Victory and preview now live on the homepage: http://www.habsworld.net/article.php?id=3216

HabsWorld game preview & Keys to Victory are now up: http://www.habsworld.net/article.php?id=3213 Still waiting on final lineup confirmations. Anyone know if Hal Gill will play?

The NHL has taken measures to protect players during fights with the new minor for removing your helmet, but the guys are still whipping them off. I don't know that we'll see fighting actually removed from the game before an "important" (i.e. star) player's career or even life is jeopardy as of the result of the fight. The NHL is more reactionary than it is preventative. Headshots became a problem, so they worked to reduce them. Players becoming injured on icing plays was a problem, and it took them awhile to finally introduce the hybrid model. Fighting has been in the game for a long time. What happens if it's removed completely? Do cheap shots reign? Do stick-swinging incidents become more frequent (we're looking at you, Kessel)? Will everyone just play nice? Can Patrick Roy keep his job in a fightless NHL? I think the league could be afraid of the consequences of removing fighting. They might see it as a pandora's box situation that will lead to a scenerio where even more rules and regulations will have to be defined. It's sad to say, but I think it will take that career or life ending injury at the NHL level to trigger action on the part of both the league and the players to remove fighting from the game.

Do you know off hand if this will be supported on X360/PS3 as well?

I just jumped off all of the bridge.

Looks like a lot of new faces will be joining the 'Dogs this season as a fresh batch of prospects graduate from their junior teams. 1. My question would pertain to what challenges or advantages this situation (fresh faces) brings to the team. 2. Another question being: Which player(s) will step up and assume a leadership role among the group? 3. a) What do the successful teams in the AHL\s Western Conference have that the Bulldogs don't? b) What edge do the Bulldogs have over the other teams in their conference? Thanks for setting this up, and big thanks to Derek for taking the time to participate.

a) 43-29-5-5 = 96 points b) Atlantic Division: 3rd c) League: 9th d) Total Goals: 258

Yikes. Thought the draft was Thursday for some reason. Had a bit of a surprise this morning unfortunately .

Caption this photo, which current appears along with TSN.ca's top story:

Couple questions for you guys to discuss in anticipation of writing an article on the subject that may feature some of your answers: 1) Do you believe Habs decision to cut Leblanc was warranted? Why or why not? 2) Would you trade Leblanc if you were the Habs, or remain patient with his development? Why?

Alright, why not? Psycing <at> hotmail <dotty dot dot> com

Ah. Yeah, I wouldn't play him with the Habs this year, that's for sure. I imagine he'll have a solid year in Juniors though.

I personally can't wait to see if McCarron will be able to keep up with the speed of a "real" NHL game. There are mixed reports on his skating ability. I wasn't very impressed, but have read several others indicate that they believe he can keep up. Collberg will need to have a more impressive outing than he did during yesterday's inter-squad scrimmage to indicate he's a true candidate for a roster spot this season. Martin Reway's been a pleasant surprise. Is he able to play in Hamilton this year? Or is it back to the Q for him? Will Tinordi and/or Pateryn absolutely crush one of Buffalo's forwards? I'd love to see them take on Steve Ott, but not at the expense of going short-handed.

Here's the lineup (before BUF's scratches) posted by Dave Stubbs on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Dave_Stubbs/status/379244438624534528/photo/1

Any word on lineups yet?

Habs will trade Beaulieu.

Great signing. Fucale's shown his future is bright and the Habs have promptly invested in that future.

I'm on the Markov train as well. I believe in the forward group to provide steady offense throughout the year. However, if Markov can produce at the level we all know he's capable of in addition to Subban's contributions, we might have one of the best 1-2 punches from the blue line in the league. It will be interesting to see if they continue to play together on the power-play, or if Therrien splits them up among the first and second wave. But, of course, one must fear for his health and whether or not he can keep up with the speed of the game. The good news is that Markov is loose going into training camp, and was quoted as saying he believes the media is more concerned with his future than he is. All confidence. It's a great sign heading into the new season.

Got another question up for debate: Who will be the Habs biggest "X-Factor" this season?

Biggest question to me is whether or not the team can successfully endure the 82 game season while playing the same physically taxing style that won them the division in the shortened season last year. By the time the playoffs started, a number of key players were already out while the post-season series claimed new victims. Without a doubt, the team will need all four lines rolling with the top 3 lines providing a distributed offense on a game-to-game basis. They will need to find a way to stay healthy and/or plug the holes with rookies in a way that maintains the competitive balance of the lines.

What do you guys think the biggest question is facing the Habs heading into the start of the 2013-14 season?

I have some concerns about this as well, but with Price's recent wedding and Team Canada's camp, I don't think he was in a rush, and Waite likely respected that. Hoping they can build a strong professional relationship and find common ground quickly.

When it comes down to naming a new Captain, I think it's safe bet to ask yourself the following question: Who's the least likely to generate disagreement among the fans, media, and team if selected as Captain? Hard to see anyone being upset if Gorges is that guy. While I'm in the minority in believe Markov would be a good candidate, I understand why some would disagree. Plekanec could be a solid candidate as well, but I'd be concerned with his leadership within the dressing room. Prust is similar to Gorges, but hasn't been with the club as long and is on a shorter contract.

Yeah, I've noticed there's a debate on who would be 1st and who would be 2nd. Some believe that Pacioretty, as the Habs best offensive forward, would indicate his line is the first line. Others will say that Plekanec, as the teams #1 center, indicates that his line is the first line. Given Plekanec's wingers, I have to side with you on Pacioretty's line filling the first slot. That said, either of the team's first three lines will serve as the "most used" line throughout the season, depending on their productivity. As for the prospects/AHLers further down the depth chart, I'm looking forward to seeing how they'll be moved around (or if they will at all) throughout the next few days.