The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 Good that they kept clawing back after falling behind. I agree that Weber has not looked good this season. He’s looked slow, frankly. And despite four goals on the season, I still believe his vaunted point shot is just not as overpowering as it used to be. I’ve been lobbying to put him with a puck-mover for some time now. It’s worth trying FFS. Weber, Price, Tatar, Danault - too many core vets struggling. That’s the season in a nutshell. Petry may have trouble in OT, but without him, this team would be in enormous trouble. He is the #1 defenceman. This team really needs Romanov to develop very quickly... I actually liked that they at least tried KK in OT. Reward the kid for some good work, see if he can click in the extra frame. It was a disaster, but good that they tried it. My old buddy Drouin was a beast tonight. And is it just me, or is Gally - God bless him, still scoring huge goals - losing way more puck battles than we’re used to? Entertaining game, but frustrating. You couldn’t really point to anyone and go, ‘that guy is playing brutal.’ Rather, as the very capable broadcast team observed, the team just can’t seem to get in sync. Passes just out of reach. Timing just a little off. Hard to figure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlbalr Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 11 hours ago, GHT120 said: Not certain Kulak or Romanov are ready ... but Weber may need their skating/agility to make his life a bit easier ... but it would be a rolling of the dice. I don't have a lot of confidence in Kulak being able to hold his own with Weber. It's terrifying watching him in the defensive zone right now. He plays well with Petry but that's about it. In theory, they could move him back there and try Edmundson with Weber but I don't think they want to mess with Edmundson-Petry. I mentioned this in another thread recently but I wouldn't be shocked if moving Romanov up is a late-season adjustment. Right now, he's having a hard enough time adapting - he's doing well at times and struggling badly at others - that it's hard to justify asking more out of him at this point. 10 hours ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said: I agree that Weber has not looked good this season. He’s looked slow, frankly. And despite four goals on the season, I still believe his vaunted point shot is just not as overpowering as it used to be. I’ve been lobbying to put him with a puck-mover for some time now. It’s worth trying FFS. I wonder if the solution for now may be to just try to lower his ice time a bit and take some pressure off that way. He's averaging over 23 minutes a game but has yet to hit that mark under Ducharme even with two of the games going to OT. With Petry's defensive miscues though, it's harder to really do that. Once Petry snaps out of brain cramp mode though, it'd be worth a shot, particularly with Edmundson in the midst of a pretty good stretch of his own. Make that pairing the top one and move Chiarot-Weber down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime Minister Koivu Posted March 5, 2021 Author Share Posted March 5, 2021 I would not be surprised if a trade is coming to help on D. No idea the target but Bergevin has been aggressive with coaches and our D is not getting it done. Gallagher is not getting enough ice time 14:44. Please try him with KK Toffoli - KK - Gallagher once Anderson is back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 3 hours ago, Prime Minister Koivu said: I would not be surprised if a trade is coming to help on D. No idea the target but Bergevin has been aggressive with coaches and our D is not getting it done. Gallagher is not getting enough ice time 14:44. Please try him with KK Toffoli - KK - Gallagher once Anderson is back It’s a terrible season for trades, though, what with the 14-day quarantine period. Good point about Gally’s TOI. Conversely, he is another one who, like Weber, is getting decent offensive totals but simply not looking as effective as he did in the past, at least to my ‘eye test.’ I find he loses more puck battles than we’re accustomed to seeing and that he just isn’t the relentless force shift after shift that he’s been his whole career. Maybe this is just the result of being saddled with two vets - Tatar and Danault - who seem to have completely lost their way, I dunno. I’m reluctant to lump Gally in as a ‘struggling vet’ but I would be curious to know whether others share this view that we’re not seeing vintage Gally by any means. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlbalr Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 I've noticed the same thing with Gallagher this season although he has been more like his usual self the last couple of games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DON Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 12 hours ago, sbhatt said: Armia is a useless plug...FFS 12 hours ago, Pepsi said: Byron missed 2 good chances. I think he is the plug. Plugs eh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime Minister Koivu Posted March 5, 2021 Author Share Posted March 5, 2021 Gallagher looks really good with KK on the PP. I wouldn’t doubt if he looks a bit off on regular shifts because his line mates are not playing well. Both Tatar and Danault are far behind their usual play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeLassister Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 5 hours ago, Prime Minister Koivu said: I would not be surprised if a trade is coming to help on D. No idea the target but Bergevin has been aggressive with coaches and our D is not getting it done. Gallagher is not getting enough ice time 14:44. Please try him with KK Toffoli - KK - Gallagher once Anderson is back Don't rush things here. MB took 6 years to fix #1C (is it fixed though?) Only 4 years for #1LD. He still has time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GHT120 Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 6 hours ago, Prime Minister Koivu said: I would not be surprised if a trade is coming to help on D ... 3 hours ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said: It’s a terrible season for trades, though, what with the 14-day quarantine period ... I agree on both counts ... any trade for an established D (for example, Ekholmnn) would require cap gymnastics, plus cost significant assets ... THEN comes the 14 days that the Habs would be without BOTH the player(s) traded (even in a draft picks and/or prospects trade, current roster contracts would have to move out) AND the player acquired. Trading in-division would resolve the quarantine issue ... but I don't see a doable match for an established top 4 D ... but one possibility caught my eye ... has Mike Reilly progressed sufficiently to be a possibility? ... I defer to others who watch the Sens more often and with a more expert eye ... he is a pending UFA on an expiring $1.5 million dollar contract ... *** IFD *** an option, he has previously played with Weber, which might facilitate Weber getting a new partner ... DO NOT see it as a long-term solution but might he be a band-aid until Romanov is ready (readier?) to move up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlbalr Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 I wouldn't call Reilly an upgrade by any stretch. He hasn't changed much from his time in Montreal - he can pass, skate, and move the puck offensively but he can't be relied on to defend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime Minister Koivu Posted March 5, 2021 Author Share Posted March 5, 2021 As far as cap goes I think we could afford to trade Tatar today without causing any issues to our group. That frees up some space Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GHT120 Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 31 minutes ago, dlbalr said: I wouldn't call Reilly an upgrade by any stretch. He hasn't changed much from his time in Montreal - he can pass, skate, and move the puck offensively but he can't be relied on to defend. Thanks ... as I said, I went looking for possibilities, found little and I wondered if a Back to the Future move was an option ... your response is both what I expected and feared. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DON Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 17 minutes ago, Prime Minister Koivu said: As far as cap goes I think we could afford to trade Tatar today without causing any issues to our group. He has led the scoring for Habs for past 2 years, has had bad start but still on a 47pt pace, so i guess i am not as down on him as some seem to be.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime Minister Koivu Posted March 5, 2021 Author Share Posted March 5, 2021 19 minutes ago, DON said: He has led the scoring for Habs for past 2 years, has had bad start but still on a 47pt pace, so i guess i am not as down on him as some seem to be.. I doubt he is in MB’s plans for next year and Perry could play in his spot for example. If we really needed cap space I think this is a viable avenue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlbalr Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 32 minutes ago, Prime Minister Koivu said: I doubt he is in MB’s plans for next year and Perry could play in his spot for example. If we really needed cap space I think this is a viable avenue Except how many teams that are looking to buy can afford Tatar's contract? There's 8 teams right now with the cap space to take on the contract and six of them are sellers. Of the two remaining (FLA/BOS), Florida has a strict budget. Even if Montreal wanted to move Tatar, there isn't much of a market at this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 16 minutes ago, dlbalr said: Except how many teams that are looking to buy can afford Tatar's contract? There's 8 teams right now with the cap space to take on the contract and six of them are sellers. Of the two remaining (FLA/BOS), Florida has a strict budget. Even if Montreal wanted to move Tatar, there isn't much of a market at this point. And why would we move him anyway - assuming we’re buyers at the deadline, he’s the type of guy we’d be looking to add. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DON Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 58 minutes ago, Prime Minister Koivu said: I doubt he is in MB’s plans for next year and Perry could play in his spot for example. If we really needed cap space I think this is a viable avenue Perry? Your joking arnt you? And i wonder if Danualt's contract demands are dropping as his non-scoring streak continues. I would be for extending or resigning Tatar for a few years. I seem to be off on Perry signing, he does seem to be doing well with limited minutes and his smarts are useful for sure. As long as he doesnt need to win and races to pucks or backcheck quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime Minister Koivu Posted March 5, 2021 Author Share Posted March 5, 2021 The Tatar example was if we need space. I’m not trying to trade him, the context was to make room for a Dman. maybe nobody does want him, I dunno I just think we could live without him and not skip a beat. Maybe Toffoli in his spot? Perry with KK or continue with Lehkonen with KK. This all started because I think we need help on D. Just trying to put ideas together to make that happen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DON Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 7 minutes ago, Prime Minister Koivu said: This all started because I think we need help on D. Just trying to put ideas together to make that happen I think need an all-star forward more than another d-man, but doubt any big moves will happen anytime soon, barring a 8 gm losing streak. So dealing away a skilled forward doesnt seem like move to make at the moment. Thats all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime Minister Koivu Posted March 5, 2021 Author Share Posted March 5, 2021 11 minutes ago, DON said: I think need an all-star forward more than another d-man, but doubt any big moves will happen anytime soon, barring a 8 gm losing streak. So dealing away a skilled forward doesnt seem like move to make at the moment. Thats all. That’s fair Don We need a star forward in a bad way. I’m hoping that is Caufield but that is likely 1.5 years away. I think we also need a good puck moving, skilled Dman as an upgrade on Kulak. Hopefully good enough for first pairing minutes. Don’t know how or who to do this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeLassister Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 12 minutes ago, Prime Minister Koivu said: That’s fair Don We need a star forward in a bad way. I’m hoping that is Caufield but that is likely 1.5 years away. I think we also need a good puck moving, skilled Dman as an upgrade on Kulak. Hopefully good enough for first pairing minutes. Don’t know how or who to do this Caufiled as a star forward is more likely 3 years away than 1.5 in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commandant Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 The team controlled the game for the most part but the mistakes made were absolute killers like toffoli's giveaway, weber being out of position on stastnys goal and the two players running into each other in OT. Absolute back breakers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXx..CK..xXx Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 2 hours ago, DON said: He has led the scoring for Habs for past 2 years, has had bad start but still on a 47pt pace, so i guess i am not as down on him as some seem to be.. We have to be careful what we trade Tatar for, should that be the case because as much as I love Suzuki, Pacioretty > Suzuki in the present. I also like and have liked Tatar during his tenure with us and think he has in general been vastly under appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 We're not getting much for Tatar in a trade. He's on an expiring deal, has played too poorly to be a very desirable rental, and if we were playing at that level, then a team that is 'all in' like the Habs would be well-advised to keep him. Tatar has been an excellent player: a player's player, very smart on the ice. But this year he is sucking ass. I would not re-sign him unless it is to a cap-friendly 2-3 year deal. As for the need to add a star FW, I think maybe we do have a star FW in Josh Anderson. And if the Danault line weren't playing like dogs, we probably wouldn't be talking about the need for forwards at all. It is crystal clear to my mind that we need a top-4 puck-mover. If the team could trust either Kulak or Romanov in that role, things would be different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GHT120 Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 3 hours ago, dlbalr said: Except how many teams that are looking to buy can afford Tatar's contract? There's 8 teams right now with the cap space to take on the contract and six of them are sellers. Of the two remaining (FLA/BOS), Florida has a strict budget. Even if Montreal wanted to move Tatar, there isn't much of a market at this point. I expect that if Tartar were to be traded he would be more the (or part of the) cap space offset on the way out than the asset the other team is looking to acquire, in a move for a defenceman or forward who upgrades the team overall ... expect the assets the other team would want would be a pick(s)/prospect(s) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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