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Are this season's UFA centres worth it?


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Anybody interested in Alexi Yashin?

The NY Islanders are going to buy out his last four seasons for around $18 Million dollars.

I hope Gainey stays away, but there might be some team out there that will take a shot at him for the right price.

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Why does it make a difference how big our centers are? You can say we want physical centers but size shouldn't affect how much we want a player. Also, does it really matter if the physical players are at center or at wing? Not really, as long as you've got some toughness and finesse on every line.

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By the way, scratch Smyth off of our wish list. Isles will overpay him. We all know it.

smyth won't sign with the islanders. I'm sure he'd rather take less cash and get a legit chance to win the cup. the islanders are on the fast track to nowhere. should selanne and giguere leave...expect the ducks to make an interesting offer to smyth.

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Why does it make a difference how big our centers are? You can say we want physical centers but size shouldn't affect how much we want a player. Also, does it really matter if the physical players are at center or at wing? Not really, as long as you've got some toughness and finesse on every line.

Your right on this one ! here's a nickel. ( u got 15 cents now??? ;) when a team puts a dude in front of the net to block the goalie's vision for example... it usually is the centre... now our lines would need extra training if mixed when they need a winger in front.. still I agree the size overall matters more than the size at centre

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I'm watching Anaheim and u know I changed my mind... the size of these Ducks has meant it all... look at Penner take out Corvo on the forcheck! we need 2 of the 3 above 6.3 feet

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I would still go after Drury, but I must agree that I question the logic of paying 6-7M in long-term deals for him, Briere or Gomez. In my opinion, none of them have really proven that they are worth that much money.

However, a good point to remember is that Montreal should do something tangible with the amount of cap space they have and if overpaying is what it takes, then do it. We all saw the results of waiting on the sidelines till it's too late last offseason when Samsonov was signed.

A better solution would be to target one of the older centres available on a 2-3 year deal, e.g. Robert Lang, or dare I say it Alexei Yashin. Based on talent, Yashin may not be a bad idea, but unfortunately of course there is the little issue of what adding another malcontent would do to an already fractured dressing room.

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I would still go after Drury, but I must agree that I question the logic of paying 6-7M in long-term deals for him, Briere or Gomez. In my opinion, none of them have really proven that they are worth that much money.

However, a good point to remember is that Montreal should do something tangible with the amount of cap space they have and if overpaying is what it takes, then do it. We all saw the results of waiting on the sidelines till it's too late last offseason when Samsonov was signed.

A better solution would be to target one of the older centres available on a 2-3 year deal, e.g. Robert Lang, or dare I say it Alexei Yashin. Based on talent, Yashin may not be a bad idea, but unfortunately of course there is the little issue of what adding another malcontent would do to an already fractured dressing room.

I don't subscribe to the 'YA GOTTA DO SOMETHING NOW!!!!' philosophy. Let other teams overpay for 60-point forwards. If he *must* spend to the cap, then try to attract a D (hannan, etc.) or even two; and try to get a Hartnell or Walker over to add some cojones to our forward lines. Spread it out, in other words, instead of sinking it all into an overpaid C who will NOT be foundational to a Cup winner sometime down the line (Briere, this means you!)

And I can't believe that ANYBODY is advocating Yashin. Holy crap. Next you'll be telling Bob to pull Stephane Richer out of retirement.

Edited by The Chicoutimi Cucumber
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Well, I'm hardly advocating Yashin, as I just posted that he couldn't fit into this dressing room. But I'm just saying that he still does have some skill and the biggest problem everyone has with him was his inflated contract.

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I don't subscribe to the 'YA GOTTA DO SOMETHING NOW!!!!' philosophy. Let other teams overpay for 60-point forwards. If he *must* spend to the cap, then try to attract a D (hannan, etc.) or even two; and try to get a Hartnell or Walker over to add some cojones to our forward lines. Spread it out, in other words, instead of sinking it all into an overpaid C who will NOT be foundational to a Cup winner sometime down the line (Briere, this means you!)

And I can't believe that ANYBODY is advocating Yashin. Holy crap. Next you'll be telling Bob to pull Stephane Richer out of retirement.

Until we see how much Yashin would want and if he is still playing in the NHL... well..... I can't believe that ANYBODY would scratch him out before knowing that??

I personally have no clue about the fella... but I would hire the next coming Anti Christ if the probs and cost effective analysis states he's probably delivering the merchandise! like another poster said... Yashin for one year at under 2 million? he could play 41 games and score 50 pts I'll take him in a heart beat

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Gainey will probably concentrate on defence and may try for a second Tier centre. So far retaining 1 of his own free agent defenceman helps and he will look at others once Souray rejects his offer. I bet he looks at Lang or someone like this at centre to bridge the rift between Kovalev and the management staff.

Montreal is not one player away, unless everyone thinks PRICE is going to pull a Patrick Roy next year and deliver the cup with great goaltending.

I am not expecting a big splash at free agents this round.

Edited by InsaneAVSfan
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Until we see how much Yashin would want and if he is still playing in the NHL... well..... I can't believe that ANYBODY would scratch him out before knowing that??

I personally have no clue about the fella... but I would hire the next coming Anti Christ if the probs and cost effective analysis states he's probably delivering the merchandise! like another poster said... Yashin for one year at under 2 million? he could play 41 games and score 50 pts I'll take him in a heart beat

If we could get him at a discounted price, I'd definitely take a flyer at him. If he can be motivated, he can put up big numbers. At worst, he couldn't be any worse than Ribs.

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Nylander would be my first choice of UFAs to sign. Failing that I would focus on our defense. I think a guy like Danny Markov would be attainable and I loved his game during the Olympics.

As for the other big 3 UFAs, Drury would be the only one I would consider.

Nylander wants between $4.5-$5M per season. Not too bad as his production goes.

Drury is looking at $6M and above. There are some out there that think he will get $7M plus once the bidding starts.

I would welcome him for sure, but only for $5M or less.

I also like the idea of signing Josef Stumpel. Then I'd go sign Brent Sopel, and the team got alot better really quickly. PlusThis should cost about $8M maximum ($7M is closer) instead of $7-$8M for Drury

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I'm watching Anaheim and u know I changed my mind... the size of these Ducks has meant it all... look at Penner take out Corvo on the forcheck! we need 2 of the 3 above 6.3 feet

Do I get to keep the nickel?

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Nylander is an interesting option to consider. Only problem is that he'll command about just as much as any of the "Big 3", or so I've heard anyways.

No Yashin. Do we really need Sergei Samsonov Part deux?

No Robert Lang either. Probably just as lazy as Yashin. Red Wings fans can't stand Lang, and there's a good reason why they want him gone. No thank you.

My choice is Nylander personally. Like I said, he may command a lot of money, but I definitly feel he's worth it. I'll take a look at the free agent list to see if there are any other good centers to look at, but right now, Nylander is my personal choice.

Edited by PasTrep03
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Lang can be a force did you see the goal he scored against the Sharks in the payoffs to tie the game in the final minute.

he could be add at a reasonable price as long as he doesn't want long term.

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Do I get to keep the nickel?

lol yeah

But hell... Big guys is one thing Defensive style is another....I've always dictated against defensive trap teams because they make the game suck overall... and I found overall most of the Western playoff games boring to watch... but the nice defensive play we witnessed from Anaheim (in their own end) was a different thing all together ... I guess the Ducks Defensive play is as much as i would accept in the Habs... but we're never gonna reach that defensive level are we? Were the 93 habs that defensive?

Edited by CoRvInA
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lol yeah

But hell... Big guys is one thing Defensive style is another....I've always dictated against defensive trap teams because they make the game suck overall... and I found overall most of the Western playoff games boring to watch... but the nice defensive play we witnessed from Anaheim (in their own end) was a different thing all together ... I guess the Ducks Defensive play is as much as i would accept in the Habs... but we're never gonna reach that defensive level are we? Were the 93 habs that defensive?

Don't take this personally Corvina this is more of a rant from things I have read recently and since you mentioned the 93' habs .....

The 93' Canadiens were as good or better then the ducks were this season (no OTL points awarded) and yet for some reason they are always referred to as a "miracle team" or "Roy carried them on his back and won the cup singlehandedly"

It's all crap and I'm sick of hearing it from media and bonehead fans that will not take the time to look at it.

For those who are too lazy here ya go.

Anaheim 06/07 W 48 L20 OTL 14 goals for 258 Goals against 208 110 points

Canadiens 92/93 W48 L 30 Ties 6 goals for 326 goals against 280 102 points

Too bad the 93' Habs didn't have the point inflating three point games to help with their record like the ducks did.

If someone knows where to find how many games the Habs lost in overtime if there was OT then that is.(contributing to their 30 losses in that season) I'd love to know.

Edited by Habitforming
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Don't take this personally Corvina this is more of a rant from things I have read recently and since you mentioned the 93' habs .....

The 93' Canadiens were as good or better then the ducks were this season (no OTL points awarded) and yet for some reason they are always referred to as a "miracle team" or "Roy carried them on his back and won the cup singlehandedly"

It's all crap and I'm sick of hearing it from media and bonehead fans that will not take the time to look at it.

For those who are too lazy here ya go.

Anaheim 06/07 W 48 L20 OTL 14 goals for 258 Goals against 208 110 points

Canadiens 92/93 W48 L 30 Ties 6 goals for 326 goals against 280 102 points

Too bad the 93' Habs didn't have the point inflating three point games to help with their record like the ducks did.

If someone knows where to find how many games the Habs lost in overtime if there was OT then that is.(contributing to their 30 losses in that season) I'd love to know.

It's way off the thread topic, but I just want to say that I totally agree with you. The 93 Habs were #1 overall for 3/4 of the season before a late tailspin dropped them down to something like #5 overall. They had a supremely effective first line of 30-40 goal scorers (Damphousse, Bellows, Muller), the latter two being experienced 'power forwards' par excellence. They had a great mix of classy veterans (the above three, Denis Savard) and rising young stars (LeClair, Schneider, Desjardins), a gutsy, experienced coach, and they had the best goalie.

The thing is, conventional wisdom at the time was that you had to have an offensive *superstar* to win. If you didn't have Gretzky, or Lemieux, or Jagr, or the Sakic/Sundin combo of the Nordiques, you weren't a contender. The Habs had loads of good scorers but no 'superstar' and so they didn't count, despite their excellent record. Even after they pulverized the supposedly invincible Quebec Nordiques :lol: and handily crushed Gretzky himself, they somehow still 'lucked out.'

I love that argument: 10 straight overtime wins is 'luck.' How often do you have to do something before it stops being 'lucky' and is proof that you kick ass?

So here's to the 1993 team. They were full-value, deserving champions - and they would give any Cup winner of this decade a very serious problem. (Carolina? Tampa Bay? Jersey? Gimme a break, we'd have steamrolled 'em). :hlogo:

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None taken :) I enjoyed the read!

the point of the 93 habs and the Anaheim roster is plain to see what do we need to make a cup contender team... do we need solid Defense (like Anaheim and The 93 habs? and the best goalie in the league to become contenders?

or/and we need the solid scoring lines..??/

because we could state we should render the goalie situation and the D through trades and UFA... and leave the top two lines with the players coming from our system? and over seas scouting?

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