Habs Fan in Edmonton

Ouch!! Double Ouch!! That really sucks!! He is so much fun to watch. My only concern now is that it will not be a lingering injury and he gets 100% healthy for next year. He was almost guaranteed to score against Toronto.

I can't help but feel bad for Bruce Boudreau after watching the interview with him. The Vancouver organization has handled this horribly. https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/video/lalji-calls-canucks-handling-of-boudreau-situation-shameless~2613392

The Washington Capitals are similar to Pittsburgh in that they have an aging core (Ovechin, Backstrom, Oshie, Carlson). You would think that they want to take one more run at a cup while Ovechkin is still a difference maker. They will have some interesting decisions to make.

I sure hope he is OK but it doesn't look good. Never like to see anybody get hurt. No question that Carolina is all in and will be looking to replace him if he is out for the year.

Sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture. LOL

I am not a huge fan of fighting but if you didn't have it guys who are chippy and dirty would be even worse. There would no accountability.

I agree that Florida is likely thinking next year when they have some contract relief with Yandle's hit substantially reduced and Hornqvist's contract coming off the books. They won't make "tanking" type trades as there is no advantage to them of falling in the standings but they will look for opportunities to better position themselves for next year. It will be more hockey type trades if they make any.

That's true, they will have to beat out those teams. I think Florida is way better than Philly while NYI, BUF and Det all seem too inconsistent. Would love to be wrong and have one of those teams get hot and play better than Florida the rest of the way but if I was a betting man I would pick Florida over those teams.

It wouldn't shock me if they slipped into the last wild card spot. Definitely a possibility. I expect they will make the playoffs or come close which is why I think 14-20. Pittsburgh seems to be faltering and their stars are old. Still a long ways to go. Certainly we all hope the Habs draft as high as possible. Lottery luck would be fantastic.

I would love to have 2 picks in the top 10 but I don't expect it anymore. I now think one in the top 6-8 and one in the 14-20 range.

I cam almost guarantee you they won't trade another 1st. Why would they? They have so little chance of winning the cup this year. Zito would be vilified if he gave up another 1st.

The Staals are old and will get minimum return anyway. For Gudas it depends on whether they want to resign him as they will have the cap room next year. It depends on whether they are fighting for a playoff spot. If they are in the running they won't be sellers.

I would LOVE for the Habs to win tonight but they have a lot of injuries and Florida is playing much better so I fully expect Florida to win. I predict a 5-2 Florida win. Hopefully I just put the hex on them.

If Florida wins tomorrow night and I expect they will as they are playing much better right now then they will be 2 points out of a wildcard spot. I think that's pretty close. I don't expect them to be sellers at the deadline as they have nothing to tank for.

Hi Commandant, have you published your list yet? Thanks

I also doubt it. No and No Let the kids/Rockets play up front. Vinnie makes 1.7M/year and we have seen McCarron before. An easy no.

Yes, Hughes would like to have as much cap space as possible come the trade deadline so he has more flexibility.

I missed the game last night but great to hear that Dach is continuing to play well.

3 goals on 8 shots. Somehow the Leafs know I am cheering for them tonight and they are going to ruin my evening.

I don't think it's case of not knowing what you are saying, I think it's more a difference of opinion sometimes. Do you want other posters to never reply to your posts because they are just for fun? As I mentioned before, fan is short for fanatic so we take this business of building the Montreal Canadiens seriously. It's a bit of an obsession. Perhaps that's not a healthy thing but it has been part of my DNA for a lot of years now, not likely to change anytime soon. My posts get challenged sometimes. Sometimes it's because someone has a different opinion and sometimes it's because I didn't do my homework. That's the way it works.

Certainly don't want OT for the Florida game. Florida has won a couple in a row and aren't that far from a playoff spot. It would be a disaster if they snuck into the last playoff spot and won a couple rounds, then their pick goes from maybe 10-12 to 24-26. They aren't many games I want Montreal to win badly but that is one of them.

What decisions did you expect them to make? Injuries are tough to plan for especially for a lower end team.

I am cheering big time for the Leafs tonight. C'mon Mathews. C'mon Marner. Now I am going to wash my mouth out.

I am OK if the Habs take it easy tonight and save their big effort for Florida on Thursday.

As discussed here, the Oilers have some work to do to make room for Kane. Could Oilers Make a Big Trade to Clear Room for Evander Kane? (msn.com)