Zowpeb

Agreed...but that's the same for undersized players all the time. They never get initial opportunities because there are always "guys with size" who are perceived to have higher upside as a result. Just the way it always is and always will be. Personally, I think Locke will be an okay NHL regular but not with the Habs. There is too much talent in the system for Locke to get an opportunity.

I don't think it's just a size issue...he's the same height as St. Louis. He just needs to add about 10 lbs and they'd be identical in size. Speed could be a concern but if Locke can remain durable he's got the hands and balance to really drive to a net regardless of whether he's "flying" down the wing. He looks like more of a playmaker then St. Louis which so he could afford to trail the play a little anyhow...similar to how Ribeiro compensated for his lack of speed...big difference there is that Locke actually has heart to go with the skill set.

Well, I wasn't really looking to debate the lines...I did that pretty quick. However, I think Kovalev can easily put up the numbers with the right line-mates...and I think Lats is going to make a big jump in production next year and then again the year after. He has the demeanour and physical tools to develop quickly...jmho though. Really, my point was more that it's not an issue of a too much dead weight...just an issue of quality vs. quantity. This team needs to acquire some more high end talent...and it has the prospect depth to do it through trade and can afford to do it through UFA if it can meet Salary Cap demands.

Banning this technology completely will ultimately serve the greater good but there are applications where incandescent lamps are a necessity. These applications are ignored and it WILL cause issues for people. I see WAY too many stupid things being pushed by governments looking for votes from the environmental sect. A few examples I can claim to be an expert on: 1) Light fixtures must have "full cut-off". The goal: light that enters the sky is "light pollution" and wasted energy. A great concept with good intentions...and a myth by uneducated politicians, and government officials, who know NOTHING about lighting an area. This will mean more light poles and fixtures with light directed straight down. Thus more light will reflect off the ground and create even more "light pollution" in the sky and drive up energy costs. Not to mention the additional concrete bases and steel in the additional poles and fixtures. BUT, who cares about reality...it makes "sense" so it will mean people will believe and vote for it... 2) Offering rebates per efficient ballast. Instead of offering a fixture with 1 ballast operating 4 fluorecent tubes companies now offer 2-3 ballasts per fixture because the rebates are actually higher then the cost of a ballast. 3) Offering rebates based on ballasts and lamps as opposed to actual energy consumption savings ignores the efficiency of the fixture they are in. If a fixture does not effectively get light to the area it's intended(has a poor reflector, refractor, poor materials, etc) then changing the ballast and lamp could actually mean people are not maximizing their savings and many may not actually be saving anything at all. 4) Trying to use LED technology in streetlighting when it's not yet efficient enough...so how do they get the "energy savings" they drop the light levels, safety standards, security standards, etc. If you don't hold levels constant the savings are really bogus...if you don't care about the standards then just turn the lights off and save 100% of the streetlighting. I could go on for a couple hours on the topic of lighting, energy and stupid government initiatives. Yes, they need to definitely FORCE the issue on the topic of energy savings because people continue to use obsolete technologies but the policies/legislations/rebates are so ridiculous they're often hurting the cause they're trying to support. I'm sure many of you tuned this out before the end of my rant. LOL.

Players I'd like to see gone: Samsonov Bonk Aebischer - obviously should be... Murray Boullion Frankly, I still believe this team is just missing a couple of key pieces. I'm sick of watching 2nd line guys being paraded as #1 line guys. I'm also sick of watching d-men trying to move the puck who simply do not have that ability. A good puck moving d-man, a good skating, physical, defensive depth d-man, and a top C. Higgins-UFA-Ryder Latendresse/Grabovsky-Koivu-Kovalev Kosty/Perez-Plekanec-Johnson 4th line - Begin, Lapierre and whoever is left. Komisarek Markov Souray UFA UFA Dandenault Streit Huet Halak/Danis If this team had a 90 point, top line C to play with Ryder and Higgins we'd have a legit top line. Our 2nd line would have 3 guys who could be 65 point players. Our 3rd line would have 3 guys who can play in their own end, as well as put up 45+ points each. We have all the players needed to play around a top line C...it's like we have a San Jose without a Thornton. Our D has 1 good puck moving d-man in Markov, 1 great PP guy in Souray, 1 good skating, physical guy in Komi and then the wheels fall off. The Habs need another 2 guys, one with similar skill sets to Markov but a tier below him and one with similar skill sets to Komisarek. Without that, this D is a problem...those players likely aren't ready from our system so the choice is to sign the UFA's or wait. There isn't a lot of dead weight. It's a matter of no blue chip, high end talent, and a lack of quality depth on our D...we have a D that is, overall, very average defensively and simply can not support our skilled forwards. We want to see more scoring but there is only 1 d-man who can be counted on to get them the puck in a good position...and that's Markov.

Sorry, I'm talking about Defencemen here...not forwards. This team has only 2 legit PP d-men. Markov and Souray. So, having a 3rd guy that can man the point on the PP does have some value... Yeah, I agree we could use a couple of guys that produce better in 5 on 5 situations...I also think that's a coaching and philosophical issue. There is no reason why this team can't have a couple of effective forward lines in 5 on 5 situations...I don't see how it could be viewed any other way since Koivu, Ryder, Kovalev and Higgins are definitely all skilled enough to put pucks in on 5 on 5 situations.

Exactly who do you consider a PP specialist??

Personally I think you are all crazy for saying you wouldn't want him back. What were the biggest issues with Breezy in his time on the Habs? 1) He played the minutes, and match-ups, of a #1 d-man. - Clearly he's not a #1 so he was mis-used greatly. He should never have been put into many of the situations/roles he had. Yeah, he made mistakes but what can you expect when you put a #4 guy into tough match-ups. 2) He was overpayed. - Which made the fans even more irritable. If, during his time here, Brisebois played as a #4 d-man, PP specialist, and was paid that way...he would still be here and would be an accepted player by the fans. I would be quite happy to see Souray and Markov on our top PP unit and Breezy manning the 2nd PP unit and the last D pairing. It would be an upgrade for the team IMO. Of course, I don't see him wanting to come back after what he went through...and you can't blame him. BUT he is the type of depth D signing this team could use if it re-signs Markov and Souray.

Wow...I'm stunned that someone said Richards is a mediocre talent...was that your credibility that just wooshed by? Having Richards and Koivu as the top two C's would be very nice. I'm not sold that Lecavalier is really any better then Richards...they are very different types of players but both are legit 85+ point guys. I think everyone can likely agree that the Habs need a #1 C and a top tier defensive D-man to go with re-signing Markov and Souray. That MIGHT make the Habs into contenders for the division...MAYBE. BUT This team has a lot more holes then I thought at the beginning of the year. Lats - Richards - Ryder Higgins - Koivu - Kovalev Kosty/Perezhogin - Plekanec - Johnson That's better then we had but it still hinges on the further development of our young guys. Markov Souray Komisarek UFA Streit UFA Huet Halak/Danis Even with a good C, re-signing Markov and Souray, and signing 1-2 quality d-men this team is still very dependant on it's youth providing some goals before it can be a legit contender for the division. MAYBE Pleks, Higgins, Kosty and Ryder can step it up...but they haven't been consistent enough to bet the season on...JMHO

1) I give Crosby a lot of leeway because he does fight hard and drive to the net. He also takes loads of shots on the way there. Yeah, he talks too much but he backs it up so I see this as a minor issue. 2) I actually like Fall Out Boy's music...they are actually talented musicians unlike a lot of "emo" bands... Punk is dead...has been for years. In the end there is only rock'n'roll. All other sub-classes of rock(ie. "alternative", punk, etc) are just rock...none of it is really original. Frankly I find the fact that Fall Out Boy can actually play their instruments well, write more complex songs then most punk/emo bands, add texture and layers to their songs(unlike most emo/punk bands) and actually have a drummer that can do more then hit the snare and cymbals(largely unheard of in rock since the early 80's btw...). All of that seems to make them less formulaic then most of the mass produced/consumed pop drivel that gets spewed out of MM, MTV and on the radio. JMHO. You could still get tickets to Joe Louis Arena in Detroit a couple days ago...just goes to show how far the NHL has fallen in the US markets. Further credence to the fact that the NHL should be moving teams back to Winnipeg, Quebec City and probably should move one to Halifax...then contract about 3 other US market teams...

I have no concerns that Gainey will sign Price...none...it's a non-issue. I also don't think we'll see Price, on the roster for a full year, for at least 3 more years. They will want him to get as much playing time as possible to develop completely...and that will only occur in the minors for 2-3 years yet.

Why didn't you just ask to speak to the manager and politely tell them that you came in to eat, drink and specifically watch the game and were seated so you could watch it? If the person you are dealing with doesn't give you the service you require then go one step higher in their food chain. If that doesn't help then you can either leave pissed off and yelling loudly and never give them your business again, or again you can try and go yet another step higher in their food chain.

Can you expand on how Quebec feels it has been mistreated within Confederation? Also, for those people that thought the Federal Liberal party was corrupt under Chretien and Martin...you have NO idea how much corruption is occuring at the municipal and provincial levels. I find that most Canadians are clueless when it comes to Municpal politics. People are more aware of Provincial politics, but we are seemingly unaware of the large bureaucracy associated with each level of government. We know it's there but until we run into it we tend to ignore it. I have seen many municipalities that have councilors and bureaucrats that have openly asked "what's in it for them". I always shake my head and tell them we don't do business like that and I always lose that business...which is okay by me. That's a cookie jar I don't want to play in. I know a number of people in related industries that see this but there is no "check and balance" or "watchdog" that we can take the issues to. Some of you are wondering where the money goes...it goes into corrupt pockets of shady businessmen and politicians. This is NOT limited to Quebec...it's in ALL provinces.

Dodging a draft is not the right thing to do when all your friends and family are going off to war. You may not agree with the war(it was dumb) but if you had any honour you'd be there for them. If Kosty can stay consistent he'll be a very dangerous top line forward for years. For the record, I'm also not sold on Huet as a long term solution. Also, while the media has a love-in over Halak he's not even close to being considered a "saviour" yet IMO. I think Halak could be a solid back-up for a long time but more then that is probably very unrealistic...hopefully he proves me wrong and carries this team.

LOL...I assume this is about Habs players learning french. Bleh. You can definitely NOT learn to "perfectly" speak a language in a year...unless you have a real aptitude for learning a new language. Remember that these guys are dealing with people speaking english AND french...and some of the french people speak some crap english so it can't be easy to learn. That's no offense to french people learning english either...I just think you understate learning a new language. A number of the players can also play LW so the log jam isn't that bad. A number of the prospects are still 2-3 years away from contributing so some of our RWers will be gone by then. Some of those prospects are 3rd line guys at best...hardly worth moving people over. I believe the Kostsytsin brothers are in this teams long term plans. Same with Markov. It looks like Perezhogin is playing himself out of town. For Kovalev and Samsonov it's their attitudes that seem to be driving them out...if they indeed do get moved. I also think the question with D'Agostini is whether he is close to playing at his talent ceiling or does he have a lot of room left to grow as a player. Guys like Higgins had loads of room still...

Exactly. They CAN play the system but they aren't. These guys are professionals...not some group of house league amateurs. They are being paid millions a year to PLAY THE FRIGGIN GAME the way the coach tells them to. However, I will concede(in hindsight) that the team played over it's head for the first half. This is why I am so bothered by the lack of any moves at a trade deadline that saw a MASSIVE collapse. A drop from being a top conference team to 10th place... Remember, the trap that Carbo teaches is essentially the same system this team used in the mid-late 70's, late 80's and early 90's...it can easily work in the "new" NHL. The problem is not the system. I also believe that Carbo should take the majority of the credit for the PP and PK. These have been his forte as an assistant coach and even as a player. They are running his game on special teams. This team seriously lacks d-men who can move the puck in the transition game. Only Markov is effective in this area. The Habs have good speed and skill up front and no one to get them the puck as they move with speed through the neutral zone. By the time they get the puck they are mired deep in the corner or getting stone-walled at the blue line. That is an issue of missing talent.

So, maintaining mediocrity and prolonging the youth movement till 2009 was the choice?? Don't be such apologists... Potentially one round of the playoffs is the only benefit you can name in keeping high end UFA's on a mediocre team? And this was better then the package of prospects and draft picks we could have had? OR, how deep would the team have gone if it was a buyer and grabbed an equivalent to San Jose in Guerin and Rivet type d-man? I'm not debating which move was better...only that EITHER of those moves would have been better than saying "we'll do nothing. That way we don't maximize our future potential and we don't maximize our short term potential...because, really, we only care about 2009...". I will not be an apologist for that mentality in the organization. My only hope is that Gainey has a verbal committment from Souray that he'll probably be back. If not this was a major blunder...

Sorry but that is BS and narrow minded. If you go through life without questioning things you will be very disappointed and probably very broke. I am not in Montreal, don't speak french, don't get any medium from Montreal news nor do I, or many other fans, think I am better then Bob Gainey...at any facet of evaluating hockey. I do in fact trust Mr. Gainey's judgement...BUT I also reserve the right to question it. Think of it as voting for the Conservative Party but questioning some of the moves of Mr. Harper...we SHOULD be questioning these things...and yes, I do rate my Habs as important as our Feds...lol. Despite not living in Montreal, not speaking french and never listening/seeing Montreal media I am actually amused that many of my opinions seem to be in this media, and that many of you think it's not espousing the fans voice. It's not about making moves for the sake of it. Buy or Sell...it didn't matter...the point is that the status quo is not working. So why did we stay with the status quo? Why didn't we either trade some pending UFA's to grab some youth and picks AND give our prospects NHL time the remainder of the year...OR why didn't we go out and buy a couple of pieces? I could live with and trust Gainey to make the right decision and handle a move either way...but to not move at all????? Yeah, I reserve the right to question that...and it doesn't mean I think I'm better then Gainey. I guarantee you that if Gainey said "we need to move in this direction" and made some moves...then some people would disagree and some would agree but they would be arguing about if we're moving in the right direction. At least a re-stocking of youth provides hope and direction...or if we were buyers then it would have provided hope for the playoffs and Cup...doing nothing said "we are mediocre and we're happy with it for now".

I fail to see any sort of bashing of Gainey in the thread...yes, I'm calling out the organizations lack of movement but it's clearly about debate. I never bashed Gainey or the organization, nor have I read the threads you think this is happening in...admittedly I don't read every thread on the board. Frankly, I think your comments are off base in this thread. You have yet to convince me to change my stance and that is the entire purpose of debate. I don't claim to have any insight into what Gainey was doing or trying to do...what I know is that I don't like the results, especially if/when we lose Souray in the off-season. You say your beef is with negative people who speculate and insist they know more...I've never done that and I started this thread. Frankly, the real issue I have is why you've hijacked my thread with this holier then thou junk? You want people to respond logically and rationally then you should respond in kind. Instead we're left with a bunch of posts about why we shouldn't critique Gainey, we're just speculating, etc... It appears we will lose Souray for nothing. It appears we will scrape into the playoffs at best. To hold onto a pending UFA in this circumstance hurts this teams chances of long term success. I am quite confident in my belief that a number of teams would have been interested in dealing for Souray. BTW...I'm thinking very clearly. No, I am wondering if this team is happy enough to just turn a buck with fans who are hoping for more then just a playoff team...much like MLSE is with Peddie and Ferguson Jr. running the Leaf ship. I don't think Gainey is stupid at all. Quite the opposite...which makes me question this even more. If we don't sign Souray in the off-season this is a major mistake.

Now who went and changed the tag under my name to CHL Rookie...it should forever remain Official Habsworld Poobag.

Yes, but we could have had 3 top 25 picks, an extra 2nd to 4th rounder and another NHL ready prospect to add to the mix if we would have dealt Souray. The more I think about our lack of movement the more annoyed I am...I don't care if it was to make a run this year or for the future...just something to move things, assuredly, in one direction.

Beliveau1...the entire point of a message based forum, like this one, is to voice these types of opinions. Gainey obviously knows far more then anyone here when it comes to hockey. What I love about being a Habs fan is that we will always voice our displeasure at mediocre moves, non-moves, efforts, etc. I don't want to be a homer Leaf-style fan who thinks everything they do is the best thing ever. If this team is borderline for the playoffs, and certainly won't go deep if it makes it, then WHY are we sitting on UFA players. Players that likely won't re-sign. WHY should fans be happy that we have a valuable asset in Souray that will not help us anymore this year and will leave for NOTHING in the off-season? I could live with 2 months of young call-ups, and relatively mediocre hockey, if it meant we got something for our assets. Instead we're going to be an 8th-10th seed, probably lose Souray for nothing and we could have at least been an 8th-10th seed and used Souray to acquire a 1st round pick, a 2nd round pick and a prospect. Hell, Ryan Smith just basically netted an equivalent package and that was a quickly run deal without Edmonton running a real bidding war, and I think Souray probably held more value to many teams. According to you we should just be happy because Gainey knows all. Hey, maybe there wasn't much interest in Souray, maybe he's already got a verbal from Souray that he'd like to re-sign, maybe a lot of things...but we still should be questioning this.

I did think about this and what you say may be very true...my real concern is the general lack of direction we appear to have had.

If we intend on making the playoffs should we have acquired Biron? It took a 2nd round pick...and we probably could have given them a middle round pick and a guy like Danis instead since they went and picked up Conklin. We'd have Biron and Huet going into the play-offs and that would at least give the team a better shot then Huet and Aebischer. I really don't like the lack of action. This team IS NOT going to go deep in the playoffs let alone win the Cup. So either you bolster the team by trading from our plethora of young talent...OR...you trade your pending UFA's to acquire even better/more young talent. We basically accomplished neither...yeah, I think the Rivet deal was a no-brainer and we hosed SJ on that deal but there was an incredible lack of direction at this deadline. Either trade Souray for the equivalent of high picks and decent prospects, as was the going rate. OR, acquire a guy like Smyth and a d-man like Norstrom or Aucoin. To do neither means we MAY scrape into the playoffs and make a couple bucks for Mr. Gillette...but nothing more. I'm sure I'll get flamed for this next comment BUT Gainey barely accomplished more then John Ferguson Jr. and the Toronto Maple Leafs. We were only marginally better thanks to the lop-sided Rivet deal IMHO.

Great deal...and not to nit-pick a post BUT saying that trading Souray will let "the youth movement begin" is ridiculous. The Habs have had one of the best farm systems in the NHL for the past 3-4 YEARS. The youth movement began quite a while ago...how much younger can a team get? We have Latendresse, Higgins, Ryder, Perezhogin, Plekanec, Komisarek, Lapierre and we'll soon have Danis/Halak, Kostsytsin, Chipchura and possibly a couple others ready for some NHL minutes. That's almost half of our roster!