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BTH

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Watch for us trying to trade Huet during this season as well, I think Price will be our no.1 before this upcoming season ends.

While this wouldn't surprise me, Price is going to have to silence ALL critics before this can happen. We can't risk his development this early in his career, and Huet is still a heck of a goalie.

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Watch for us trying to trade Huet during this season as well, I think Price will be our no.1 before this upcoming season ends.

While this wouldn't surprise me, Price is going to have to silence ALL critics before this can happen. We can't risk his development this early in his career, and Huet is still a heck of a goalie.

Or Halak let us not forget about this Kid. Halak and Danis could very well be with the Canadiens and Price with the Bulldogs.

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Watch for us trying to trade Huet during this season as well, I think Price will be our no.1 before this upcoming season ends.

While this wouldn't surprise me, Price is going to have to silence ALL critics before this can happen. We can't risk his development this early in his career, and Huet is still a heck of a goalie.

Or Halak let us not forget about this Kid. Halak and Danis could very well be with the Canadiens and Price with the Bulldogs.

I can't see us carrying a 3rd goalie with the club, even if it means losing Danis to waivers if we don't. We might trade him for a mid to late round draft pick to a team who wants him as a 3rd stringer, or we just send him to Hamilton again. Heck, he hasn't signed yet, maybe he's trying to get a gig in Europe.

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  • 5 weeks later...

I'm going to post my new lines now that we seem to be set for the season.

Latendresse - Koivu - Ryder

Lahti - Smolinski - Kovalev

Higgins - Plekanec - Kostitsyn

Begin - Lapierre - Kostopoulos

Markov - Komisarek

Hamrlik - O'Byrne

Bouillon - Streit

Brisebois, Dandenault, Gorges (in that order)

Huet

Halak

The ideal situation would be like this though

Latendresse - Marleau (e.g.) - Kovalev

Lahti - Koivu - Smolinski

Higgins - Plekanec - Kostitsyn

Begin - Lapierre - Kostopoulos

Markov - Komisarek

Hamrlik - O'Byrne

Streit - O'Donnell (e.g.)

Brisebois, Dandenault, Gorges (in that order)

Huet

Halak

That would mean we use Ryder to somehow get a 1st line center and use Bouillon or whatever we can to land a more reliable bottom pairing defenceman. Don't bother telling me that it's far-fetched to get a 1st liner with only giving Ryder + prospects/picks - that's not my point. I'm just giving my lines.

I don't think Brisebois will have a regular roster spot - assuming O'Byrne makes the team, anyway, which is definitely not a given.

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Part 1 - Michael Ryder's significance to the team

In his 3 seasons here, he has never given us any reason to think that he has not already peaked and that he will be a one-dimensional thirty goal-scorer for the rest of his career.

His first season all he did was hustle (and score goals), his second season he started hitting (and scored goals), in this last season he could skate (and score goals). Also during last season he started actually skating with the puck, something he wasn't able to do in his first two season (not without being rubbed out along the boards). He's improved each year, just not in point totals. This year he'll get 80 pts (40-40)... remember, I said it first.

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Part 1 - Michael Ryder's significance to the team

In his 3 seasons here, he has never given us any reason to think that he has not already peaked and that he will be a one-dimensional thirty goal-scorer for the rest of his career.

His first season all he did was hustle (and score goals), his second season he started hitting (and scored goals), in this last season he could skate (and score goals). Also during last season he started actually skating with the puck, something he wasn't able to do in his first two season (not without being rubbed out along the boards). He's improved each year, just not in point totals. This year he'll get 80 pts (40-40)... remember, I said it first.

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His first season all he did was hustle (and score goals), his second season he started hitting (and scored goals), in this last season he could skate (and score goals). Also during last season he started actually skating with the puck, something he wasn't able to do in his first two season (not without being rubbed out along the boards). He's improved each year, just not in point totals. This year he'll get 80 pts (40-40)... remember, I said it first.

Actually, he was arguably better in his first season than he was in his last two. Yes, he started skating with the puck but he loses it more often than not, he wasted a lot of opportunities. Ryder will never be a 40-40 player, he's already in his prime and he's already shown us everything he's got.

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Wow BTH, you sure wrote Ryder off so easy.

I'm going to have disagree with your accessment, I think his improvement each year shows he hasn't reached his peak.

Another thing I wanna bring up:

Three year career in the NHL, 3 different coaches. I can't imagine that was easy on Ryder or any of the habs. I'm just a armchair coach so I don't bring much weight :P

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I can't believe how many people here think Carey Price is going to be the number one goalie before THIS year is out. It'd be CRAZY to throw him into the fire this early on. This guy needs a full AHL season under his belt, with perhaps a handful of call-ups to get a feel for the show. He shouldn't even be in the plans until the 08-09 season. Halak earned the right to be the backup this season behind Huet with his great work last season...move Danis.

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The bottom line is winning. If Price or any other rookie improves the team or beats out a vet they should play. It's as simple as that.

Competition is what BG wants, if rookies win jobs they should stay. It would be nice to see a team that actually cares about winning for a change.

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Wow BTH, you sure wrote Ryder off so easy.

I'm going to have disagree with your accessment, I think his improvement each year shows he hasn't reached his peak.

Another thing I wanna bring up:

Three year career in the NHL, 3 different coaches. I can't imagine that was easy on Ryder or any of the habs. I'm just a armchair coach so I don't bring much weight :P

So tell me how much yuo think he can improve. Forty goals are out of his reach and it seems he'll never be a good defensive player either. What part of his game do yuo think he'll improve?

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Let's all hope that most of what can be improved upon this season is realized. Potential breakout/improvement possibilities include Andrei Kostitsyn, Latendresse and maybe Lahti. Factor in the hope that Plekanec picks up right where he left off, a determined Koivu, a reborn Kovalev and we just might surprise. Hopefully the Hammer can bring back end stability. Hopefully Huet can carry on with his all star numbers and be the difference.

Then of course there is the Carbonneau factor. In 2002, the Habs were superb while playing without the puck. We drove the B’s up the wall as they fell to us in 6 games. Maybe the message and how it translates on the ice from Carbo will pay dividends. I hope that the team can have a more consistent performance and achieve the same 2006-07 PK and PP numbers before the bottom fell out.

It’s a lot to ask – all things coming together and not too many bad issues but the potential is there for the Canadiens to surprise not just you and I, but the entire league.

Here's hoping :clap:

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Actually, he was arguably better in his first season than he was in his last two. Yes, he started skating with the puck but he loses it more often than not, he wasted a lot of opportunities. Ryder will never be a 40-40 player, he's already in his prime and he's already shown us everything he's got.

agree...quick release, one trick pony, or as many call him ...the most useless 30 goal scorer

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The bottom line is winning. If Price or any other rookie improves the team or beats out a vet they should play. It's as simple as that.

Competition is what BG wants, if rookies win jobs they should stay. It would be nice to see a team that actually cares about winning for a change.

Not quite. There's winning and there's winning. Even if Price is the best goalie in camp, management has to ask what's the best route to making him a winner in '09, '10, '11...not just 07-08. Development can be a touchy thing, especially for a young goalie. Just ask Marc-André Fleury.

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Just to add to the debate...

In a way i think having perhaps Milroy and/or Tom Kostopoulos instead of murray and downey is a big plus energy, defensive, speed and offensive wise.

I expect Plekanec to keep on his tremendous development from second half of the season.

I expect a decent season from latendresse and a good first(full) from Kostitsyn.

as for lahti i dont know much about him but i rarely see euros comming in to make the team and not having a phase of adaptation, did he ever play north american hockey before?

Partisan

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Just to add to the debate...

In a way i think having perhaps Milroy and/or Tom Kostopoulos instead of murray and downey is a big plus energy, defensive, speed and offensive wise.

I expect Plekanec to keep on his tremendous development from second half of the season.

I expect a decent season from latendresse and a good first(full) from Kostitsyn.

as for lahti i dont know much about him but i rarely see euros comming in to make the team and not having a phase of adaptation, did he ever play north american hockey before?

Partisan

Even though Lahti has it all, I think the best part about him and his game is he is from Finland and their style of hockey. The Finns approach to hockey is as close to Canadian hockey (Physical and high energy) as you can get, and that has to be counted as a plus when competing for a job in the NHL.

I really don't see a spot for Ryder on this team. Bob should move him now while he can get the most for him. Why not try a Pollock move and send him to Pheonix (or anyone else that should be bad for a few years) for a first rounder in 08 (Stamkos), 09 (Tavares), or 10 (Howden?).

Just as long as we don't lose him for nothing ala Souray.

Edited by Habitforming
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The most useless 30 goal scorer? I'm at a loss for words at some fans...let me check to see how many 30 goal scorers we had last year...oh thats right just one. If our leading scorer is useless whats that mean for the rest of the team? We all know that +/- is a useless stat, we had a wicked PP last year, and so that skewed the +/-, am I only one that sees that? When you do the bulk of your scoring on the power play of course you're going to have a crappy +/-.

Higgins had a soso year last year, does that mean he's reached his peak? Have a little faith people, sometimes we're so harsh on what we have its sickening.

I hope Ryder does get traded to a new team, a team which fans appreciates scoring, cause it seems from a lot of views here, that we just plain don't need scoring, lets just throw Price in the net, fill the lines with rookies, they'll score right? I mean they won the Calder trophy, thats almost the NHL, right?

Sickening.

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The most useless 30 goal scorer? I'm at a loss for words at some fans...let me check to see how many 30 goal scorers we had last year...oh thats right just one. If our leading scorer is useless whats that mean for the rest of the team? We all know that +/- is a useless stat, we had a wicked PP last year, and so that skewed the +/-, am I only one that sees that? When you do the bulk of your scoring on the power play of course you're going to have a crappy +/-.

Higgins had a soso year last year, does that mean he's reached his peak? Have a little faith people, sometimes we're so harsh on what we have its sickening.

I hope Ryder does get traded to a new team, a team which fans appreciates scoring, cause it seems from a lot of views here, that we just plain don't need scoring, lets just throw Price in the net, fill the lines with rookies, they'll score right? I mean they won the Calder trophy, thats almost the NHL, right?

Sickening.

I don't know if your talking to me , but I never said anything even close to "a useless 30 goal scorer".

All I said was that there isn't a spot on the team for him. That isn't a shot at Ryder or what he brings to the team.

Here's my question, why keep him (and possibly lose him for nothing) when we can move him now for decent return and have one of the talented kids take his place (I don't mean a rookie right out of the AHL, I mean Kostitsyn or Tender etc) and continue to develop maybe even scoring as much as he did in the process.

I just don't see the point in keeping him and taking up a spot that could be used developing the player that replaces him in 8-9 months anyway.

If you think Ryder is staying past this season, I've got news for ya. Ryder is gone, and it isn't Montreal's decision, he wants to go.

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There is no use getting rid of Ryder before any player step up and score the same number of goals.

If Ryder was playing with Joe Thornton he would reach the fourty goals mark easily, Cheechoo scored

56 goals with average scoring instinct, a franchise center playmaker could make Ryder score more.

So there is no need to rush things, Ryder is our best trade bait but this doesn't mean we should trade him now.

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There is no use getting rid of Ryder before any player step up and score the same number of goals.

If Ryder was playing with Joe Thornton he would reach the fourty goals mark easily, Cheechoo scored

56 goals with average scoring instinct, a franchise center playmaker could make Ryder score more.

So there is no need to rush things, Ryder is our best trade bait but this doesn't mean we should trade him now.

I hear you, but that is kinda what I am saying as well.

How can we get someone to step up and replace what Ryder has done if we don't have a spot to give a young guy the ice time they need.

Ryder gets what 18-20 mins per game with huge amounts of PP time, and we have guys like Kostitsyn getting 9-12 mins that are expected to get as many goals as Ryder or else they can't replace him until they do? It isn't gonna happen.

If Kostitsyn was able to score as much as Ryder in half the ice time he would be the most skilled player in the league.

The point is, for anyone to replace Ryder's production they must get the same ice time and opportunities to do so.

Where is that spot if Ryder is still here?

This isn't just a shot at Ryder, Kovalev can go instead, but do you see anyone taking that salary on for a lazy player. Ryder's deal is very good for any team tht has him, that is the reason he is always the one being talked about moving on.

Edited by Habitforming
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I don't think it was the PP that scewed the + - stats. It was the pathgetic 5 on 5 effort given by almost everyone all year. The inability to score 5 on 5 was the other major issue. The PP has nothing to do with + -. Especially for the Habs.

As for Ryder, sure he doesn't play D Neither does everyone's hero Koivu who rarely takes heat. Ryder scores goals on a team that can't score. Put him on a wing with Thornton and he will score 40. There are certainly other players more deserving of criticism that always get a pass. Kovalev for starters. I know, this is his year. Right, he hasn't had a year in a long time. 1 good one in the last 7. That's not going to cut it.

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