xXx..CK..xXx

Who are all these players he traded away for lack of character? PK Subban and then? Rene Bourque? Lars Eller? Zack Kassian? Greg Pateryn/Jared Tinordi This is without saying he traded for “problem” players Dale Weise and Tomas Vanek. Rene Bourque should have been traded. Lars Eller wasn’t really a problem and many wanted him out and Kassian, while I didn’t like it, only had himself to blame. Tinordi or Pateryn? Meh, I could group them together and it wouldn’t make a difference. Who am I forgetting that was traded for this “character” reason that people like to bring up?

They’re not going to bolster the team for a playoff run unless the Habs show signs of life. I don’t understand how the same people that think the Habs won’t win many more games this season are often the same people thinking our management team would try to bolster our lineup for the playoffs. All that hat being said, it’s not too surprising how the team has been playing. It was clear as day to some that this would happen based on our off season and then recently the team has had a bout of the flu and is without their top defenseman in Weber. Price also continues to play sub-par despite some recent praising of his game.

We scored the same way.

Definitely. However the point remains the same. With the current state of affairs, we shouldn’t “assume” that Bergevin will add players for a playoff run. There’s no reason to feel that way considering everything you pointed out. Yet the comment was that we should think that Bergevin will perhaps add players (to save his job) for a playoff run. I don’t see it, unless there actually becomes reason to do so. The mere fact I hold slight hope is irrelevant. I only stated it because having hope would be the only reason the team actually would be buyers. Saying Bergevin will be a buyer at the deadline was therefore premature, because that would only happen if the team were in position to do so. If there is indeed no hope for the Habs, the statement about us feeling as though Bergevin will add players for a playoff run were wrong, not premature. I just didn’t want to come off that way.

I think the comments are premature because I still hold hope we can turn the season around. If the comments weren’t premature, I’d think they were completely incorrect altogether. If we are out of the playoff picture by the deadline, we will be sellers and if we are in the picture approaching the deadline, there’s nothing wrong with adding to the team. We will not be adding players to our roster if we are out of the picture. Considering we are out of the picture right now, I find very little reason to assume that Bergevin WILL make moves for a playoff run. The main comment I was referring to was the statement that we should assume Bergevin will add players for a playoff run. There’s no reason that he will do that, if the Habs are clearly out of the playoffs. That type of move would do little to save his job because the Habs wouldn’t be in the playoffs anyway. While Bergevin has made bad decisions, the level of incompetence that some people attribute to him doesn’t even make sense. There is a fear about his moves but many are actually not likely to happen. No one “feared” Subban was going to be traded for Weber. No one “feared” that Sergachev would be traded for Drouin. People feared we wouldn’t resign Radulov and people worried Markov would be let go. Those are off season free agent signings and nothing involving mid season moves. People also fear things like Galchenyuk being traded for Kevin Bieksa, or Pacioretty being traded for Lucic, and those moves also will not happen. Some people loved the trades made, others disliked them. The types of trades that are often proposed in hypothetical fashion in relation to Bergevin, I view as unlikely most of the time. There is a dissociation between reality and imaginative thought when it comes to some of those who dislike Bergevin. I say that despite his previous moves all the while being fine with him being shown the door.

A is Aleš. Long live Hemsky!

These comments are way too premature. There’s no reason we should “assume” that Bergevin will make moves to “save his job” at the deadline if the Habs are clearly out of the picture. By the time the deadline comes around, the picture will be crystal clear as to whether the organization should be buyers or sellers. Buying pieces for a playoff run won’t be helpful in any form if the Habs don’t make the playoffs and so it wouldn’t save his job anyway. While I’ve questioned Bergevin at times myself, it becomes tiresome to see fans worrying about things that won’t actually happen. Bergevin will not trade Pacioretty for Lucic, Galchenyuk for Sam Garner and Bergevin will not be a buyer if the Habs are completely out of the picture. The most likely thing to happen, in my mind would be a player like Plekanec shipped out.

So you think their coach hasn’t been doing well because their GM made a lateral move? Is that how it works? Turris is great but he isn’t that important. Just like Subban. And if people think Turris or Subban were that important, that’s part of the issue altogether anyway. Let’s not overlook the fact that Turris wasn’t going to resign in Ottawa anyway or anything. Point is Boucher’s team is struggling mightily which sounds much like the Tampa team he got fired from.

Looks like Boucher has been doing outstanding recently as well.

Morrow exceeded my expectations this season so I haven’t been hard on him like others. Definitely a depth player butbindisnt exs Cut him to surpass some of our other depth players defensemen, and I think he did.

Which player do people think have been our best forward as of late. Galchenyuk?

Predicting a win. Be happy.

It’s not entirely true though. Minnesota in the west is on pace for 92 points in a playoff spot. Detroit has made it in with 93 points a few times and Minnesota has made it in with 87 before. Then, there have been other years where the worst playoff team has had more than 95 points. There’s no reason to look at the base entry in a pessimistic way. Right now, a playoff team will likely have to get 95 points, but it could end up being lower. The Habs do have to leap frog teams but it doesn’t change the fact that all they have to do is focus on their own path. This isn’t a debate as to whether or not they will legitimately make the playoffs for me, but it’s still possible.

I don’t know about the math you guys are doing, but the Habs are still in it. It won’t be until about the 60th game where death will truly be able to be pronounced. I was pessimistic heading into the season, and it doesn’t mean people are wrong but we’re 38 games into the season and 10 points out of the playoffs. People use numbers like 96 but maybe this year, a historically low number will get in. Right, then there’s the issue that we won’t get past round one anyway. I guess negatively is the only way to look at it...

I agree that while many of the criticisms are certainly valid, the solutions from the fan base often seem all over the place. Just as an example, I was literally the only person who outwardly vocalized that I would have “overpaid” for Radulov and now there are those who say we should have signed Radulov. Well, you weren’t saying that then, and hindsight is 20/20. It has to do with our current state of affairs and they wouldn’t have said the same thing a few months ago. This is just one example, there are others out there. As for the Markov debate near the end there, there is one side that was stating that they were upset we let Markov walk while the other side was stating Markov walking wasn’t the issue, it’s that we didn’t properly prepare for a replacement. I tend to agree with both claims, actually. My personal view, however, is that there aren’t many legitimate replacements out there. Markov was still more than serviceable, despite his critics, and anyone who would truly replace his services would have to be acquired via trade at high cost (Hall for Larsson/Henrique for Vatanen) or be someone young. This wasn’t intended to go a specific direction but I can’t fathom someone defending the Sergachev trade and then in addition state that it was okay to let Markov walk but we “suck” for not having someone to replace him. Don’t trade Sergachev or sign Markov. At the very least.

My opinion of the handling of Drouin is that it had a lot of similarities to the off season in general. There seems to have been a lack of an original plan. Once all our moves were made, it became clear that the team was selling our trade of Sergachev as having aided in acquiring our much needed top center. While there weren’t many great centers available (Shipchapyov seemed to be a bust) it was as though we realized, “alright, this is our squad and it looks like we’ll need Drouin to be center if we can’t have Galchenyuk there. If we don’t want Danault and Plekanec to be our top 6 centers, Drouin has to go there.” For me, that’s not a good enough reason for Drouin to be an NHL center. While he’s done an alright job, I do share the view that Galchenyuk seems to be a better center (admittedly outside of the defensive end, which is important). The issue is that there is no guarantee that switching them around would really solve anything. What would get out of it, 2-3 more goals on the year, even if it were successful? My first line would be 67-27-92 and it’s not even because of the way the season has played out. That’s what I would have wanted from the get go, if I weren’t partially brainwashed by Bergevin, as Julien seems to be.

Mete also earned player of the game in the opener.

Morrow’s been one of my better surprises this year but usually hear negative remarks about him.

Too bad we won’t get to see Jagr against the Habs in what will likely be his final year. He missed last game versus us as well. Let’s go with 5-3 Habs

I had the impression he was talking about Pacioretty. As for Scherbak, I’m hopeful of good things but will have to see it to believe it from him on a consistent basis. He has looked a little better this year but still don’t want to have too high expectations from him.

Amazing. I didn’t know Froese was drafted by Chicago.

Out of the free agents, I’d only want Stastny. He’d help with Drouin and Pacioretty on his wing if we were to go that route. RNH would be fine, but he’s similar to Drouin in a lot of their respective negatives and considering RNH would look to be an important piece, I don’t feel resssured by what he has so far to “accomplished” during his tenure in Edmonton. Ryan O’Reilly would change the look of our offense and if those are the pickings, he would be my first choice. Of course, unlike Stastny, we’d be giving away something good in return. 1) O’Reilly 2) Stastny 3) Nuge

I won’t beat a dead horse but the thing about the Sergachev trade bringing in Drouin is that we lost Radulov (and Markov) in the same year that we acquired Drouin and traded Sergachev. We got some and lost some. I don’t see it as us having added. I would have preferred resigning Radulov while losing nothing other than available cap space, and then go from there. Some say imagine what we would have looked like without Radulov or Drouin and I say imagine what we could have looked like with both. I’m one that constantly mentions that Radulov and his agent played hard ball, and so I understand that, but is there even any communication? We have Pacioretty stating that he misses Radulov as a line mate and then we have Markov stating that Bergevin wouldn’t even speak with him during negotiations. Why do players like our captain and long time general have no voice? Because obviously we no longer have Markov and Pacioretty enjoying having Radulov as a line mate was probably never even considered. I find it hard to believe that It was always going to be absolutely impossible to resign Radulov and still contend that while it’s stupid we would even have to, I would have given him 500k-1million more than he was offered in Dallas to make sure he stayed here and helped us contend for a cup. Radulov’s physicality along with his skill would help us during the playoffs. Drouin’s great but the trade in context of everything will always be questioned in my books. There are too many variables at play, and the main one is that it seems as though Bergevin himself had no clear idea of who would be on the team come training camp. He merely had expectations, which is a terrible way to operate the team.

You guys were simply arguing the difference between win percentage and point percentage. For win percentage, his math was correct and for point percentage, your math was correct. The NHL, and ice hockey in general, does go by points percentage so we are indeed .500 right now with 34 out of a possible 68 points. With that being said, DON doesn’t work for the NHL and it doesn’t make what he said any less true when looking at it the way he was. The Habs do have less wins than losses, which is at best indicative of a borderline playoff team. Toronto made it in with 40 wins (42 L-OTL) last year and Nashville made it in with 41 wins (41 L-OTL). The year before, Minnesota made it in with 38 wins (44 L-OTL) and a few teams (Detroit and Philly) made it in with 41 wins and (41 L-OTL) Nashville last year and Detroit and Philly the year before are actually irrelevant to the discussion since they weren’t below .500 in win percentage. In the modern NHL, it does seem that the loser point makes a huge difference in deciding which teams with sub-par win percentages may actually have a chance to make the playoffs due to an improved points percentage in comparison to their win percentage.

5-3 Habs early in the 3rd... Byron