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What in the world is going on?


REV-G

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Skill wins if you have skill. The Canadiens do not. So it doesn't make sense to pick up players like Paul Byron and (who is on a shooting percentage bender if I've ever seem one) who are both small, and unskilled. The Habs have a serious problem with these kinds of players, we had more Smurfs in our lineup two years ago than the entire Western Conference. It's like an addiction. Little squirt hockey players don't win a thing.

Boston was pretty big. So was LA. Pittsburgh wasn't small, and neither was Carolina, and especially Anaheim.

Well, Byron is better than any other option we have in his slot. So picking him up did make sense. It's not as though a Dale Weise was sitting around waiting to be claimed and we chose Byron instead. Byron added value relative to the alternatives.

I agree that we seem to be prone to assembling small teams, but again, the basic problem is the lack of skill, not the size factor per se. Your claim that 'little squirt players don't win a thing' has already been conclusively disproved by the Chicago and Detroit examples.

We really should have kept Kassian, in this context. Size AND skill, with the question being whether he could put it together. Just an exquisitely stupid move by MB - the only unquestionably stupid thing he's done as GM IMHO.

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All those teams had talented big men.

If you want to get an Anze Kopitar or an Evgeni Malkin, or a Ryan Getzlaf, by all means.... you can find skill in big men too.

but do just that, get skill.

Size for size's sake doesn't win.

You know who had a big tough physical team.... the 1999-2001 Habs. All the Chris Murrays in the world didn't mean a damn thing though.

And thats an extreme example. But its the same principal here. This team doesn't score goals, its the skill that is missing.... we have 1 second line capable hockey player. Thats it. And whether we put DSP or Eller on the second line.... or we put DD and Byron on the second line, it doesn't make a lick of difference cause none of those four are good enough.

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CC, why "obviously" take a 6'2" vs 5'8" Eller.

Bigger is typically slower, less agile and lack the quickness of a smaller player.

Who are the most encouraging prospects, Lehkonen & Hudon (and Reway if pulls head out of ass) and the biggest prospect is likely bound to be a bottom six grinding 1st round waste of pick NHLer.

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I wholly disagree, btw with the idea of Chicago being a small team. They have four players who are 5'11, and the two lighter ones (Kane and Panarin) are out of this world. Guys like Gallagher any team could use. Their whole defense is over 6', and they added size at center this summer with 6'4 Anisimov.

Now the Habs...they have two guys Plekanec and Mitchell who are 5'11 and then three guys under 5'10 in Byron, DD and Gallagher. Then tack on guys like Carr and Flynn that are a light 6'0. Three centers under six feet and few teams have one.

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A 6'0 190lb defenceman (chicago jas 4 of these) is below average size in the nhl. Chicago also had a 5'10 defenceman on their third pair last year.

As for adding size.... they added anisimov bit lost saad and sharp and richards and are no longer using bickell. While anisimov is big the others bow being given minutes... panarin with kane and shaw/terravainen with toews are small guys

Add to that averages that consistently put chicago bottom 5 in the nhl (bottom 2 in 2013) and the fact that their top 6/top4 is considerably smaller than their bottom line guys (the you have to judge by minutes argument) and its ptetty clear the on paper soze isnt there.

Also when you argue kane, panarin, gallagher are guys any team could use... i agree... and you are just proving my point.. height and weight dont matter as much as talent.

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I think we should start winning more games like earlier in the year. We were all happier then. To do this. .all we have to do is score more goals than the other guys do.

See?

Simple.

Let's get back to feeling better and less leafy.

By the way to stick with the theme... the Leafs are getting a new logo. I suggested a forehead with a large "L" on it for the crest. :rofl:

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