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Canadiens sign Hamrlik, Smolinski & Kostopoulos


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In general, this is where the real strategy starts...One GM said, "You let teams overspend and over-extend until they are hungover...and now we can sweep in and build a winning hockey team."

This is a quote from the Ek site but he probably got it from a media article. Wouldn't surprise me if it was BOb. Could be any GM who was unable to sign an UFA. BOb might turn his attention and utilize this philosophy now and it may be a blessing in disguise we didn't cash in.

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I don't buy this "let everyone else signed overpriced players" crap.

I just don't like how some of us seem to have the attitude that's the Canadiens are so smarter than everyone else because they don't sign UFAs to long term contracts. That's bullshit. Gainey's bending over backwards trying to do it, he just can't do it. He's gotta play this market a little smarter. Bidding on Gomez/Briere was pointless. Same goes for Smyth. I don't understand why he didn't go after a big D like Scott Hannan, who signed for a relatively sane 4.5M, or Rafalski who went for 6M. The way it stands now, the best D out there is Sheldon Souray. Scratch him off the list and you're looking at Brad Stuart.

If you look at the market, it is going up every season because the cap is going up every season.

The same guys who might be lambasting smart signings like that of Rafalski, Schneider, Drury, Smyth, etc... are the same ones who said Nashville was insane to part with 4.5M for a long term deal for Arnott last season. Face it guys, the market is a player's market on free agency and you have to overpay to attract. Each year it seems to be getting better and better.

Even Briere's deal is not as ridiculous as it seems. The contract is FRONT LOADED - meaning that when Briere is 37, he can be bought out for 3M a year. The no movement clause means he can't be waived or traded, but he can still be bought out. Would I give him that deal? No, because he's not going to be the face of the Canadiens franchise. But Philly? What the heck do they care, as long as they improve their on-ice product next year!

How is it that Paul Kariya ended up in St Louis? Sure he wanted to play for a U.S. team but I guarantee that a playoff team would have wanted to sign him at his previous 4.5M salary...the difference is that StL gave him 6M/yr.

It's what you have to do to compete. These teams adding players - e.g. Florida, Boston, NYR, Philly and even the Laffs are all in the East, and the Canadiens current lineup is not going to make the playoffs.

So where does Gainey go from here? I don't know. Signing Brendan Shanahan or Brad Stuat might not be a bad option. There's still time, but the initial signs are not good for Montreal.

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You make a point about Gainey's judgement. He obviously believed that the Habs had a realistic shot at signing Souray, Briere and Smyth. His focus on the latter two seems to have led him to neglect, say, a quality UFA like Hannan who could have really helped us.

The question - and I don't say the answer is obvious - is whether he was clearly delusional to think the Habs had a chance at these players in the first place. Souray is still up in the air. By all accounts we came very close to landing Briere but were simply outbid by a deal that, rightly or wrongly, Bob declined to match. Last season, Shanahan was within an eyelash of signing with us. Smyth obviously had no interest and, if serious time was spent on that file, he was a clear waste of time.

I dunno. That we seem to keep coming second suggests we're in the running and that Bob would be negligent if he didn't keep plugging away. On the other hand, that he keeps coming up empty suggests he may be too optimistic about his chances. So I just don't know what to make of it all.

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Anyone else not suprised that our free agent got no signings yet ??

Souray is not such a hot commodity. Hannan, Rafalski and Schneider got

their signings with the team they wanted.

Now the remaining players have to choose whre will they go and the salaries

are equivalent.

Bonk got no call yet from is former coach Jacques Martin ??

Bonk is now confortable in Montreal and if he get an equivalent offer he would stay here and i would have no complaints about that.

Johnson is not breaking the market either, it would have been a mistake to resign him at the same salary. Maybe he can come back cheaper.

So we can have both Bonk and Johnson for less next year. I would not complaint about this either.

On defense Andy Sutton, Danny Markov and Tanabe are still avalaible.

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I wouldnt really want Bonk back, you'd think Gainey could find a better centre by trade or something. If we sign him it means the team isn't getting a second line centre unless they shift Plekanec bizarrely to wing.

Bonk and Johnson will end up somewhere that's for sure. Johnson especially has some scoring talent and a good attitude, given top-six minutes he can easily score 20 or so. Maybe the Isles will sign him, they need him forwards badly.

As for Bonk, you'd think Florida would want him, but if not then...

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Yes, the D has the potential of being even worse then next year. If that is possible. I would not pass judgement on Gorges yet, let him play a bit.

Without a trade or UFA D, they could give up 50 plus shots a night. It could get ugly.

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Chips, you had some great points but you lost me about keeping the core, they are the problem. Evidence 3 playoffs in last 8 years, that isn't good.

Everyone really needs to step back and get a grip on reality. I am glad BG hasn't overpaid or made extremely long contracts. This team is not 1 player away from even making the playoffs. Why over spend? I would rather get rid of the garbage and let youth get experience.

Lay off the coach being the problem whether some of you guys like it or not, Carbo is the coach, it's his way or the highway. BG likes and trusts him. They come from the same mold. It's the players who don't put up who are leaving, not the coach. May i remind all of you that it hasn't mattered who the coach has been this core and team have NEVER done anything.

There are major problems with the team besides not over paying an UFA.

1. No work ethic, no pride or real leadership. Can't play even 60 minutes hard.

2. Too small, play soft, don't win any battles.

3. The defense is awful, gave up way too many shots.

4. 5 on 5 play is pathetic at best.

Until these issues are addressed it's not going to matter who is wearing the uniform.

Chris, I do agree with your comments as well. You are correct; our core does need a shake up of sorts. I have the feeling that BG will give them one more kick at the can this coming season (good or bad he may not have a choice here). But it will be reasonable to assume that big time changes will be considered by the end of the first quarter, if things remain the same.

The only question here is can he make those changes.. who will trade with us and will it make a difference?

At this point or a quarter into next season, I do not have any hope for attracting any proven talent. And we will end up having to take a risk on a player, my fear is that it may turn out like the Sammy affair all over again...

For what ever its worth... I will stand by my beloved habs.

GO HABS GO!

I'm done with the UFA market... Lets get to the rookie training camp... I want to see what kinda shape PRICE will be in...

thank God for our baby habs winning the Calder cup in Hamilton; I just keep them in my mind and feel better about our future prospects they are looking bright!

Edited by Chips
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Resigning Janne Ninama might not be such a bad idea now....

Aebischer and Niinimaa were the guys who were told as soon as the season ended that they would not be back in Montreal if I remember correctly.

I seriously doubt Gainey signs him.

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Oh yea, i'll be there with them through thick or thin, it's been too thin for a while now. BG has righted the ship. It may take a year or 2 longer.

The problem with breaking up the core is going to be tough, in reality how are you going to trade Bouillon, Dandy, kovalev, with out pairing them with Ryder or good youth.

Unfortunately, i think it will be hard to move those guys.

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The word from Bleu, Blanc et Rouge now is that Gainey may be interested in Nagy and possibly Bertuzzi and Yashin.

http://onveutlacoupe.blogspot.com/

Nagy wouldn't be too bad, but I don't understand Bertuzzi... we're stacked at RW as it is. Yashin can be good or bad: 2 years, play him with Kovalev and pray. A better option would be Handzus. LW is by far are most pressing need... I really hope we do something about it.
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Yashin is exactly the type of player we don't need. Like I've said before I don't know if the Habs need a huge name but they need players that are going to show up everynight and compete. They need grinders players that are going to get into the corners and players that can put in some garbage goals. I don't care if he plays for free I think it would be detremental to the team to bring him in.

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Bertuzzi would be awesome with a incentive ladent contract.

No way Bertuzzi signs with the Habs. Too much media that would rip him to shreads.

It would take some of the media spotlight off Saku and Kovalev though.... maybe it is a good idea ^_^

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No way Bertuzzi signs with the Habs. Too much media that would rip him to shreads.

It would take some of the media spotlight off Saku and Kovalev though.... maybe it is a good idea ^_^

Good production kills critics. If he's solid there won't be contraversy. Given our present situation I'd welcome Bert. He woke up in the playoffs for Detroit. Regardless of what we may think about him, he would solve a shortcoming IMO.

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I'm not too worried about next year's lineup.

O'Byrne was a monster in the Calder Cup run. He's already got NHL size, just needs to get up to speed. Biron has NHL experience, though he's a 6th D at best. And people forgot that JP Cote would have made the lineup last year if he had'nt been injured. So it's not that bad. We just have too much of a quality drop off after Markov and Komi.

Up front we're not worse off than last year. Bonk and Johnson leaves? No problems. Bring up Chipchura and Ferland and you have a younger, more physical C-RW combo who were killing in the AHL Cup run... If not, pick from any C or RW kid that has the best camp: Grabovski, D'Agostini, Milroy, Locke, whatever.

We're loaded with prospects. Its was Higgins, Plekanec and Perezhogin 2 seasons ago. It was Halak, Lapierre, Kostitsyn and Latendresse last year and this season it'll be a new wave of kids making the jump.

We could definitely improve by adding a Stuart/Nagy/Bertuzzi or whatever other established NHL guy there's left. But we're definitely not going to bottom out if we cant sign anyone because the farm is rich.

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No way Bertuzzi signs with the Habs. Too much media that would rip him to shreads.

Meh. I think Bert got the worse he could get and the dust has settled about the Moore incident. With the shitty year he had last season, Bert cant get too greedy and for a guy that was considered league elite before the lockout, he's getting very little attention.

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