GHT120

Only stupid when they lose ... when they win it is brilliant strategy ... whether or not the move had anything to do with their team winning. One factor I had not considered until reading it elsewhere (apologies if anyone here made the point as well) is that in Toronto DD may fear getting CC and KK matched up in the D-zone against TO's big guns ... ***not*** saying it is or isn't a valid concern, but a possible thought process

They were 24th in the NHL, 12th in the conference and 5th in the division ... sans the TV revenue inspired tournament they were a lottery team ... no playoff appearance

In fairness ... "would have a better chance to" would be the better description ... Caufield is definitely FAR more offensively gifted but there is never a guarantee of goals ... for example, Malkin average 1.35 pts/gm last regular season but only 0.25 against the Habs

It is also a fact that they only made the "tournament" last season because 8 more teams than normal were allowed in ... so how about we split the difference and say they have made the playoffs 1.5 years in a row

I also see a bit of Bergevin's hand in this too ... he got Staal "for the playoffs" and if you are going to play him you have to optimize his utility ... a "heavy" line to grind is his best chance.

Out of curiosity, do you mean adding 22/23 and 23/24 to his current contract (i.e., making it a 3 year contract) or a new deal for 21/22 and 22/23?

I am anxious to see reports on Price taking game-level NHL shots and engaging in "full-speed" drills/scrimmages to see how close to game-ready he is (let alone "on top of his game") ... concussions are scary ... other than grinders/tough-guys who take tons of hits, goalies are the ones for whom concussions worry me the most ... not only are there potentially pucks to the head and crease contact, but the aggressive up&down, side-to-side movements of goalies (and head on a swivel tracking the puck) have some potentially whiplash-ish effects ... until proven otherwise I am making no assumption that Price will play. Does anyone recall if Price has had any previous concussions?

A universal objective that is so rarely achieved.

Yes ... until after the Habs playoffs are completed

* playing Caufield in O/T for e team that lost 43 in a row in O/T was as much desperation as genius (and also a no-brainer IMO) * came back to Primeau in a game with absolutely no importance, when playing Allen would have been criminal and Lindgren certifiable * which veteran(s) did he sit other than in the last game? (too lazy to comb the boxscores but don't recall) You mean like letting Danault play when "something was bothering him" for a few days and it turned out he had a concussion? "forcing come veterans to sit and go on the IR ... sometimes coaches put pressure on players to take on for the team and to soldier through pain" ... those two seem contradictory ... fundamentally I fear DD doesn't have the cojones to stand up to vets unless absolutely forced to do so. While I often disagree with some of your points, and don't share your overall positive view of the team, I respect your unfettered optimism

To be fair one would then have to look at all the years they made the playoffs and see if the reverse were true (i.e., wouldn't have made the playoffs if they were in the west) ... but in the world of the unbalanced schedule neither makes any sense as it is an apples and oranges comparison

Are those two worse than Gustafsson and Merrill?

Guess Weber's issue is with his left thumb

Not saying it isn't a consideration from molson's perspective ... just that the government has nothing to do with it other than a typical politician answering a question with what they think is the most politically beneficial answer. As I said elsewhere ... it would be interesting for someone like The Gazette to do some detailed, scientific polling (i.e., not a question on a website) to find out exactly how much of a problem it would be from a PR perspective.

Did the GOVERNMENT bring it up or did Premier Philippe Couillard respond to a reporter's question?

The 38% that voted for the Coalition Avenir Québec, of the 66% who turned out and voted ... so about 25% of the population ... and as with EVERY election at EVERY level no way to know what portion of that 25% agreed with any one specific element of the party's platform ...

Tolerated by fans or the government ? By the fans has always been the discussion, and the fear by the Habs/Molson et al ... but I am confident that government doesn't enter into the equation.

I don't know if I expect he won't but I don't discount the possibility that he might not ... DD is likely coaching for his job and may be willing to trade youthful talent for veteran experience.

I guess the question for me is whether or not "better" is good enough ... for example, next season Price could have a .910 Sv%, which would be better ... but not IMO good enough.

Per CBC, the new law would apply Bill 101 to businesses with 25-49 employees and federal workplaces. I expect the Montreal Canadiens have more than 49 employees.

The Gazette should do some polling to find out how important it really is ... they could frame it in the context of measuring agreement with Premier Legault and Mayor Valérie Plante's comments ... but it has to be more than "Do you think the canadiens should have more Francophone players" ... it should measure its relative importance versus winning, acceptance of fewer Francophone players if the team is a Cup contender, and the same for the GM and the coach.

I can't see a trade that doesn't include Suzuki or KK so part of that "problem" is solved by the trade itself ... and thankfully the buyout impact declines next season and again the two years thereafter

I am a fan of exaggeration to make a point ... but you do realize that "they" are largely a vocal element of certain in the French media, for whom it may either be sincerely important or simply a means to an end, while most of the the Franco fanbase may ideally want more Francophone players they would prioritize winning. BTW, what Ken actually said was: "You know, within the context of the overall success of the Montreal Canadiens Hockey Club in the years and decades to come, those desirous of the team incorporating more Francophones will in the due course of time face a decision as to whether their preference is for the Montreal NHL franchise to draft or otherwise acquire the maximum number of players from Quebec, or even of Francophone heritage, or for that hockey enterprise to optimize their performance on the ice and thereby provide the 'partisans' the greatest opportunity to absorb the glory of the team they support winning the ultimate championship of the great sport invented in Kingston Ontario, or perhaps one of several cities in Nova Scotia, over a hundred years ago; of course ..."

Maybe they could take back Weber as PART of the deal ... despite his contract running for five more seasons I just can't see him playing the last three when his real world salary is only $1M ... maybe not even in two seasons (22-23) when it is $3M ... so not as bad a deal as it seems for a rebuilding team ... for the Habs next season it would be a net $2.2-2.3 increase, plus whatever Weber's replacement costs ... but unless that is Dougie Hamilton still some relief to accommodate Eichel's $10M cap hit ... but it would cost a ton of young talent ... likely losing, for the next few seasons, several of the ever important top 6/9 forward and/or top 4 defence ELCs critical to offsetting BIG contracts

THIS does not look encouraging