hankhab

Well said. Also, Hamilton was not a great team last year. If Leblanc starts the year in the AHL this year, you'll see him put a .ot more points up on the board.

There's no way I'd trade PK for either of those players. Not a chance.

I really like his smarts, and he can be pretty slick with the puck, so I'm going to say 2nd liner, 20-25 goal man, potential for a better season here and there. I'll say winger, just because he won't get the chance to play centre with the habs.

I've said it before, trading Subban for instant help is a very Maple-Leafy thing to even consider. I'm content to let our young core develop, as long as new Management handles things better than the previous group, who got rid of players like Ribero, S.Kostitsyn, and Grabosvski, and McDonough for little or no return in each case.

Actually, I don't see us making a move on d until training camp, and then, if everyone seems healthy and good to go, I could see Weber traded for a pick, and thats about it.

Thats what will determine wether he stays or not, in my opinion. If you read the article posted on the home page, there is no clear way to handle a player such as this. So, in my opinion, if he's going to play 6 to 7 minutes a game, there's no way you'd want him here. If he's going to play top 6 minutes and contributes, than, by all means, lets keep him. I'm no expert on the matter, but I think he will get the 8 game trial, and if he earns top minutes, then he's probably better off staying. Hell, even 12-14 minutes a game at the NHL level might be better for his development than a year of junior. I can't wait to see how it plays out.

I was thinking Weber is older than he is, so I suppose you're right. The timing is really bad, though, the owners continue to be their own worst enemy.

I've seen him play as well, and even though he didn't have his best game, man, can that guy skate. Can anyone in the league skate better backwards than this guy? I agree with most of you, he has soooo much talent and potential, its would really take an established superstar coming the other way for me to even consider moving PK.

Didn't the league strike down the first New Jersey-Kovalchuk deal because the life of the deal wasn't realistic? If so, this deal should also be struck down, and I'm hoping it is. What a terrible time for Philly to make such an offer, players are not dumb, you can't be telling them that the length and amount of these deals is way too much in negotiations, while one of your strongest franchises makes a totally stupid offer at the same time. Man, the owners really are a bunch of morons sometimes.

Perhaps you could put your own name on the back this year? Or how about Gomez or Kaberle, and hope the trend continues?

I have a feeling that Therrien might want to play with the lines a bit. It would be interesting to see what Eller could do between Patches and Cole.

I would have to include Collberg as more of a sure thing than even Gallager. He has an amazing release, is a better skater, and seems like he will be a top-6 winger in the NHL. I believe Gallager could be, but if his offense isn't at the same level in the NHL as junior, he could end up playing more of a (sorry to mention his name here) Darcey Tucker type role. Also, for the defense, from what I seen at the Memorial Cup, Ellis is going to be an excellent defender, good all around. I would throw Throwers name in the mix. I haven't seen him play, honestly, but his scouting reports seem to indicate he will be a hard nosed, tough bottom 6 type guy (I know you mentioned top 4 d-men, but having a young guy with offense and toughness in a bottom six role would be awesome), which is fine with me. I know all prospects do not translate into NHLers, but man, we have one impressive group right now. As for subtracting current players, in two seasons, I doubt that Gionta and Cole will be at the same level as they have been recently, so its easy to see them being traded or shuffled down the lineup somehow if needed. If Galchenyuk develops fast, it would also be quite possible to see Pleks moved in the next year or so.

I'm hoping they break out those jerseys for another game this year, I really liked them.

He's above Weber on the depth chart in my opinion, but behind Kaberle. In my world, he would also be above Kaberle, but I'm probably in the minority on that issue.

I meant moved around, as in switching positions. I see no reason why you would switch the teams most productive centre to the wing, unless Galchenyuk is so spectacular in camp that his play demends he be kept with the Habs.

According to Spectors hockey, one GM said he believes there is a 90% chance Doan signs with the Coyotes this year, so chances are he is not moving.

A 5-6th offensive d-man is no longer high-end. He is a guy you don't want caught out against any top 2 lines in the league, he is soft, he is, in my opinion, a defensive liability. That being said, as I stated many times, I like our defense, baring any long term injuries to our top 4. I like Diaz better since he is also capable offensively, did a decent job in his own end, and has more room to improve. I'm sorry, you never made to hate comment, that was in response to another post.

I have spoken out against this before, and you have all replied to this topic well. We are not going to win the Cup this year, even with another top 6 winger. Subban has the type of natural, raw talent that is nearly impossible to come by, he was a major league steal in the 2nd round, if the 2007 draft was to happen again, we would have 2 of the top 5 picks taken. Wait and see how good this guy is this year, and again the following year, when he starts to get Norris nominations. Be patient, Hab fans, this team is gonna rock in another year or so.

Then you're pretty much saying exactly what I said above. I don't care what he did before, and I don't want to see him placed in the top 4 or given more ice time than he can handle. I fail to see any 'hate' in what I said about the guy.

I'm hoping a healthy Galchenyuk blows everyones mind at camp and is an NHLer from day one, but I don't count on that happening this year.

I am hoping that reduced minutes for Kaberle, plus pairing him with Bouillon will somewhat protect him, and keep him from hurting the team too much. Truthfully, I still don't like his game a lot, and would rather see Diaz out there, who, although smaller, is better defensively. I still like our top 4, and if we only need Kaberle to fill a top 4 role for a handfull of games (injuries), then we'll probably be ok.

For 6 years yes, 3 years, thats right where it would be.

I think we sometimes underestimate how well Diaz did in his rookie season. Its why, in my opinion, its time to move Weber. Nothing against the guy, but he won't see enough ice in Montreal to really get any better.

Now, if you could afford one of those new condo units Molson is building right next to the Bell Centre, wouldn't your life be complete?

A healthy Markov would make a huge difference. And please don't question my "fan" status, I have been a fan of this team since I was old enough to watch TV. The fact is, the smart way to build a contender is to do it through the draft and player development. We have some excellent prospects, we have a development team in place to help them succeed. They are a few years away. I would like to see this team contend year after year. I wish we could have such a team this year, but realistically, I think we're going to be in a battle for a playoff spot again this year. The pieces to make us an instant contender are not really out there via free agency, other than the 2 that Minny signed, and I wouldn't even want to see us take on those huge contracts. So, this team won't go the Toronto route, trading the future for a quick fix. The only thing which might make us better right now would be Doan, and I don't know if he would actually make us a contender. Thus, this is where we are, if another tough year or so mean we're going to be long term contenders, then, I suppose I could wait for that.