Plekenac On 2nd Line?

[johnnyhasbeen]

Just want to throw out a hypothetical before bed.

If Koivu can't start the season and daze isn't signable, how many feel Pleks could step into a 2nd line role?

Kovalev Ribs Samsonov on first

Ryder Plekenac Higgins on second

I think I prefer that to giving up youth for a known first liner, mainly because I think the Kovalev line will be the 1st line anyway.

Edited September 7, 2006 by johnnyhasbeen

[PB]

I feel either Plekanec or Johnson would be up to the challenge in taking over Koivu's position for a period up to 6 weeks,....I would be rather inconfortable thought if the assignement would be planned to be for much longer.

If Koivu's needed convalescence and expected return couldn't be predicted then maybe a short term

aquisition from one of the remaining UFAs availlable (Perreault, Daze, etc) would be less of a commitment

and more appropriate to re-enforce our team while Koivu's and the CH's destiny is up in the air........an all-out trade would cost us too much and would be a complicate situation with Koivu's return.......an all-out trade would only make sens if Koivu was retiring.

[huzer]

I feel either Plekanec or Johnson would be up to the challenge in taking over Koivu's position for a period up to 6 weeks,....

Johnson plays the wing. He doesn't play center, despite what you've read.

[simonus]

Ryder Plekenac Higgins on second

That line's lack of experience enervates me a little... but perhaps that is not the biggest deal. Aside from that, I have no real problem with fielding that line for a limited amount of time.

[PB]

Johnson plays the wing. He doesn't play center, despite what you've read.

I had assumed that he had played center in some of the many years he has spend in the NHL

based on the fact that he is still presented as a C/W by TSN on their players profile section.

In that case Plekanec would be the only player that I would feel as being up to the Koivu challenge

as a temporary measure.

[shortcat1]

If Koivu can't start the season, Plekanec seems to be the best choice for the position.

We'll see.

:king: :hlogo: :king:

[Athlétique.Canadien]

Johnson plays the wing. He doesn't play center, despite what you've read.

He's played center often. Go to NHL.com. He has a regular F.O. stat. He was instrument in faceoffs for Phoenix in virtually every game last year. Maybe the center was thrown out but his winning percentage is too high to just ignore.

I remember him in Toronto playing center. Yes, my memory is that good

Edited September 7, 2006 by ATHLÉTIQUE.CANADIEN

[C-Love]

I think the obvious person for Saku's temporary replacement is Daze. If they can sign him, there is very little downside to having him. There is no risk of him taking a kid's spot on the team, he would come at very little expense, and the potential upside for us is excellent. This is a win/win situation. Almost worth having Saku out for a short period of time, because it gives BG an excuse to take a chance on a possible 1st line centre.

[PB]

So ATHL.CANADIAN confirmed that indeed Johnson can play centre......good,...one more option fo Carbo.

On the other hand, C-LOVE is right about Daze being availlable and the potentiel upside of this multiple

30+ goals seasons scorer,....he even could have add that this above average skater is huge and doesn't mind

playing hardball in front of the net......but one thing Daze aint is being a center.....he plays both wings but

he is no center.

Since we are discussing possible late addition signings......I should mentionned that while listening La Chaine

de Radio-Canada FM,....they said that La Presse is saying this morning that Gainey is about to sign a D

from the Detroit.....one of their resevistes which Gainey his planning to use,.... Bouillon we all know will be

missing but Streit it seems still have his knee problem.

[Nilan]

Just want to throw out a hypothetical before bed.

If Koivu can't start the season and daze isn't signable, how many feel Pleks could step into a 2nd line role?

Kovalev Ribs Samsonov on first

Ryder Plekenac Higgins on second

I think I prefer that to giving up youth for a known first liner, mainly because I think the Kovalev line will be the 1st line anyway.

If Koivu can't go I think the lines get entirely blown up. Not enough experience on line 2. And frankly, Higgins was playing over his head for the last third of the season and could be bumped from the plek and ryder line pretty quickly.

[C-Love]

but one thing Daze aint is being a center.....he plays both wings but

he is no center.

I think Daze could play centre quite well. I know it's not his natural position but he has spent a lot of time in front of the net, and he is a professional after all. Sometimes you need to learn to adjust..... unless you want to be unemployed

[Talon]

Regardless of Koivu's status I would really like to see a Plekanec/Kovalev/Samsonov line....

[Colin]

I think Daze could play centre quite well. I know it's not his natural position but he has spent a lot of time in front of the net, and he is a professional after all. Sometimes you need to learn to adjust..... unless you want to be unemployed

Back injuries + centre. Not a good combo. Ask Mario. If Daze is brought in, he won't be taking faceoffs if he's nominally placed at centre. A winger will have to take them for him.

[huzer]

He's played center often. Go to NHL.com. He has a regular F.O. stat. He was instrument in faceoffs for Phoenix in virtually every game last year. Maybe the center was thrown out but his winning percentage is too high to just ignore.

I remember him in Toronto playing center. Yes, my memory is that good

Umm, isn't Johnson a penalty killer, so that would explain him taking faceoffs. The NHL stat is just percentage, not amount taken, and many are easy percentages (50%, 66.7%) so he may have taken two or three faceoffs per game. Maybe as many as five! Not unexpected for a PKer. My point is, look anywhere you want, Johnson is a RW, and the Habs did not bring him in to play center. If anything, I'd see everyone being moved up and Begin centering the 4th line rather than Johnson being moved to center any line. Koivu out...this is what I'd expect down the middle:

Ribeiro

Plekanec

Bonk

Begin

As far as Daze playing center...puh-leeze. If the Habs brought anyone in as a replacement, they would bring in a natural center, not an injury prone LWer and thrust him into a position he hasn't played. The Habs have a long standing habit of converting centers to wingers (Bulis, Hossa, Higgins...), not the other way around.

[House11]

I think Daze could play centre quite well. I know it's not his natural position but he has spent a lot of time in front of the net, and he is a professional after all. Sometimes you need to learn to adjust..... unless you want to be unemployed

if it was Daze from 5 years ago ... then yes ... but until he plays somewhere ( like europe ) and doesn't get injured then maybe an NHL team will give him a shot ... until then he's damaged goods ( and probably not even close to game shape ) He would NOT help the Habs right now ... i'd rather have Plekc as the fill in for Koivu and have Kotsy take his wing spot for the time being.

[dlbalr]

He's played center often. Go to NHL.com. He has a regular F.O. stat. He was instrument in faceoffs for Phoenix in virtually every game last year. Maybe the center was thrown out but his winning percentage is too high to just ignore.

I remember him in Toronto playing center. Yes, my memory is that good

He has played C in the past, but it's hard to call him one now. He took a little under 240 faceoffs last season (not a whole lot really), just under 3 a game. You can get almost that many a game simply by a replacing a C thrown out of the circle.

As for the topic at hand, Plekanec would have to be the logical choice should Koivu be unable to start the season to move onto either L1 or L2. However, if the team knows ahead of time he won't be ready, I wouldn't be surprised to see Bonk get a shot. Yes, he was iffy in the playoffs last season, but try playing a whole regular season as a checker and then be thrust into an offensive role with new wingers; in most cases, it won't work well. If Bonk starts out with an offensive role in camp and finds chemistry with some wingers, he could be a legitimate choice as well.

[Capt.Crunch]

What I'd like to see is Kovalev in a center position... if only for one game...

Samsonov-Kovalev-Perezhogin/Kostitsyn....

[bbr93]

He's played center often. Go to NHL.com. He has a regular F.O. stat. He was instrument in faceoffs for Phoenix in virtually every game last year. Maybe the center was thrown out but his winning percentage is too high to just ignore.

I remember him in Toronto playing center. Yes, my memory is that good

Mike Johnson's faceoff stats from last season:

Faceoffs Won 104 Faceoffs Lost 130 Faceoff % 44.4

That is actually a very low winning percentage.

[PB]

He has played C in the past, but it's hard to call him one now. He took a little under 240 faceoffs last season (not a whole lot really), just under 3 a game. You can get almost that many a game simply by a replacing a C thrown out of the circle.

As for the topic at hand, Plekanec would have to be the logical choice should Koivu be unable to start the season to move onto either L1 or L2. However, if the team knows ahead of time he won't be ready, I wouldn't be surprised to see Bonk get a shot. Yes, he was iffy in the playoffs last season, but try playing a whole regular season as a checker and then be thrust into an offensive role with new wingers; in most cases, it won't work well. If Bonk starts out with an offensive role in camp and finds chemistry with some wingers, he could be a legitimate choice as well.

How many games was any of our depth lines being matched in order to check the

opposing team's no.1 line during last season ? just a few times.

Our depth lines mostly provided the pool of players required for PK duties but as far

as their regular shifts was conscerned they where asked to play better than the depth lines facing them

and........to score more goals.......as this was the way to better them in the newNHL.

This is what was asked of our depth lines when Gainey took over Julien and this is Carbo's plan for this

up-coming season also. If Bonk was on the 4th line behind Plekanec on the third was because his offensive

flair and abilty was quite behind Plekanec's own. Starting as early as the pre-season games all the way to the playoffs,.... whenever Bonk was promoted and higher offensive contribution was expected of him....he never delivered.....it really seems as if sandwiched between Begin and Murray on the 4th line has been the only way we could forget about him,......and to forget about him this year as a potentiel Koivu's replacement and as

an effective PP specialiste,....is I'm affraid something we ought to.

I know it's hard to let go off the fact that he was once quite successfull playing the top lines in Ottawa but

that was the past........a past that Gainey was not betting on ressuscicating upon trading for him......and

Bonk made shure on proving him right last year.

Ok he had a groin problem.........yet I believe the newNHL type of playing didn't help either.

[Habitforming]

If Koivu can't go I think the lines get entirely blown up. Not enough experience on line 2. And frankly, Higgins was playing over his head for the last third of the season and could be bumped from the plek and ryder line pretty quickly.

Steel pots!!!

See, just like the Higgins comment listed above, I can throw out ramdom crap that has nothing to do with anything and base it on nothing as well.

The point is that you have nothing to base the claim that Higgins can not perform that well again.

Maybe it took him the first half of the season to find out what it takes to score in the NHL, he did score most of his goals when it is the most difficult (heading into playoff time when teams buckle down). Who knows?

Why don't we save the doom and gloom on his scoring prowess for after this season when he either scores or doesn't score at the same pace; only then would you have something to back such a claim.

Edited September 8, 2006 by Habitforming

[markierung]

plekanec and higgins have geat chemistry,

u can see that from the pk

i don't think it would be too bad

[johnnyhasbeen]

I know it's hard to let go off the fact that he was once quite successfull playing the top lines in Ottawa but

that was the past........

One has to remember who his line mates were in Ottawa.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

I feel either Plekanec or Johnson would be up to the challenge in taking over Koivu's position for a period up to 6 weeks,....I would be rather inconfortable thought if the assignement would be planned to be for much longer.

If Koivu's needed convalescence and expected return couldn't be predicted then maybe a short term

aquisition from one of the remaining UFAs availlable (Perreault, Daze, etc) would be less of a commitment

and more appropriate to re-enforce our team while Koivu's and the CH's destiny is up in the air........an all-out trade would cost us too much and would be a complicate situation with Koivu's return.......an all-out trade would only make sens if Koivu was retiring.

I disagree with the last point, since Ribs is garbage anyway. So making a big move to acquire a bona fide #1 or #1A centreman would simply allow us to move either Koivu or the guy we acquire to a 1A position, once Koivu gets healthy, and finally ship Ribeiro out.

The REAL reason for not making a big trade would be a reluctance to tinker with what seems to be a damned good roster with depth at most positions. Imagine how it would damage our D, say, to lose Souray or Markhov. You would only contemplate a move on that scale, then, if Saks is definitely out for a long while.

If that IS the case, however, a mega-deal is preferable to any other option. We will go nowehere with Ribs or Bonk as our go-to guy at C; Plecs is too raw to ask to play that role; and remaining UFAs are third-rate at best. Best to roll the dice and at least give the team a chance to compete.

Edited September 8, 2006 by The Chicoutimi Cucumber

[Huckleberry]

Bonk and Ribs as our go to guys? The thought makes me shudder. I think Plek may find the job a little overwhelming this year.

[dark_faerie87]

If Koivu is unable to play, I expect a lineup similar to this:

Sammy-Ribs-Kovy

Higgs-Pleks-Ryder

Zhogs-Bonk-Johnson

Murray-Begin-Downey

However, if the experience factor on the 2nd line is too much of a concern, this is a possibility in my opinion:

Higgs-Ribs-Kovy

Sammy-Pleks-Ryder

Zhogs-Bonk-Johnson

Murray-Begin-Downey

And if Montreal does indeed sign Daze, I could see the lines looking something like this:

Sammy/Daze-Ribs-Kovy

Sammy/Daze-Pleks-Ryder

Higgs-Bonk/Johnson-Zhogs

Murray-Begin/Bonk-Johnson/Begin