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Jack Todd's Solution: Bring up Halak!


smon

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We've been sitting here scratching our heads, wondering how a team that appeared to be about to challenge Buffalo for the Eastern Conference lead now appears capable of challenging Philadelphia for the basement.

Maybe the Canadiens are just finding their level. When you stumble for five or 10 games, it's a slump. When you get 17 points in 22 games, more than a quarter of a season, maybe that's what you are - not very good.

Why aren't the Habs winning? It isn't exactly an Agatha Christie whodunit. They aren't winning because their top forwards and their goalies aren't getting it done.

Saku Koivu has been in a deep funk in the second half of the season, Alex Kovalev is still circling somewhere over Irkutsk, Michael Ryder is a minus-21, Cristobal Huet has looked all too mortal and David Aebischer hasn't been much better, especially not on Saturday night, when the Habs lost 5-3 to Ottawa despite outshooting the Senators 40-30.

Meanwhile, down in Hamilton: Andrei Kostitsyn has 47 points and is a plus-23 for the Bulldogs, but can't get a call-up.

Then there is Jaroslav Halak. Six shutouts in 27 games, a goals-against average of 1.89, a save percentage of .936. It all starts in goal. Bob Gainey knows this. Guy Carbonneau knows this.

The Canadiens have 25 games to go, plenty of time to salvage this season. But they can't fritter away another dozen games waiting for Huet or Aebischer to get hot again.

It would probably require dealing Aebischer to make room for Halak. But when you're in danger of falling out of a playoff spot, it's time to act.

http://www.canada.com/topics/sports/hockey...645&k=73017

I just put the parts in related to the Canadiens.

Anyways, interesting point of view. Obviously the stuff about the Canadiens, well, just not being that good of a team right now have an element of truth. The solution is just a little offbase, though. Surely Todd would realize that the Canadiens cannot simply hand their goaltending reins to a young netminder with ZERO NHL games played and expect him to lead them to the playoffs.

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http://www.canada.com/topics/sports/hockey...645&k=73017

I just put the parts in related to the Canadiens.

Anyways, interesting point of view. Obviously the stuff about the Canadiens, well, just not being that good of a team right now have an element of truth. The solution is just a little offbase, though. Surely Todd would realize that the Canadiens cannot simply hand their goaltending reins to a young netminder with ZERO NHL games played and expect him to lead them to the playoffs.

Why not? The two current goalies in Montreal are not going to lead them to the playoffs, so why not take a chance and bring the kid up. I certainly wouldn't have any problem with giving it a try. What's the worst that's going to happen,.....they're going to lose? They are going to do that anyway, why not give the kid a chance. I seem to remember another young kid stepping into the spotlight and leading Montreal to the Cup when noone expected it of them.

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Well we'll see ...

I kinda agree that Aebisher isn't usefull right now and could help another team better than us.

There is a article in 'La Presse' this morning stating that Carey Price should be called up if his junior season ends without playoffs.

I think Bob needs to make a move and it might involved Aebisher.

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http://www.canada.com/topics/sports/hockey...645&k=73017

I just put the parts in related to the Canadiens.

Anyways, interesting point of view. Obviously the stuff about the Canadiens, well, just not being that good of a team right now have an element of truth. The solution is just a little offbase, though. Surely Todd would realize that the Canadiens cannot simply hand their goaltending reins to a young netminder with ZERO NHL games played and expect him to lead them to the playoffs.

It worked with number 29 !!

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We could do worse things than calling up Halak and Kosty.

Even though there is history of the Habs pulling miracle goalies out their arse, it would be an act of desperation. But that time is getting close. We need a spark, hell Aubin led the Leafs on a 9-1-1 run at

the end of last season. So anything is possible.

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This is ridiculous... Huet is the #1 goalie and it should stay like that. The players leaving him out to dry is what started his mediocre play... i said it in the beginning of the season and ill say it again, in order for Huet to play well and get his confidence back, he has to play more than 1 game a week. Stop playing Abby, Huet is the #1 goalie.

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This is ridiculous... Huet is the #1 goalie and it should stay like that. The players leaving him out to dry is what started his mediocre play... i said it in the beginning of the season and ill say it again, in order for Huet to play well and get his confidence back, he has to play more than 1 game a week. Stop playing Abby, Huet is the #1 goalie.

The problem with this theory of the players leaving him out to dry is that we were doing that when he was playing great. Since we lost 4-2 to Boston on the 23rd Huet has gone 5-8 with an .888 SV% playing 12 out of 16 games before Carbo had enough and began to go to Abby.

Look at his 4 game win streak in Nov. 40/38/30/36 shots on goal.

Look at his 3 game win streak in Dec. 43/34/44 shots on goal.

14 of his 19 wins he has faced over 30 shots. Not exactly stellar defensive efforts.

We won early in the season because our best player was our goalie, and we were carried by our special teams. Our goaltending has been average to mediocre in the last 25 games and that is the reason we are struggling to make the playoffs now. To suggest that a goalie who is tearing up the AHL could possibly help is far from ridiculous. Is it desperate? maybe, because we have alot of $$ invested in Huet and Abby but it is far from ridiculous.

The same type of attitude would have removed at least 1 stanley cup from the Habs case because Ken Dryden replaced Rogie Vachon in 71, a goalie who had a 23-12-9 record when he was replaced.

Huet had more than an ample opportunity to work his way out of his slump. Unfortunately for us, if he does not come out of this slump we are probably in deep trouble.

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I have to agree with Haboholic Carbonneau needs to choose a #1 guy and let him play 3 or 4 times in a row to get some confidence.

Didn't Abby just get that shot? He played 5 of our last 7 games and won only 2.

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The problem with this theory of the players leaving him out to dry is that we were doing that when he was playing great. Since we lost 4-2 to Boston on the 23rd Huet has gone 5-8 with an .888 SV% playing 12 out of 16 games before Carbo had enough and began to go to Abby.

Look at his 4 game win streak in Nov. 40/38/30/36 shots on goal.

Look at his 3 game win streak in Dec. 43/34/44 shots on goal.

14 of his 19 wins he has faced over 30 shots. Not exactly stellar defensive efforts.

We won early in the season because our best player was our goalie, and we were carried by our special teams. Our goaltending has been average to mediocre in the last 25 games and that is the reason we are struggling to make the playoffs now. To suggest that a goalie who is tearing up the AHL could possibly help is far from ridiculous. Is it desperate? maybe, because we have alot of $$ invested in Huet and Abby but it is far from ridiculous.

The same type of attitude would have removed at least 1 stanley cup from the Habs case because Ken Dryden replaced Rogie Vachon in 71, a goalie who had a 23-12-9 record when he was replaced.

Huet had more than an ample opportunity to work his way out of his slump. Unfortunately for us, if he does not come out of this slump we are probably in deep trouble.

I'm actually really concerned that Huet can't handle the long grind of the NHL season. His amazing season started in January last year, so he didn't have to do the whole 82 game season, and this year, by mid-point, he seems exhausted... is Huet gonna be the goalie who always starts hot and then loses his energy by 40 games?

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I'm actually really concerned that Huet can't handle the long grind of the NHL season. His amazing season started in January last year, so he didn't have to do the whole 82 game season, and this year, by mid-point, he seems exhausted... is Huet gonna be the goalie who always starts hot and then loses his energy by 40 games?

Never thought about that. Interesting. I do remember him standing on his head vs Colorado for 2 periods then losing steam in the 3rd period and falling apart last season. I had never seen a goalie do that before. He might have been out of game shape coming off injury..but I had never seen a goalie run out of gas like that before.

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Never thought about that. Interesting. I do remember him standing on his head vs Colorado for 2 periods then losing steam in the 3rd period and falling apart last season. I had never seen a goalie do that before. He might have been out of game shape coming off injury..but I had never seen a goalie run out of gas like that before.

It happens frequently with players coming out of college, who are used to playing 40 games or so per season. And I believe that before the NHL, Huet didn't play anywhere near the 82 game schedule...

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any one remember patrick roy. He came in unheralded and stole the job.

No doubt. But Roy was up all season and had won the Calder Cup the season before.

Roy's rookie year was more similar to Cam Ward's than Dryden.

The closest thing we have to a Ken Dryden and what we would ask Halak to do would be Steve Penney.

He only played 4 games in 83-84 and they gave him the start and he stood on his head and eerily knocked out the Bruins in the first round. Unfortunately he ran out of steam vs the Islanders after going up 2-0 in the Conference Finals.

Hey anything is possible, but the fact that we have sunken to talking about a kid in the minors that nobody even knew about 8 months ago shows how desperate and helpless our fanbase feels right now.

Our season probably rides on Huet's shoulders right now. If he rediscovers his form from the first half we make the playoffs comforably. If he does not, we will be worrying about ping pong balls in April, not hockey games.

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This is ridiculous... Huet is the #1 goalie and it should stay like that. The players leaving him out to dry is what started his mediocre play... i said it in the beginning of the season and ill say it again, in order for Huet to play well and get his confidence back, he has to play more than 1 game a week. Stop playing Abby, Huet is the #1 goalie.

Amen.

As for Mr. Todd his idea, what will happen with the kid if he gets lit up?

Does anyone remember that rookie goalie we started a couple of years ago in Philadelphia? Coach Tremblay gave him 20', he allowed 4 goals, the rest you know.

In my humble opinion Halak needs icetime. AHL icetime.

Calling up Halak, funny guy.

Other heroes: Steve Begin, Radek Bonk, Tomas Plekanec, Mike Johnson, Lew Burdette, Evgeni Malkin, Ray Whitney, Mark Recchi, Teemu Selanne, Jenn Heil, Anja Paerson, Jan Hudec, Joannie Rochette

Have to agree on that one ;)

Edited by mathieu30
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