Who is more and more pissed by the Ribero trade?

[Trizzak]

Ribs talking cool, saying nothing is a problem, MAYBE EVEN KOVALEV NOT PRODUCING AS MUCH AS HE IS NOW because he'd still be pissed to play with Ribs.

Some locker room tensions between Koivu and Ribs (because of Ribs cockyness -> take stabs at Koivu as usual)

Everything looks good except that sentence... I do believe Kovalev liked playing with Ribs.

[thib46]

Everything looks good except that sentence... I do believe Kovalev liked playing with Ribs.

There is no guarantee that Ribero would have developed in Montreal to the player he is in Dallas. Dallas offers a lot more freedom, no presss coverage, not the same expectations at all. Are you willing to pay someone $5M per year for a player who gets you 60-75 points per year? Just a question. Bottom line is Ribero did want to play for Montreal but it appears he was not suited to play under the microscope of the Montreal/Quebec media and fan expectations.

[Dalhabs]

Id like to say that Plekanec WOULDNT had developed to what he is today (almost a PPG centreman AND he has more points than Koivu) if we wouldve kept Ribs and I bet the lockerroom atmosphere is alot better with pleks as our other top2 centre.

[KEEP26]

Id like to say that Plekanec WOULDNT had developed to what he is today (almost a PPG centreman AND he has more points than Koivu) if we wouldve kept Ribs and I bet the lockerroom atmosphere is alot better with pleks as our other top2 centre.

i love that clip, anyone whos want ribs got to watch that clip over and over, and think is that a guy we need on our team.

[Prime Minister Koivu]

Why are people still talking about this?

[Habsfan]

f*** Ribeiro, i dont care if he gets a 100 pts, you can have all the skill in the world, and it means shit if everyone on the team hates you, all he done in montreal was run his mouth and cry..we are a better team with out him. i really hope him the best in dallas and that he as became a man..but i so glad his not in montreal.. Go Habs Go.

Too many people look at this with too much emotion.

Bob and the scouting department made a mistake with Ribs. They wanted to get rid of him...fine, make sure you get something good in return for him. Not a washed up d-man making 2.4 million$ per season.

It was Bob's booboo, just like the Samsonov and Smolinski signings.

[Neech]

If 5 million can buy you those three, they must be busts...

What? A player isn't considered a bust by how much they make, it's how well they played. And I never said that 5 million would buy those three, I would rather have it go towards keeping them around rather than Mike Ribeiro.

I would rather have Ribs at 5 then Pleks at 4, at least right now. We will have to see how Pleks develops in a year or two, but if he is as good as some people think, he won't be cheap either.

Keep in mind that Ribs is now a PPG player and a scorer. Not a single habs has that stat, not even Kovalev. In addition, his defensive game is vastly improved in the last 2 years. If we had a guy scoring like that, playmaking like that, and being defensively reliable, we would be demanding that Gainey "lock em up".

Have you been watching many Stars games? I haven't, but I find it doubtful that Ribeiro is as defensively responsible as Plekanec, who has always had a strong defensive game.

Ribeiro has also benefitted from having a guy like Moreau on his line, we didn't have a similar player to compliment Ribeiro.

I stand by my comment of rather having Higgins, Komi and Pleks instead of Ribeiro.

[Trizzak]

There is no guarantee that Ribero would have developed in Montreal to the player he is in Dallas. Dallas offers a lot more freedom, no presss coverage, not the same expectations at all. Are you willing to pay someone $5M per year for a player who gets you 60-75 points per year? Just a question. Bottom line is Ribero did want to play for Montreal but it appears he was not suited to play under the microscope of the Montreal/Quebec media and fan expectations.

Psst...reread my post. I was agreeing on all points except that Kovalev would be playing badly if Ribs were here.

Hell, now that I think about it...Kovalev played good hockey with Ribs. It was his first stint with Plekanec coincided with his funk.

[brobin]

What? A player isn't considered a bust by how much they make, it's how well they played. And I never said that 5 million would buy those three, I would rather have it go towards keeping them around rather than Mike Ribeiro.

Have you been watching many Stars games? I haven't, but I find it doubtful that Ribeiro is as defensively responsible as Plekanec, who has always had a strong defensive game.

Ribeiro has also benefitted from having a guy like Moreau on his line, we didn't have a similar player to compliment Ribeiro.

I stand by my comment of rather having Higgins, Komi and Pleks instead of Ribeiro.

Sure have watched ribs play in Dallas. Have you? He is much better defensively then you think and his offensive upside blows Pleks away.

I love how people claim Ribs is only good due to him linemates, while Pleks plays with Kovalev... hmmmm

[Wamsley01]

Too many people look at this with too much emotion.

Bob and the scouting department made a mistake with Ribs. They wanted to get rid of him...fine, make sure you get something good in return for him. Not a washed up d-man making 2.4 million$ per season.

It was Bob's booboo, just like the Samsonov and Smolinski signings.

Bob got rid of Ribs because he was an ahole when he was here. From the nonsense against the Bruins, to the 3 amigos, to the shot at Koivu about leadership, to the fight with Koivu in practice, dissing Ryder's finishing ability. He figured on addition by subtraction.

He decided to grow up in Dallas. Maybe he does not do that here. Maybe he does. Why do we still care? He is gone.

Nobody pisses and moans like this about Vokoun. Nobody pisses and moans like this about Beauchemin, nobody pisses and moans like this about Hainsey, nobody pisses and moans like this about Tucker. It happens.

If Dallas thinks they are going anywhere with him as their number 1 centre, good luck to them.

Edited January 10, 2008 by Wamsley01

[Neech]

Sure have watched ribs play in Dallas. Have you?

I already answered that in my post. Did I?

He is much better defensively then you think and his offensive upside blows Pleks away.

Well I'll have to take your word for him being good defensively because from what I've seen it isn't all that impressive. And by upside do you mean potential to improve? Because I doubt he'll go much further than being a PPG player, if he does maintain what he's been doing this season. I'd give Pleks more room for improvement.

I love how people claim Ribs is only good due to him linemates, while Pleks plays with Kovalev... hmmmm

I didn't claim he was only good because of his linemates, I said that having a Moreau type player compliments him well.

[SAKS-AVENUE]

Hey, Ribs was great when he was here and Ribs is great now there. At the time we couldn't get more for him because no-one really knew if he would go on a downslide or up. Well he went up .....good one on Dallas, Ya I'm sure he's still a dickhead. I liked him when he was with the Habs, I just hated hearing the off ice crap. Whatever, lets move on. Hey did anyone notice that he was dry tonight. Fresh after the signing. You need to remember that now he's a big name player and will be covered by top checking lines. This is where Ribs will start to fall apart, Just like his buddy Theo.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

I dunno. I think Montreal fans were/are a bit unreasonable about Ribeiro. This was a player who did everything the Habs asked him to do. They told him to work on his defence; he did. They told him to work on his skating; he did. They told him to work on his faceoffs; he did. And he had a breakout year at what, age 25, before the lockout. People hate(d) him because he was a pretty boy, a hotshot; because of his stupid stunt in the playoffs; and because of rumours about his personality and night life.

What bothered me was not these youthful failings, but rather that he took a step backwards upon returning from the lockout. He really let us down that year, failing to pick up his game when Koivu slumped, etc.. That led me to wonder if his footspeed was inadequate to the 'new' game. But obviously he adjusted to that as well - as he has adjusted to very challenge that's come his way.

The bottom line is, we suffered through Ribs' growing pains and ditched him just as he was about to come into his maturity as a player. Call a spade a spade, that was a bad move.

Still, I don't really mind. Pleks is a better all-around player at his age that Ribs was...and since no team will ever win a Cup with a Koivu-Ribs tandem down the middle, we'd have had to let Ribeiro go anyway sooner or later. Ninimaa was a terrible return, but I still doubt that you could have gotten a top-4 D-man for Ribs. Gambling on a guy who had been an all-star and might recover his form in a new environment wasn't a bad idea. But the bottom line is that moving a player of Ribs' profile is usually going to bite you in the ass.

The other thing is that Ribs has never come close to these totals in his career...he had 18 goals, 59 points last season for Pete's sake. He's a good player, but a 40-goal scorer? Let him two that two years running, and maybe I'll be convinced.

Finally, Morrow is a bona fide power forward. The Habs have no one comparable, and that might be an important piece of the Ribeiro puzzle.

Edited January 10, 2008 by The Chicoutimi Cucumber

[brobin]

I dunno. I think Montreal fans were/are a bit unreasonable about Ribeiro. This was a player who did everything the Habs asked him to do. They told him to work on his defence; he did. They told him to work on his skating; he did. They told him to work on his faceoffs; he did. And he had a breakout year at what, age 25, before the lockout. People hate(d) him because he was a pretty boy, a hotshot; because of his stupid stunt in the playoffs; and because of rumours about his personality and night life.

What bothered me was not these youthful failings, but rather that he took a step backwards upon returning from the lockout. He really let us down that year, failing to pick up his game when Koivu slumped, etc.. That led me to wonder if his footspeed was inadequate to the 'new' game. But obviously he adjusted to that as well - as he has adjusted to very challenge that's come his way.

The bottom line is, we suffered through Ribs' growing pains and ditched him just as he was about to come into his maturity as a player. Call a spade a spade, that was a bad move.

Still, I don't really mind. Pleks is a better all-around player at his age that Ribs was...and since no team will ever win a Cup with a Koivu-Ribs tandem down the middle, we'd have had to let Ribeiro go anyway sooner or later. Ninimaa was a terrible return, but I still doubt that you could have gotten a top-4 D-man for Ribs. Gambling on a guy who had been an all-star and might recover his form in a new environment wasn't a bad idea. But the bottom line is that moving a player of Ribs' profile is usually going to bite you in the ass.

The other thing is that Ribs has never come close to these totals in his career...he had 18 goals, 59 points last season for Pete's sake. He's a good player, but a 40-goal scorer? Let him two that two years running, and maybe I'll be convinced.

Finally, Morrow is a bona fide power forward. The Habs have no one comparable, and that might be an important piece of the Ribeiro puzzle.

I agree with much of this analysis. I do think that the year he faltered had a lot to do with the fact that we had zero depth down the middle. Much of that season Koivu was out and Ribs was targeted by the shutdown lines. The entire team struggled and I think it was unrealistic to think Ribs should carry them alone. When Koivu came back, both of them did better.

I don't think Ribs is going to be a consistent 40 goal scorer, and he isn't getting paid like one. I think he is going to be a 65 to 85 point centre, depending on his wingers, and a 20 to 30 goal guy. That is a pretty good centre for $5 Million. I wish Koivu could do that consistently.

As for not winning with Koivu and Ribs as the centers, I agree. Unfortunately, the same is true of Koivu and Pleks. Hence Gainey's bid to get Briere so it would be Briere, Koivu, and Pleks. Now that is some nice depth.

Oh, and last year, he got those 59 points playing on the 3rd line for Dallas. Let me know when our 3rd line centre pots 18 goals and 59 points. In fact, I don't believe young Pleks has pulled that off with Kovalev as a winger and playing 2nd line minutes. (Although I have to think he will this year the way Kovalev is playing, that line would need to get awful cold to miss those numbers).

[Habsfan]

Great Analysis by both Chicoutimi and Brobin.

It,s a frustrating situation...let's hope we get the best outcome from Bob's next transaction!

[Dalhabs]

Better defensively? Isnt he playing on the same line as Jere Lehtinen?

[Neech]

As for not winning with Koivu and Ribs as the centers, I agree. Unfortunately, the same is true of Koivu and Pleks. Hence Gainey's bid to get Briere so it would be Briere, Koivu, and Pleks. Now that is some nice depth.

Diminutive depth.

[lazy26]

Well, at least Ribs wasn't named to the allstar game.