GDT: Canadiens @ Kings; 3:30 PM, CBC, RDS

[brobin]

Our goalie is Carey Price. This means we can rely on lights-out good goaltending 98% of the time.

I heard the same song and dance during the Roy years. My answer is always the same: the goalie counts. He is part of the team.

So any assessment of our supposed 'mediocrity' should incorporate an analysis of the goaltending.

All that said, I think it's clear we are a bubble team with the present defensive alignment - maybe a bit above that with everyone healthy. Add Markov and Campoli, things look rather different. Whether we will be able to add Markov, that's another question.

I agree he is part of the team, but even Roy needed a decent team in front of him.

The issue is.. we are mediocre WITH one of the best Goalies in the league! We have the kind of goalie that could win us the cup, if we put a solid team in front of him. Tim Thomas is a great goalie, with a great team. That makes them contenders. I believe we have a below average team, with a great goalie...

PG needs to work on improving the team in front of Price. They need to be tougher, stronger, and harder to play against. We need a better balance, imo. I like what Cole and Pacs bring to this team, but we need a similar makeover down the middle and some improvements on the back end.

[Commandant]

I agree he is part of the team, but even Roy needed a decent team in front of him.

The issue is.. we are mediocre WITH one of the best Goalies in the league! We have the kind of goalie that could win us the cup, if we put a solid team in front of him. Tim Thomas is a great goalie, with a great team. That makes them contenders. I believe we have a below average team, with a great goalie...

PG needs to work on improving the team in front of Price. They need to be tougher, stronger, and harder to play against. We need a better balance, imo. I like what Cole and Pacs bring to this team, but we need a similar makeover down the middle and some improvements on the back end.

Price is also are only top 5 draft pick in 27 years. Where other teams have their Jonathan Toews, or Steven Stamkos that they are building around... in 2005 our club made the decision that they would build around Price. Taking Price instead of say Anze Kopitar ensured that we would have a top 5 goalie, but sacrificed that shot at a franchise centre.

[IN THE HEARTS OF MEN]

Gio hasn't been producing to the level Cole has, and Leblanc isn't ready for those kind of minutes, though I am excited to see him next year.

We need Eller to step up into that spot asap...

Also, can't wait to see Darche's name spelled White

i was looking to spread out the experience, size, speed and talent. it wasn't necessarily 1st 2nd and 3rd line... with that said leblanc has looked terrific in the last 2 games on that 3rd line with 11, 14 minutes... as long as he's getting those types of minutes and playing with some talent in eller/ AK and if his performances continue..... why not? why can every freaking team in the nhl play a 20yr old but us habs seem to think were always rushing players...

fact is this should be subban's 3rd year not 2nd as our reluctance to "rush" him and keep him in the AHL all that season i believe was a deterrent as he was like a man playing with kids... anyone who followed the dogs could attest to that! but when push came to shove and andrei went down against the pens we threw this guy in the fire of playoff hockey and gave him 20+minutes of raw experience. how much better would PK be with an extra 75 games experience right now rather then the 75 games in the AHL he spent skating circles around the opposition??

you have to give youth a real chance... they'll make mistakes, you let them know what they did wrong and hopefully they learn.. but if you punish them right away for everything u take the sail from there wings and that's the problem.

if skinner for example was on the 3rd or 4th line he wouldnt succeed

gardiner playing 20+ learning the game can only be good

but JM handling of Blunden after that thunderous hit was damaging to his confidence.. if JM said "wow, blunden nice hit! way to fill him out! but, dont get to excited cause that to many men killed us and these damn ref's are prick's who are calling everything right now against us would of actually helped.. trust me that blunden would be a lot better right now then darche but JM f'd that one up!!

pacioretty in his first stint had all the intangibles to succeed but was playing 3rd fourth line minutes with nobody instead of 40 games on the 1st and 2nd unit making mistakes but finding his game and given a fair shake!!

• max's tenacious style may even finally get plex and gio really firing
  
• cammalleri has shown glimpses the last 2 games with DD... who is quietly showing he doesnt need patches.... cole is a beast for this team right now on the forecheck, backecheck driving the net, hits and pretty much every aspect of the game
  
• leBlanc raw as he is can only benefit from playing quality minutes on this line with responsible players like AK and eller (say what you want but AK is actually pretty good on the defensive side as well) there's a lot of quality on this line and as long as he doesnt get thrown on the 4th line and continues with good performance 12-14 quality minutes with these guys will be that much more important then 20-30 minutes in the AHL
  
• moen noki white does sound great...
  
• the real questions are what to do with gomez???
  

i personally would like to spend that contract on another ace defender like a ryan suter or shae weber rather then a forward

gomez and 2 x 1st rounders for either BUT only in a sign and trade deal for the UFA's (suter RFA, weber UFA? i think)

patches-plex- gio

camm-dd-cole

*leblanc-eller-AK

moen-noki-white

markov- shae weber/suter

gorges- subban

emelin- campoli

spacek (trade at deadline for picks to a western team alla rivet??) gill, diaz, weber

[IN THE HEARTS OF MEN]

now thats a defence...

each pairing will consist of smooth skaters, sweet outlet passes, great transitions solid defence and big hits...

that kind of defence would allow our offense to concentrate on just that offense!!... we are a rope a dope hockey team! that is montreal canadien hockey! from the flying french men to the glory days of patrick roy! we suck the other team in with solid D and lights out goaltending and then we throw those counter blows with lightning speed and knockout strength! that my friends is how we bring the cup back to where it truly belongs!!

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

But hold on here. Last season, without Markov, Gorges, and Pacioretty, and without a single player other than Wiz having anything resembling a 'career year,' this team was comfortably above bubble status, and gave the Bruins what their GM referred to as their toughest series. So, last year's squad was something better than 'mediocre.'

What, then, has changed? Let's see:

1. We lost Hamrlik and Wisniewski

2. We lost Haplern

3. We added Cole, Gorges, and Pacioretty

It seems to me that if we can insert Markov (and to a lesser degree Campoli) into the lineup, and stay tolerably healthy, we should be better than last year's team. Markov replaces Wiz; Campoli + Gorges replace Hammer; Cole and Pacioretty bring added size and speed up front.

Of course there's a difference between the team on paper and the team in reality. It just seems to me that all this pessimism is predicated on evaluating an injury-ravaged lineup and taking it as the 'true' representation of the team. But you know, coming to a definitive conclusion that we are a .500 team after a road trip undertaken without Patches, Markov, Campoli, White, Spacek, and even Gomez, and while Cammy and Gionta are mired in slumps, just strikes me as unduly negative.

[JMMR]

Canada's national anthem in L.A. was performed in both french and english today.

Suck it Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg and Vancouver.

Toronto Edmonton and Calgary all have done it before. Well not the full anthem in French but not even the Habs do that.

[JoeLassister]

Toronto Edmonton and Calgary all have done it before. Well not the full anthem in French but not even the Habs do that.

It was english only in the last 100000 Habs at Toronto games I've seen.

They used English only for the ######ing Vintage outside game in Calgray a few years ago.

[JMMR]

It was english only in the last 100000 Habs at Toronto games I've seen.

They used English only for the ######ing Vintage outside game in Calgray a few years ago.

I was at the season opener in Toronto and they sung it in half French.

[IN THE HEARTS OF MEN]

But hold on here. Last season, without Markov, Gorges, and Pacioretty, and without a single player other than Wiz having anything resembling a 'career year,' this team was comfortably above bubble status, and gave the Bruins what their GM referred to as their toughest series. So, last year's squad was something better than 'mediocre.'

What, then, has changed? Let's see:

1. We lost Hamrlik and Wisniewski

2. We lost Haplern

3. We added Cole, Gorges, and Pacioretty

It seems to me that if we can insert Markov (and to a lesser degree Campoli) into the lineup, and stay tolerably healthy, we should be better than last year's team. Markov replaces Wiz; Campoli + Gorges replace Hammer; Cole and Pacioretty bring added size and speed up front.

Of course there's a difference between the team on paper and the team in reality. It just seems to me that all this pessimism is predicated on evaluating an injury-ravaged lineup and taking it as the 'true' representation of the team. But you know, coming to a definitive conclusion that we are a .500 team after a road trip undertaken without Patches, Markov, Campoli, White, Spacek, and even Gomez, and while Cammy and Gionta are mired in slumps, just strikes me as unduly negative.

agreed... i am a realist with that touch of optimism... and the habs havent played a single healthy game yet we are tied for eighth albeit with more games played... we are going to get better i have no doubt about that... we'll be stronger and healthier as these final 50 games pass and barring anymore un forseen injuries i think the worst is behind us! dont be suprised if christmas comes early and the habs are in a playoff spot before then!!

[JoeLassister]

I was at the season opener in Toronto and they sung it in half French.

haha yeah, i missed this game though.

But anyway, this is not the point. They're going english only for every games that don't involve the Habs. This is the point.

[Habsy]

Don't get too wrapped up in that anthem stuff. Besides, Toronto is many things. Our biggest, most important city, media center, financial center, land of oppurtunity, melting pot for new Canadians. But it, and it's hockey team, have never been desribed as classy.

[Colin]

I agree he is part of the team, but even Roy needed a decent team in front of him.

This is one of the departments in which Martin struggles, IMO. We have a team that *could* score if given a little more room for creativity. We have a goalie who can single-handedly win games and has, in the past, thrived on larger shot counts. Why not loosen up the system to match the player assets on the ice and see if they can win games, rather than trying desperately to maintain a low score in the hopes they can eke them out, or at least not lose?

Just a theory.

[JCPetit]

But hold on here. Last season, without Markov, Gorges, and Pacioretty, and without a single player other than Wiz having anything resembling a 'career year,' this team was comfortably above bubble status, and gave the Bruins what their GM referred to as their toughest series. So, last year's squad was something better than 'mediocre.'

What, then, has changed? Let's see:

1. We lost Hamrlik and Wisniewski

2. We lost Haplern

3. We added Cole, Gorges, and Pacioretty

It seems to me that if we can insert Markov (and to a lesser degree Campoli) into the lineup, and stay tolerably healthy, we should be better than last year's team. Markov replaces Wiz; Campoli + Gorges replace Hammer; Cole and Pacioretty bring added size and speed up front.

Of course there's a difference between the team on paper and the team in reality. It just seems to me that all this pessimism is predicated on evaluating an injury-ravaged lineup and taking it as the 'true' representation of the team. But you know, coming to a definitive conclusion that we are a .500 team after a road trip undertaken without Patches, Markov, Campoli, White, Spacek, and even Gomez, and while Cammy and Gionta are mired in slumps, just strikes me as unduly negative.

If I am not mistaken, Hamrlik was a healthy scratch in one of the last games of Washington. BTW, he is -10. As for the Wiz, I liked him very much but Markov is way better IMO (of course he has to be able to play). Also, the Wiz would have cost a bit more than Markov. All in all, I don't regret those moves at all.

[Habsy]

This is one of the departments in which Martin struggles, IMO. We have a team that *could* score if given a little more room for creativity. We have a goalie who can single-handedly win games and has, in the past, thrived on larger shot counts. Why not loosen up the system to match the player assets on the ice and see if they can win games, rather than trying desperately to maintain a low score in the hopes they can eke them out, or at least not lose?

Just a theory.

Now this I agree with. I have no way of knowing, nobody on this site does. But I suspect some players, like Cammalleri, have had it with Martin and his system. Not to the point on quiting on the coach, but I think some of them were beyond happy Muller got the Carolina job. I get the feeling some would like him as coach here. Again, my opinion. But at some point, if your entire career and approach to the game is offense first, and you feel like you're being held back, it might effect your play.

[Trizzak]

But anyway, this is not the point. They're going english only for every games that don't involve the Habs. This is the point.

They shouldn't be doing the anthems at all anyways. At any given time, half the starting lineups won't be from North America.

It's an antiquated practice.

[brobin]

Price is also are only top 5 draft pick in 27 years. Where other teams have their Jonathan Toews, or Steven Stamkos that they are building around... in 2005 our club made the decision that they would build around Price. Taking Price instead of say Anze Kopitar ensured that we would have a top 5 goalie, but sacrificed that shot at a franchise centre.

Agreed. What I don't want to see is PG trading away our prospect to get 10th in the conference. I would rather he trade and get some decent draft picks and really build around PK, Pacs, and Price. (Maybe we should only draft from the P's. )

[JoeLassister]

They shouldn't be doing the anthems at all anyways. At any given time, half the starting lineups won't be from North America.

It's an antiquated practice.

100% in agreement.

[Commandant]

Agreed. What I don't want to see is PG trading away our prospect to get 10th in the conference. I would rather he trade and get some decent draft picks and really build around PK, Pacs, and Price. (Maybe we should only draft from the P's. )

Plenty of time for that discussion. Markov should be back sometime in January. The trade deadline is the end of February. I say stay the course with the current team and assess where you are in February.

You can dump guys like Gill, Spacek, Campoli, and Moen for assets at that point. Maybe even Gorges and Kostitsyn depending on how you see your chances of signing them.

Of course if a deal that helps you both short and long term comes at a good price in the meantime make the move. But I don't want to get into the rental market until later, either as a buyer or seller.

[JMMR]

They shouldn't be doing the anthems at all anyways. At any given time, half the starting lineups won't be from North America.

It's an antiquated practice.

I agree I believe some of the Euro leagues dropped the pre game anthems recently.

[dlbalr]

Why am I bumping a game thread from last Saturday? The NHL today decided to fine Eller $2,500 for his cross-check on Drew Doughty that drew a penalty...I think in the first period. How backed up are the NHL offices if this took a week to sort out?

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=382425

[lazy26]

Why am I bumping a game thread from last Saturday? The NHL today decided to fine Eller $2,500 for his cross-check on Drew Doughty that drew a penalty...I think in the first period. How backed up are the NHL offices if this took a week to sort out?

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=382425

Great, now Eller can be seen as a repeat offender in the future.