O'Byrne traded to Colorado

[JCPetit]

Great Potential? What are you guys talking about. We are talking about O'Byrne correct? He is a big guy who can't skate very well, doesn't pass very well, doesn't shoot very well and is already 26 years old. He isn't even a prospect anymore. He is a number 8 Damn in a sport that dresses 6. He couldn''t even beat out Picard who is a juorneyman defenseman.

They got a young prospect in return. it's not a big deal.

OB is a lot better than you think. He'll get plenty of ice in Denver. With a little bit of confidence, he could surprise a lot of people.

[l<OV4L3V]

farewell Ryan, I will always remember you for scoring on our own net and your countless number of delay of game penalties habs win this trade

[JCPetit]

Now we have the cap space to make an offer to Bill Guerin. If he decides he wants to move to Montreal.

I don't want that guy in Mtl -- he is way beyond is prime. Let's give a try to some of the youngsters.

[nikohab]

Speaking of O'Byrne. The canadiens should have kept him playing in the minors for a reasonable 3 years before calling him up prematurely in fact the canadiens called up too may players prematurely and ended up having to trade them or send them back down the yo-yo syndrome if you know what I mean. Watch him perform well with colorado because they know exactly what this giant is missing it's call confidence. Who's to blame him? :hlogo:

[CoRvInA]

nothing personal OB , but a 7th round pick would have been good neough

OB can skate fast for his size and can pass accurately, can hit can clear the net... problem is his brain cap. He can do all those as long as only one option is possible, if he has two options or more "gasp" braincramp/fart

sorry you're born with the capacity or not. If not then you train your ass off to learn how to mitigate, 25 years old and he still needs a permanent coach to help him cope with it. good luck colorado

[dlbalr]

Now we have the cap space to potentially make an upgrade (Bieksa?), don't we?

Not enough for Bieksa - the Habs have ~$1.1 mil in space, Bieksa still has over $3 mil on his deal. The scenario I posted in the rumour thread still applies but it will take time for there to be enough space.

I assumed they would lose him to the waiver wire, so THIS IS A steal in my eyes.

If not that, then surely he'd have been non-tendered to become a UFA in June - his play didn't warrant a $1.4 mil QO which would have been required.

I'm saddened to see someone with such great potential walk away from the Habs, but as many have stated, OB was given numerous chances to succeed and fell well short of the mark. Still, one must take into account the sheer bad luck that OB has endured over the past year, and I for one, wouldn't be surprised if he flourished in a new environment. I wish him the best of luck, and I'm ecstatic that we actually got a decent prospect back in return.

My burning question is now: who will shoot the puck over the glass on a regular basis?

O'Byrne has NHL potential, yes, but he's 26. Eventually, he's gotta show something and he hadn't beyond being a #6/7 d-man so you have to cut bait eventually. Like others, I expect O'Byrne will do reasonably well given Colorado's injuries; if he plays well, he could stick there for a while as a good 3rd pairing player. But it's not as if the Habs let him go for free, Bournival is believed to have NHL potential which eases losing O'Byrne a lot. 26 year old potential for 18 year old potential, I'll take the younger guy 9 times out of 10.

As for who will take delay of game penalties now? I think Hamrlik has a couple this year, he may lead the team...Montreal hasn't taken as many thankfully so far this season.

[BTH]

Not enough for Bieksa - the Habs have ~$1.1 mil in space, Bieksa still has over $3 mil on his deal. The scenario I posted in the rumour thread still applies but it will take time for there to be enough space.

Obviously not without giving a player in return but it just became that much easier... if we even want Bieksa. I'd prefer to use this money to get upgrade someone to a top 6 forward. I think this team is a Frolov away from contending for the Cup.

[dlbalr]

Obviously not without giving a player in return but it just became that much easier... if we even want Bieksa. I'd prefer to use this money to get upgrade someone to a top 6 forward. I think this team is a Frolov away from contending for the Cup.

Even if you trade Moen and Picard (as outlined in my hypothetical from a while back), there still isn't enough space yet...and that's with sending Eller down for cheaper options. I honestly suspect there's no dominoes beyond this for a while, at least of any significance. They'd be best served to accrue some space for now and use it later in the year where there's more freedom to take on a contract.

More reading...from what I can gather, he's very health conscious which falls in with the combine results. http://blogues.cyberpresse.ca/turcotte/201...hael-bournival/

[hab29RETIRED]

I guess I'm in the minority that think the habs made a lousy trade - not based on the fact that they traded someone who is looked at being 8th on the depth chart for a guy who is a third round pick last year.

Reason I think it is a lousy deal, is because like most young players, OB really got a fair shake here in Montreal. He would get nailed to the bench for the kind of things that spacek, gill and hammer do 3 or 4 times a night and really has been playing with fear of making a mistake. The only real negative thing he did was the purse incident and then lie about it. I think he represents exactly the type of dman the habs needed - big, physical guy, who can make a good first pass out of the zone. He is someone who should have been groomed to take over from hammer and gill next year - 2 guys who I want nothing to do with next year. I think he will flourish in Colorado who have done an excellent job developing kids. I think he is another casualty of the JM development system.

As to what we obtained, for giving up a player in a position where we have a need? A centre on the smallish side who seems to be destined to be a pyatt, Boyd, or the type of player the habs have had an abundance of over the last 15 years. I think we just gave up our 3rd kid in the past two years, and the only one we got value back on is Lats.

Edited November 11, 2010 by hab29RETIRED

[dlbalr]

As to what we obtained, for giving up a player in a position where we have a need? A centre on the smallish side who seems to be destined to be a pyatt, Boyd, or the type of player the habs have had an abundance of over the last 15 years. I think we just gave up our 3rd kid in the past two years, and the only one we got value back on is Lats.

There's a big difference in the ages of Chipchura (dealt for a pick), D'Agostini (dealt for Palushaj), and Latendresse (Pouliot) compared to that of O'Byrne. They were in their early 20's, O'Byrne in his mid 20's (26). That's not a "kid" anymore. As I noted earlier, he still may be a decent NHL'er, but how long are you going to give him to develop? He was gone (99% sure) at the end of the year for no return (QO reason) unless he had a huge year...and he wasn't getting into the lineup sadly. He should have in my view, I agree with you, but alas he wasn't so best to get something while you can. I don't think there was much of a market for him either which diminished any chance of a bigger return.

The key to success in the cap era is finding value players - I think every team needs an abundance of cheap talent that can fill the bottom six, allowing for money to be spent on your top guys. Bournival is one of them. Not a high ceiling player, but someone who has some legit upside - I had him pegged as a late 2nd on my own list.

Also, we shouldn't forget the Habs have a tendency to trade picks for veteran guys at or near the deadline - call this a preemptive replacement for whatever pick gets dealt away this time.

[BCHabnut]

OB is a lot better than you think. He'll get plenty of ice in Denver. With a little bit of confidence, he could surprise a lot of people.

I tend to think confidence was a big issue with OB. Oh well, there was no room for him on the team and this should help him. It is one less right handed defenseman in the roster though.

[Zowpeb]

Great Potential? What are you guys talking about. We are talking about O'Byrne correct? He is a big guy who can't skate very well, doesn't pass very well, doesn't shoot very well and is already 26 years old. He isn't even a prospect anymore. He is a number 8 Damn in a sport that dresses 6. He couldn''t even beat out Picard who is a juorneyman defenseman.

They got a young prospect in return. it's not a big deal.

O'Byrne is widely considered to be a pretty mobile defenceman for his size. He may not have "made the team" but the Habs have had a lot of veterans playing for them with a coaching staff that leans on vets first. A little perspective please.

[Wamsley01]

I guess I'm in the minority that think the habs made a lousy trade - not based on the fact that they traded someone who is looked at being 8th on the depth chart for a guy who is a third round pick last year.

Reason I think it is a lousy deal, is because like most young players, OB really got a fair shake here in Montreal. He would get nailed to the bench for the kind of things that spacek, gill and hammer do 3 or 4 times a night and really has been playing with fear of making a mistake. The only real negative thing he did was the purse incident and then lie about it. I think he represents exactly the type of dman the habs needed - big, physical guy, who can make a good first pass out of the zone. He is someone who should have been groomed to take over from hammer and gill next year - 2 guys who I want nothing to do with next year. I think he will flourish in Colorado who have done an excellent job developing kids. I think he is another casualty of the JM development system.

As to what we obtained, for giving up a player in a position where we have a need? A centre on the smallish side who seems to be destined to be a pyatt, Boyd, or the type of player the habs have had an abundance of over the last 15 years. I think we just gave up our 3rd kid in the past two years, and the only one we got value back on is Lats.

Martin again? I mean you have taken a 26 year old depth defenseman being traded and somehow turned it into a complaint against Martin.

O'Byrne was an underachiever looooooong before Martin got here.

Alexandre Picard is 25!! They picked him up for nothing and he OUTPLAYED O'Byrne. So a younger defenseman who has been labeled a journeyman

in this thread is disposable, but O'Byrne is not because he is 3" taller and has played with one organization?

Take the Canadiens to the 3rd round, so what. Get off to a strong start without your top defenseman and the goaltender 100% responsible

for the playoff run, complain about ruining Eller. Trade 7th defenseman, bad trade because he was underdeveloped because of Martin. Come on.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

Martin again? I mean you have taken a 26 year old depth defenseman being traded and somehow turned it into a complaint against Martin.

O'Byrne was an underachiever looooooong before Martin got here.

Alexandre Picard is 25!! They picked him up for nothing and he OUTPLAYED O'Byrne. So a younger defenseman who has been labeled a journeyman

in this thread is disposable, but O'Byrne is not because he is 3" taller and has played with one organization?

Take the Canadiens to the 3rd round, so what. Get off to a strong start without your top defenseman and the goaltender 100% responsible

for the playoff run, complain about ruining Eller. Trade 7th defenseman, bad trade because he was underdeveloped because of Martin. Come on.

Bingo.

[Habsfan]

I'm sad to see O'Byrne leave. That's another d-man that we've drafted in the past 10 years who isn'T with us anymore (Hainsey, Komisarek, Fisher, Valetenko, McDonough, Emelin and a few more I seem to have forgotten)

O'Byrne had completely lost al of his confidence because as soon as he made a mistake, he would be benched. I'm not saying that he had the potential to become a top 3 d-man, but I think if we would ahve given him a full season as a number 6 d-man, he could have done a good job. We have a bunch of smurfs up front, now we are getting rid of our bigger guys in back...I don't like it!

Good luck to Ryan in Colorado!

Edited November 12, 2010 by Habsfan

[BTH]

I guess I'm in the minority that think the habs made a lousy trade - not based on the fact that they traded someone who is looked at being 8th on the depth chart for a guy who is a third round pick last year.

Reason I think it is a lousy deal, is because like most young players, OB really got a fair shake here in Montreal. He would get nailed to the bench for the kind of things that spacek, gill and hammer do 3 or 4 times a night and really has been playing with fear of making a mistake. The only real negative thing he did was the purse incident and then lie about it. I think he represents exactly the type of dman the habs needed - big, physical guy, who can make a good first pass out of the zone. He is someone who should have been groomed to take over from hammer and gill next year - 2 guys who I want nothing to do with next year. I think he will flourish in Colorado who have done an excellent job developing kids. I think he is another casualty of the JM development system.

As to what we obtained, for giving up a player in a position where we have a need? A centre on the smallish side who seems to be destined to be a pyatt, Boyd, or the type of player the habs have had an abundance of over the last 15 years. I think we just gave up our 3rd kid in the past two years, and the only one we got value back on is Lats.

O'Byrne was nailed to the bench because 7 d-men - some older, some younger - outplayed him. He's been with the team for like 3 years. He's had plenty of time to establish himself as a regular. The guy hasn't done shit. Hamrlik and Spacek get more freedom because they have proven themselves to be solid top 6 NHLers.

Montreal has one of the top Ds in the league and O'Byrne wasn't even our top spare, wasn't even our youngest spare. The guy's a veteran 8th d-man traded for a player that actually has potential (and if Bournival turns out to be Pyatt, Boyd... well, they > O'Byrne).

I don't get how someone can complain about Martin when our team's success is so clearly a product of great coaching.

[Wamsley01]

I'm sad to see O'Byrne leave. That's another d-man that we've drafted in the past 10 years who isn'T with us anymore (Hainsey, Komisarek, Fisher, Valetenko, McDonough, Emelin and a few more I seem to have forgotten)

O'Byrne had completely lost al of his confidence because as soon as he made a mistake, he would be benched. I'm not saying that he had the potential to become a top 3 d-man, but I think if we would ahve given him a full season as a number 6 d-man, he could have done a good job. We have a bunch of smurfs up front, now we are getting rid of our bigger guys in back...I don't like it!

Good luck to Ryan in Colorado!

Fans tend to overrate their own. When the Leafs trade Anton Stralman, NOBODY outside of Toronto cares.

The Canadiens have Gill and Gorges at 5 and 6. Picard has outplayed O'Byrne this year. So you are suggesting benching Gill and Picard

or trading them in order to play O'Byrne at the 6 even though he is the 8th best defenseman.

Drop the emotional investment in O'Byrne. He is 26 years old and has been handed plenty of opportunities, he played 55 games last season

and had the inside track on the 6th d-man role with Markov out and handed the job to Picard.

He had his chances and he has nobody to blame but himself for this deal.

[Seb]

Fans tend to overrate their own. When the Leafs trade Anton Stralman, NOBODY outside of Toronto cares.

The Canadiens have Gill and Gorges at 5 and 6. Picard has outplayed O'Byrne this year. So you are suggesting benching Gill and Picard

or trading them in order to play O'Byrne at the 6 even though he is the 8th best defenseman.

Drop the emotional investment in O'Byrne. He is 26 years old and has been handed plenty of opportunities, he played 55 games last season

and had the inside track on the 6th d-man role with Markov out and handed the job to Picard.

He had his chances and he has nobody to blame but himself for this deal.

Personally, I was rooting for him, starting probably last season at some point, to succeed so he wouldn't lose trade value, rather than hope he established himself.

Looks like his value remained pretty good to me. Best of luck to him (he's closer to home now, too.)

[FinHab]

I'm sad to see O'Byrne leave. That's another d-man that we've drafted in the past 10 years who isn'T with us anymore (Hainsey, Komisarek, Fisher, Valetenko, McDonough, Emelin and a few more I seem to have forgotten)

O'Byrne had completely lost al of his confidence because as soon as he made a mistake, he would be benched. I'm not saying that he had the potential to become a top 3 d-man, but I think if we would ahve given him a full season as a number 6 d-man, he could have done a good job. We have a bunch of smurfs up front, now we are getting rid of our bigger guys in back...I don't like it!

Good luck to Ryan in Colorado!

So true!! Habs are turning to a midget team!! We need size, and again we trade size away..... BUUUUUUU!!!! What the hell is going on..... :puke:

[Easy Ryder]

Gauthier is making moves, i like that. I thought he would be very patient but he is not.

When there is nothing good in a player to help the team to win he is out.

Funny thing all the Quebec players are almost in the same mould. Average frame, tons of hard work

and attitude, i like it.

Leblanc, Dumont, Bournival, are some of the best competitors i seen in the LHJMQ the last two years.

With hard workers in the system, we will maybe see a continuation in Habs success and i would be very surprise

to see dark years. The last years of contracts of the Gomez, Gionta will be sweeten by good rookies.

I am only talking of what i have seen. Americans we drafted in bunch we'll see and i think good things are on their way.

[nikohab]

It's without question that OB became expendable but is that the way to treat your prospect? For a big frame his skating is exceptional and he has shown that he can throw his body around rather well. This is a player that they should have kept in the minors for at least 3 years for his developement rather than bringing him up so quickly and expecting a whole lot more from him. The canadiens brought up other players prematurely such as Pacioretty and look what he had to say about it. If any of you out there want to poke at OB why don't you try poking at Spacek who makes $ 3,383,645 ?

[dlbalr]

It's without question that OB became expendable but is that the way to treat your prospect? For a big frame his skating is exceptional and he has shown that he can throw his body around rather well. This is a player that they should have kept in the minors for at least 3 years for his developement rather than bringing him up so quickly and expecting a whole lot more from him. The canadiens brought up other players prematurely such as Pacioretty and look what he had to say about it. If any of you out there want to poke at OB why don't you try poking at Spacek who makes $ 3,383,645 ?

I'm not sure you can legitimately claim O'Byrne was rushed as implied here. Over his career, he's played 140 AHL games (season + playoffs), basically 2 full years. In contrast, he's only played 147 NHL games and this is his 5th pro season. How long can you wait for a player? Ideally, you wouldn't want to be sitting there next season when he becomes UFA eligible wondering what you actually have in your soon-to-be UFA, despite the fact he's been in the organization since 2003.

As for that Spacek contract, I have no idea where you're getting that figure from, he actually makes more than that (more ammunition for your argument, I suppose).

[saskhab]

Plenty of people here are poking at Spacek, nikohab. No skater on the Habs gets more grief from the masses than he does... to the point where he plays a big role in shutting down one of the best lines in the NHL (Vancouver's Sedin line) and people don't notice.

He and Hamrlik don't offer $9m+ in value like they are paid, but they still offer a lot more on the ice than Picard or O'Byrne do.

[Easy Ryder]

Plenty of people here are poking at Spacek, nikohab. No skater on the Habs gets more grief from the masses than he does... to the point where he plays a big role in shutting down one of the best lines in the NHL (Vancouver's Sedin line) and people don't notice.

He and Hamrlik don't offer $9m+ in value like they are paid, but they still offer a lot more on the ice than Picard or O'Byrne do.

+1.

Without Markov, Spacek and Hamrlik had way too much ice time.

They are not getting any younger and play with less pressure helps them a lot

as much as it helps Subban not having all the offensive aspect of the defense free

him of doing too much and results ? He is doing much more offense unrushed, just instinctive.

Polamalu like.

[saskhab]

+1.

Without Markov, Spacek and Hamrlik had way too much ice time.

They are not getting any younger and play with less pressure helps them a lot

as much as it helps Subban not having all the offensive aspect of the defense free

him of doing too much and results ? He is doing much more offense unrushed, just instinctive.

Polamalu like.

Agreed. Managing ice time with them is important... and Pearn/Martin can do that. Having Subban and Gill as the 3rd pairing allows those two to eat up some of the big special teams minutes, keeping the pair fresh for key matchups (and Markov-Gorges can do that as well). I actually quite like our defense this year. Very solid group.