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dlbalr DON Lovett Commandant Aaaaaand, my personal favourite... Habs29

If you want my opinion you haven't been reading my posts critically.

I feel OK in my body and frankly wouldn't know where else I could go....

This is an all time classic Habs29 post Well said, young man. Not to sidetrack the thread - heaven forfend - but it IS interesting to think about the mental images we have of the regulars on this site. I sort of picture Brian as a 20something with a proclivity for sober cardigans...for instance ?

He doesn't even have enough left to try an RFA offer sheet now for an RFA like Draisatl, having wasted money on taking flyers on Streit and Hemsky. he needed to do 5 critical things going into this summer: 1) get a first line centre, given that he and Julien don't think galchenyuk is a viable centre. FAIL 2) improve the offence. Picking up Drouin, would have gone a long ways, if he was an addition over last year, but as it is, Drouin, only replaces Radulov - who he failed to resign. Hemsky is a bum - another Semin, Kassian, Briere type gamble in hoping a washout will rediscover the fountain of youth. To pretty much keep status quo from last year, he gave up a significant prospect and our best draft pick since galchenyuk, Subban, McDonough and Maxpac - only two of whom are still with the team. If the two remaining, one (galchenyuk), will probably be traded by next year and we probably can't afford to resign the captain. IMO another FAIL 3) improve the defence - had he signed Markov, it would have been a marginal improvement IMO, and a substantial improvement to the Alzner fans out there. Given that all he did was replace Markov with Alzner (Markov > Alzner), Emelin with Schlemko (schlemko>Emelin) and added a washed out Streit, while giving up the best defensive prospect they'd have seen Subban and McDonough. IMO yet another FAIL 4) get rid of the dead weight contracts of Emelin, pleks and IMO Shaw (i know the Brian Burke type truculence fans love Shaw). Given that he only managed to onload Emelin and he has mismanaged the cap by paying over $10m to useless or overpaid bums and has-been like pleks, Shaw, Streit and Hemsky, he doesn't have enough to make a big move. And he really is not sitting on $8.5m, when you consider there is no one of consequence to spend it on. He doesn't have enough to even offer sheet some - another FAIL 5) improve the coaching staff and development of the kids, which IMO required a changes to the coaching staff - namely clueless Lefebve, and teflon Daigneult. Needless to say, since he kept the bum hole buddies he grew up with - another FAIL Had he offered up a pick or prospects, he could have at least salvaged the need to improve the offence by dumping salary so he could make a $10m to $10.5m offer to Draisatl, he could have at least improved the offence and filled the centremam hole. Maybe, the oilers match, but he would have at least tried and could have tried to make it difficult for them to match. The D would still be weak, but with a vastly improved offence, we could have legitimately played run and gone hockey and relied on Price to mask the deficiencies on the blueline. As it is Price isn't going to be able mask a crap defence and lack of goals - at most we can only win 6 or 7 games 1-0. so, I know I've been accused of being a pessimist, but I'm even more pessimistic this year than I was after we finished 27th and drafted galchenyuk. That year was an obvious aberration and mismanagement by the ghost and cunneyworth selection and than cunneyworth being castrated by Molson. This year has me having the same feeling during the ineptitude of the Houle years, where it was painful to watch a Habs game. It's painful to see the perrenial laughing stocks of the past decade like the leafs, oilers and flames on the upswing, while we have turned into the rudderless Brian Burke leafs.

The Jaws theme would have nothing to do with us getting eaten up in a trade for Giroux that involves Shaw, Plekanec, Picks or anything of the sort. Come on man, I get he is overpaid but by 3 million? Jesus, he had more points than everyone except Pacioretty on this team last year from a non playoff team. So if his 58 points last year are worth only 5 million in your opinion, why would we have given Radulov 6.5mill+ for his 53 points? When having a discussion it is always important to try and make sure your foot does not end up in your mouth. Giroux would be an expensive, yet still, a #1 center here, who fits our needs and enters the same age group as most of the leaders on this team trying to get a championship out of the next several seasons. He would also be brought in relatively cost effectively in a trade because of his cap hit, if not he can stay in Philly. We don't have to take him but if the price is right and were one of the only teams who can accommodate his salary then it needs to be looked at very closely Giroux represents the top Buy Low option for a #1 Center out there right now, and you want to walk away from the table because you think he is finished at 29 and only worth 5 million? Worse yet, you think we still get eaten in the trade if we manage to send Plekanec or Shaw off in the deal, are you even hearing yourself?

Philly just won't even sniffle at that one, there will be some bad contracts involved in such a trade, but it would be more likely Shaw than Plekanec. Because of his age and his style, Shaw would entice them more, we would need to throw in either a prospect and a pick, or a high pick with him to even start the foundation to that trade. Philly doesn't need another center coming back necessarily with Nolan Patrick in the fold. What they need is capspace and a team with the capacity to take Giroux while saving them loads of cap. We are that dance partner, We could save them 3 - 4 mill on the cap, and be able to take Giroux depending on if they decide to retain a million or so of his current salary. Giroux would be a nice pick up depending on what we have to give to get him, we still have to remain realistic though, Philly won't just take any old thing to get rid of him, but I doubt it would cost a top forward to get it done. Which is precisely why we should be circling this situation closely, because we have no top forwards to give, but we do have an accommodating amount of cap space to help a team in need of some relief with an expensive player. *Enter Jaws Theme Here*

Yeah, but didn't you know paying them $10m is much better than risking damaging relations with other GM's by giving an offer sheet to a young player who has the ability to be a PPG player for the next 7 or 8 years?? That would be unacceptable - after all, how would MB be able to look his fellow GM's in the eye. And this way we are getting two players for the same amount of money!

Who you rather see signed long term; Drouin or Radulov, given Radulov got the contract Quebec equivalent of $7.1m/yr with Dallas and sounds like new contract was discussed in Jan between Bergy-agent and agent was asking for huge contract then, so seems Bergevin simply offered what he thought he should and wasn't enough. Same with Markov, dlbalr figured about a $4.5m deal should of been reasonable expectation and sounds like that was likely about the offer. So, aside from fact we all would rather see both playing with Habs this year, it couldn't be at any cost...could it? From what is reported, Bergevin is well liked by all (but Jagr?) and nice to hear he was pleasant with your youngin as well .