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Habs Black Aces


Commandant

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Finally, some good news on the hockey front. Commissioner Gary Bettman announced the league's plan to return. This has hockey fans all over the world excited to watch NHL hockey this summer. While there are still some hurdles the NHL and NHLPA still have to leap, teams will need to start prepping to get back to work to continue their quest to raise Lord Stanley's Cup. The NHL announced that each team will be allowed to increase its roster size to 28. These extra players who were playing in different leagues will be brought along for the ride and could potentially draw into the lineup at any time during these playoffs. These players are referred to as Black Aces. Here are who we expect to be the Montreal Canadiens Black Aces.
 
Cayden Primeau
 
We'll start with the goaltending position and Cayden Primeau. Primeau is thought to be Carey Price's successor and showed his brilliance already in the AHL this season as well as the two starts he got for the Habs. Primeau put up a solid rookie season with a record of 17-11-3 in the AHL this season with a goals-against-average of 2.45 and a save percentage of .908. He managed to go 1-1 with the Habs with an outstanding save percentage of .931 and a goals-against-average of 2.56. It was the way Primeau carried himself in the games that was even more impressive. Looking very composed, he did not show the jitters of being a rookie in his first two games in the NHL.
 
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22 hours ago, Commandant said:
Finally, some good news on the hockey front. Commissioner Gary Bettman announced the league's plan to return. This has hockey fans all over the world excited to watch NHL hockey this summer.

Some may be happy and excited, i would be happier if pulled the plug and start anew in Mid-Sept..

But, am sure i will catch all the Hab games and am sure all the players cant wait to play.

 

I hope not to see Alzner or Oulette anywhere near the black aces and they go with younger d-men.

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5 hours ago, DON said:

Some may be happy and excited, i would be happier if pulled the plug and start anew in Mid-Sept..

But, am sure i will catch all the Hab games and am sure all the players cant wait to play.

 

I hope not to see Alzner or Oulette anywhere near the black aces and they go with younger d-men.

 

I think you need a mix of youth and experience... Alzner, Ouellet, Belzille should be part of the group, as should Poehling, Brook, Vejdemo, Fleury, Leskinen...

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5 hours ago, DON said:

Some may be happy and excited, i would be happier if pulled the plug and start anew in Mid-Sept..

But, am sure i will catch all the Hab games and am sure all the players cant wait to play.

 

 

 

I agree Don, the idea of sitting inside during the months of July\August  to watch players play in empty buildings with no fans going crazy  doesn't seem exciting to me.  Summer is short. 

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 5/31/2020 at 3:13 PM, Commandant said:

 

I think you need a mix of youth and experience... Alzner, Ouellet, Belzille should be part of the group, as should Poehling, Brook, Vejdemo, Fleury, Leskinen...

 

Alzner should only be part of the gang if there is nobody else worth considering ... going forward he is a Rocket / traded at a high cost / or (best option) a player requested termination ... IMO no future as a Hab

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35 minutes ago, GHT120 said:

Alzner should only be part of the gang if there is nobody else worth considering ... going forward he is a Rocket / traded at a high cost / or (best option) a player requested termination ... IMO no future as a Hab

 

It's hard to think he'd willingly walk away from $6.5 million in salary over the next two years.  There's also the buyout option which isn't exactly ideal either (which will be a topic of a column on the main site very soon).

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51 minutes ago, GHT120 said:

 

Alzner should only be part of the gang if there is nobody else worth considering ... going forward he is a Rocket / traded at a high cost / or (best option) a player requested termination ... IMO no future as a Hab

 

Alzner has been an important leader in Laval and has acted as an almost player-coach for young defence prospects there. 

Look, I hate the contract, but I don't hate the person. 


He took a contract that was offered to him, not his fault. 

He has shown up for work every day and whether its Montreal or Laval hasn't caused issues in the dressing room, has been a leader for the young kids and has been a good teammate. He tries hard, its not his fault he isn't good enough anymore. 

I can't really get mad at him for that. 

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21 minutes ago, Commandant said:

 

Alzner has been an important leader in Laval and has acted as an almost player-coach for young defence prospects there. 

Look, I hate the contract, but I don't hate the person. 


He took a contract that was offered to him, not his fault. 

He has shown up for work every day and whether its Montreal or Laval hasn't caused issues in the dressing room, has been a leader for the young kids and has been a good teammate. He tries hard, its not his fault he isn't good enough anymore. 

I can't really get mad at him for that. 

 

I completely agree ... 100% ... but he doesn't warrant a place on the expanded play-in roster if there is someone with a future who could benefit ... IMO

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22 hours ago, GHT120 said:

I completely agree ... 100% ... but he doesn't warrant a place on the expanded play-in roster if there is someone with a future who could benefit ... IMO

 

It comes down to how many D do the Habs want to carry out of 28.  If it's 10 D/18 F, there's a decent chance Alzner is there.  With Romanov currently ruled ineligible, the Habs have all of 13 blueliners under contract.  I don't think Brook would warrant a recall.  Yes, he's a bigger part of the future but if it came between having to use him or Alzner in a series, I suspect the coaching staff would pick Alzner at the moment and that's what they're probably going to use as a basis for their decision.  (Yes, I know they play opposite sides as well.)  I also think he's ahead of Olofsson and Leskinen in terms of play-ability at the moment. 

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2 hours ago, GHT120 said:

 

I completely agree ... 100% ... but he doesn't warrant a place on the expanded play-in roster if there is someone with a future who could benefit ... IMO

 

I don't see a LHD who would crowd him out if we are taking 5LHD and 5RHD.


Chiarot - Weber

Mete - Petry

Kulak - Juulsen

Ouellette - Fleury

Alzner - Folin

 

Romanov isn't eligible

 

We saw Leskinen and Olofsson in the NHL this year and they weren't NHL players.  They were much worse than Alzner.

 

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11 hours ago, Commandant said:

 

... Romanov isn't eligible ...

 

 

As of now ... don't believe they have made an absolute ruling as yet ... there are a few players in a similar position.

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1 hour ago, Commandant said:

If that changes, then I will want him to play, but as of now, I'd have Alzner with the team. 

 

Get where you are coming from ... and, absent Romanov, I expect the Habs may well include Alzner just to avoid "controversy" ... Alzner has been fabulous in how he has handled this situation, nothing but props to him, but I just don't see a future for him in Montreal ... looking at your list (from above) I would include Brook before Alzner ... may not be the perfect L/R balance but what he gains from he experience will benefit the habs in the years to come ... 

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40 minutes ago, GHT120 said:

 

Get where you are coming from ... and, absent Romanov, I expect the Habs may well include Alzner just to avoid "controversy" ... Alzner has been fabulous in how he has handled this situation, nothing but props to him, but I just don't see a future for him in Montreal ... looking at your list (from above) I would include Brook before Alzner ... may not be the perfect L/R balance but what he gains from he experience will benefit the habs in the years to come ... 

Brook was never called up by Habs for good reason, he isnt even close to being ready for NHL.

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4 hours ago, GHT120 said:

 

Get where you are coming from ... and, absent Romanov, I expect the Habs may well include Alzner just to avoid "controversy" ... Alzner has been fabulous in how he has handled this situation, nothing but props to him, but I just don't see a future for him in Montreal ... looking at your list (from above) I would include Brook before Alzner ... may not be the perfect L/R balance but what he gains from he experience will benefit the habs in the years to come ... 

 

I have a lot of faith in Brook being an important part of the future, but right now he's not ready and Alzner is the better player today. 

In 6-8 months from now that may not be the case. 

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Given the way refs shove their whistles up their buttholes in the playoffs, a lead-foot like Alzner might be able to get away with a lot more of the clutching and grabbing which guys like that need in order to be effective. Just a thought.

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5 minutes ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

Given the way refs shove their whistles up their buttholes in the playoffs, a lead-foot like Alzner might be able to get away with a lot more of the clutching and grabbing which guys like that need in order to be effective. Just a thought.

 

Yup and the reality is that if we have to bring in our 10th defenceman, we are probably in really big trouble, and our only hope at that point might be to play an absolute all hands on deck clutch and grab, block all the shot, rely on Price to stand on his head, hit them on the counterattack, Jacques Martin 2010 style of game.  If things come to that, I'm more comfortable with Alzner to play that game than Brook. 

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Yeah, I can't see them bringing up Brook at this point. Or Olofsson, who really struggled when he was called up. The only candidates in my mind are Alzner and Leskinen, and I think the choice really depends on what they are looking for from the 10th D.

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On 6/16/2020 at 11:38 PM, Commandant said:

I don't see a LHD who would crowd him out if we are taking 5LHD and 5RHD.

Chiarot - Weber

Mete - Petry

Kulak - Juulsen

Ouellette - Fleury

Alzner - Folin

 

17 hours ago, Commandant said:

I have a lot of faith in Brook being an important part of the future, but right now he's not ready and Alzner is the better player today. 
In 6-8 months from now that may not be the case. 

 

17 hours ago, Commandant said:

 

Yup and the reality is that if we have to bring in our 10th defenceman, we are probably in really big trouble...

 

While I feel that Leury may be ahed of Juulsen for the (hopefully) upcoming games, as you said, if the fifth pairing LHD is playing the Habs are in big trouble ("done like an over-cooked turkey dinner" might fit) ... at that point it doesn't matter if it is Alzner or Olofsson or Leskinen or McEneny or Culkin or me playing ...for   that reason I would still give Brook the exposure to the quasi-playoff environment, as an investment ... something I literally just thought of that may impact Folin (and by domino effect Brooks) is whether or not the team intends to re-sign him for 20/21... if he is behind Juulsen and Fleury and won't be re-signed, why not give a youngster the experience.

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  • 2 weeks later...
2 hours ago, DON said:

Translator wouldn't work, is this much of a surprise?

Not in my opinion ... think there are probably 22-ish skaters who have a real chance of being amongst those on an 18 skater game roster ... the rest are their for exposure to the experience and for the coaches/brass to get a first-hand look at some youngsters

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