GHT120

Interesting to note that the Predators 3rd pairing in the play-in round is former Habs Yannick Weber and Jared Tinordi ... both are around 11 minutes at 5-on-5 but Jared is getting 2nd PK pairing time (2:18) with Roman Josi ... kudos to Tinodi for sticking it out for 3.5 AHL seasons post-Laval before getting called up by the Preds and carving out a role for himself.

Hockey 30 (***NOT*** the most reliable source, but this at least has logic) suggesting that Cole Caufileld is exploring the possibility of playing with Sault Ste-Marie (who hold his rights) if there are any issues with the NCAA hockey season ... the Greyhounds are in the bidding for the 2021 Memorial Cup (assuming its held) ... in this scenario he could also try to get the Soo to trade him if there was somewhere else he preferred ...

TSN690 guys put that under a microscope to try and figure out if CJ was signalling there would be changes but didn't want to tip off the Pens ... or had no changes planned but was messing with the Pens ... or really hadn't made up his mind. There is always the possibility that someone may be unable to play and force a change. EDIT: Mentioned last game that Gallagher left briefly ... this from Eric Engels

Fair enough ... for myself and everyone who initiated and then responded to the digression

Interesting ... thought they were focusing on having the seeding round-robin games for the afternoons, in part because the regular season O/T format provides more confidence for the next game to be close to on time. Guess 4 and 5 being back-to-back they want to give a bit more time between games?

They ***MAY*** have to look at any and all means to reduce operating expenses ... for example ... reduced schedule, an even heavier "local" focus on scheduling and maybe even shuttering (for the one season) the more remote/isolated teams (i.e., Manitoba Moose, Colorado Eagles, San Antonio Rampage and Texas Stars) to reduce travel costs ... and then seek support, beyond salaries, from the NHL (i.e., the league and teams collectively) ... the NHL BoG would have to decide how important it is to have the AHL playing is for the NHL clubs.

Only suggested that the logical choice ***IF*** Evans comes in seems to be the least used player 5-on-5, namely Weise ... and if not Weise the logical alternative w/b Weal ... didn't mean to offend you

True, but comment was in the specific context of who would go out if Evans came in.

He can have that effect on people ... might be an idea to have Domi out against Crosby more ... he could take Tartar's place, if Danault is to stay on Crosby, or perhaps push Drouin down to KK's line and play Domi-Suzuki-Armia against the Crosby line

Think the issue with Domi is twofold ... (a) the habs see Suzuki and KK as centres going forward and Danault wasn't going to get moved ... (b) Domi doesn't like playing on the wing (he was clearly unhappy when it happened earlier this season) ... so CJ decided to try to "roll 4 scoring lines" even though Weise and Weal are hardly "scorers" I hope and expect that Max may be moved up to LW on one of the top three lines ... and Evans brought in to centre the 4th line ... Weise (6:05 5-on-5) seems the logical player to drop but Weal only had 6:03 TOI 5-on-5 and he certainly isn't producing much in his 1:15 of PP time ... Agree fans are becoming impatient with Julien but in fairness, he can only work wit the resources that Bergevin provides

So anyone who disagrees with you and prefers an alternate means to develop the team rather than just try to win now is a troll ... thanks for the clarification ... and since you described a troll as pretty much exactly what I was saying I think it is fair to say you called me a troll The posters do represent a SEGMENT of the fanbase and while all want the team to win the issue is that "now" means only short-term thinking and no serious long-term planning Neither am I ... IMO the worst is what we have generally lived for 27 years ... (win with what we have, wash/rinse/repeat) ... having a team only able to almost making the playoffs and drafting mid-teens, or losing in the first round and drafting late teens/early-20s ... nowhere near a Cup but nowhere near getting elite players ... the two #3s did not come from tanking, they came from a team playing down to its worst all on its own ... not tanking ... there was no planning involved, targeting the strongest drafts or generational players Because they traded Thompson, Peca, Cousins, Kovalchuk and Scandella? Because they didn't trade picks and prospects for players that rarely if ever take a team deep let alone to a Cup? Never said THIS team should try to lose ... players never will do that ... just that my prefernce is for them to lose ... there is a clear difference unless you don't want to see it. I am sad that you cannot see the distinction between a difference in opinion and my somehow either being a BAD FAN or not a fan But we will never agree so how about we just leave each other alone on the topics of what is a good fan and what is the right way to build a team

Agree variety is needed ... I see Suzuki as hopefully filling the Kovalev "half-boards" role which IMO is sort of a co-QB to the "Markov at the point" QB role, but a little more directly offensive as well

Exactly ... Chicago and Montreal were included primarily for their TV markets

Like the Evans move ... but may be time to do more than just shuffle the bottom 3 lines ... for example, moving Suzuki to centre with Tartar and Gallagher might optimize the pure skill of that line while Danault's style would (IMO) mix well with Domi and Armia and produce offence in a different way ... I also would flip Byron and Lehkonen ... I've lost faith in Artturi scoring many goals

Well, we fundamentally disagree on a few things ... the way forward ... whether fans can be honestly negative about their team and what constitutes a troll ... and I doubt we will ever agree on those things. I have been a Habs fan since Toe Blake's last Cup (68/69) ... I was a "stay positive", "hope for the best" and "always try to win now" guy until about 18-24 months ago ... I then got fed up with mediocrity and lost faith in MB's ability to make the Habs a contender ... when Bergevin traded for Weber it (IMO) the Habs should have been "all-in" mode to try to win a Cup ... but he tinkered and "built through the drat" ... now Price and Weber are 33 and 35 heading into 20/21 and the Habs are still lacking several pieces As for taking away your enjoyment ... you have chosen to give me and others far too much influence on you ... and you are making your definition of a "troll" VERY personal to you ... IMO a troll comes on a team site with the sole intent to belittle the team and annoy the fan group as a whole ... I am not saying you shouldn't enjoy the wins if you choose (but hope you don't allow losses to distress you) ... I am just expressing my views on what is best for the team as I want them to win a Cup as soon as possible ... as I am absolutely certain you do as well ... I just see moderate short-term success as the least likely way to get to that Cup status. We can agree to disagree ... but continue to call me a troll and IMO you are just trolling me

Back in his prime (05/06 thru 09/10) Markov led the best PP in the NHL (21.3%), although in those years the team also had Kovalev as a co-QB on the right boards ... but AM's last five seasons (12/13 thru 16/17) the habs were 22nd in the NHL (17.9%) While I completely agree that the lack of a PP-QB is a major problem, I think either the "system" is not optimizing the resources or not getting the players to do follow the system (only they know for certain) ... OR, maybe both ... Suzuki shows promise in the "Kovalev" role ... maybe the Habs need to look for a guy to "hide" on the 3rd pairing/4th line but who can still QB a PP

I agree with both of you ... responsibility for the Habs lack of offence has to be primarily assigned to the top 6/top4 players ... but in the playoffs, the 3rd/4th lines and 3rd pairing D are also hugely important as in many cases the top 6/top 4 for each side balance out and those lower-ranked players make the difference.

No, we are Canadiens fans with a different vision for how to make the Habs a Cup contender ... in my case, it is only in the last 18-24 months that I have lost my optimism and become frustrated with the "what can we do for now" approach It is in the nature of fans to focus on their own team ... chirping the other team is for the ice, not the fan boards

You need to "tank" in the right seasons ... in the right seasons #3 could yield, for example, Miro Heiskanen, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Leon Draisaitl, Jonathan Huberdeau, Matt Duchene or Jonathan Toews. But the "scouting" aspect is a HUGE point ... I would also add in development as too many players never seemed to progress from whet they were when drafted.

I agree the return is light *** IF *** such a trade were made But in fairness Koskinen is not a horrible contract (e.g., Ryan Kessler) to be dumped ... he is a lower, mid-range NHL goalie who is a bit overpaid (by say $1-1.5M) at $4.5 million AAV for two more seasons ... he could be a good veteran transition partner for Primeau in 20/21 or 21/22 Neal is more difficult to assess ... he was horrible in 18/19 with Calgary (pro-rated 9 goals per 82 games) but bounced back with a pro-rated 28 goal season ... but it was with McDavid and Draisaitl ... so really more of a classic dump, especially with three years at $5.75 remaining ... so likely an expensive 3rd liner, if not a 4th liner for Habs ... but with $2-2.875 retained he could probably be moved on for some minor return. If the Oilers beat Calgary a mid/late 20s draft pick is not enticing ... if they lose to Calgary they would pick first (AGAIN!?!?!?) or likely 16th ... first would mean a deal gives the Habs Lafreniere and the 9th pick , so a reasonable good deal ... Oilers might still be tempted as losing to Calgary will be a disaster and it would likely mean Koskinen&Smith failed to come through ... at 16th or mid/late 20s I would also be looking for some combination of prospects Bouchard, Broberg, Benson and Lavoie. But all hypothetical ... Bergevin unlikely to trade Price unless Carey asked (i.e, very quietly and politely demanded)

Oilers have a tight cap situation ... but if Koskinen ($4.5 fro next 2 seasons) was included and the Habs retained some money it might work ... AND/OR ... they might have to look at taking on someone like Larson( who is down to 4th in TOI 5-on-5 ... 5th on the PK, and with no PP role) to make the cap situation work ... don't know what the carrot (return that they want) would be for the Habs ...

Looking at Game 3 ... with Habs having last change will Julian take a shot on Fleury or Juulsen to have a natural RHD to play with Ouellette ... once again Ouellette was a regular on the PK, and he is a +/- "0" thus far, so he isn't going anywhere ...

The habs are not going to empty the cupboard to get immediate help, so in my mind the question is whether Price will still be Price in 3-4 years when 5-6-7 of the youngsters in the pipeline are ready to make significant contributions ... OR ... whether he will be willing to wait that long ... it is a next summer topic, but I wouldn't be shocked if he decided that it would be nice to finish out his career where he and his family spent their summer ... in Washington State, his wife's home ... or, if not Seattle, at least somewhere closer to there (i.e., Colorado, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver)

I agree ... the issue with Price is his cap-hit ... most playoff teams that need a goaltender would have issues fitting him under their cap ...Habs would likely have to retain at least $3 million (maybe the full $5.25) ... but as I am a major re-tool advocate I could get behind that ... I won't quite call it a normal rebuild as the Habs already have some talented young players like KK & NS on the team ... Romanov, Fleury and Juulsen knocking on the door ... Caufield, Struble, Norlinder and Harris awaiting their chance ... I see these as potential top 6/top4 players ... not all will work out but the cupboard is not bare ... didn't mention Poehling or Evans as I am not certain they have top 6 potential but should be very good bottom 6 players (and the importance of that role can be underestimated)

Gallagher went to the locker-room early/mid-period-ish ... looked a little "uncomfortable" as he left but was back fairly quickly ... could be less than 100%