Zowpeb

The 3 ex-Habs I'd want to fill the holes on this past years team would be: 1) Recchi - would've gave us 2 solid scoring lines 2) Thornton - could've used his grit on checking line 3) Schneider - we really could've used another good d-man in this past playoffs. The 3 ex-Habs I'd want for the next couple/few years: 1) Recchi - the guy is just a good, good player 2) Desjardins - A good vet who knows what it takes on D 3) Brashear - not many goons can play as well as him. He could play 3rd line, in some games... The 3 best(taking full careers into account) ex-Habs still playing IMO: 1) Recchi 2) Schneider 3) Damphousse

Uh...6 million on Theodore is pretty good value. I don't know what sport you've been watching. I don't understand people who think we should trade one of the top goalies in the league...I'd love to see some good, LOGICAL reasoning behind that. Money I wished we weren't spending: Dykhuis - 1.7 million ... WTF is THAT Rivet - 3 million ... WAY overpaid for his abilities. Should be making Dykhuis' money... Brisebois - 4 million ... Should be making 3 - 3.5 probably. Certainly not our worst salary, but not good either. If we resign Dagenais, or have him back then I'll say whatever he is making is too much. I've seen industrial league players with more talent...ugh. [Edited on 2004/5/7 by Zowpeb]

I realise that the RFA's will cost more but we've got probably 11 million coming of the books this off-season. So signing Kovalev, a 2nd line LWer, a grinder and a d-man won't cost much more then that. Hence the comment that for a few million more then our current payroll we could do all that and re-sign our RFA's. The RFA's won't get ridiculous raises... Say Kovalev signs for 5.5mill, LWer for around 3.5mill, d-man for 2-3mill, grinder for .5 mill, a few million in raises to RFA's. That's about 14 million. With Perreault(2.8), Dagenais(.5), Langdon(.5), Dackell(1.4), Juneau(2), Sundstrom(2) and Quintal(1.8)all likely off the books there's some $$$ there. That's 11 million right there...and Kilgers money came off too(that's .8). So you can see that for a few million or so more we could sign those types of players and our RFA's. Of course I don't have a UFA list to say gauge who is available for what $$$. Anyone have a link?

There are a lot of things I'd like to see happen with the team. Line 1: Zednik - Koivu - Kovalev Obviously based on Kovalev re-signing and that's not guaranteed. Might as well put 1 really good scoring line together. It's got grit, speed and the wingers are strong on the puck. Loads of talent on this line...something we haven't had in years. Line 2: UFA/Hossa/Kastsitsyn - Ribeiro - Ryder Ryder played well with both lines but I think he fits well with Ribeiro. He brings a good shot to match Ribs playmaking. He's strong, plays okay in his own end which Ribs needs help on. The LW on this line is the issue...it wouldn't surprise me at all if Kastsitsyn could make the team...he's got that much talent. To be honest I don't think Hossa is going to pan out...and I hope we can deal him for something decent on draft day. Maybe Hossa and a pick to move us into a real good draft position in round 1. If the organization doesn't think Kastsitsyn, or even Higgins, can make it then sign a decent LWer for the line... Line 3: Bulis - Dowd - Ward/UFA Ward could make this line potentially. I think Bulis and Dowd form the foundation of a great checking line that has some offensive ability. Ward can bring some grit but is inconsistent with that facet IMO. We know he has some decent offensive talent but we haven't seen it yet in the NHL. Personally, I'd lean towards signing someone here as well. The line needs a physical checking line player...Ward could be that guy but he'd have to show he can do it. Line 4: Begin - Plekanec - Ward/UFA If Ward doesn't make the 3rd line then he's definitely got a home here. If he does make the 3rd line then this is probably best filled via UFA. Just an energy line that is capable defensively. I think Plekanec is ready. He could be our future 3rd line C and I think he's learned a lot in the AHL. Begin is a perfect 4th line, and sometimes 3rd line, type guy. Pesky, energy, good D. I think Higgins, Perezhogin and possibly Kastsitsyn will be the first call-ups. I think Milroy is very underrated...hopefully he breaks out in Hamilton next year. I'd like to see Locke in Hamilton as well...he certainly deserves it. Ferland is another guy who could surprise in Hamilton. I'm a big fan of letting the good prospects get their minutes in the AHL and giving them a real good shot when they're ready. I don't like putting them on the 4th line for 8 minutes a game where they aren't learning much...it just doesn't make sense IMO. Let those guys learn to dominate the AHL, and when they can't learn anything else there they should be able to jump to decent minutes in the NHL without too much of a drop-off. So basically, re-sign Kovalev, get a decent LWer for the 2nd line and a grinder for the 3rd/4th line. All that shouldn't cost too much. With some of our UFA's leaving we should be able to do that and re-sign our key RFA's. Our defense needs some work IMO. Markov needs a better partner. Rivet is a 3rd pairing guy and overpaid IMO. Brisebois is okay if he's on the 2nd pairing and doesn't have a lot of pressure. Quintal should retire. Komisarek looks like he deserves a full year. Souray is living off his scoring against Pitt, he needs to be more physical, concentrate on D and his role on offense is just to shoot. Markov - Rivet Souray - Brisebois ?? - Komisarek Those pairing leave a lot to be desired. Hainsey doesn't fit well with any of those guys except maybe Komisarek and I don't see us having a rookie pairing. A Markov-Komi pairing might work...and that would leave Hainsey-Rivet. It's the best we could set up with the players we have...we probably need to sign a decent d-man too. I think if GG is willing to let Gainey have some payroll flexibility we could re-sign Kovalev, get the LWer we need, get a solid left side d-man and get a physical checker type. If it even increased payroll at all it would only be by a few million.

Keep in mind that you have one player who is one of the top prospects in the Habs organization(one of the best farms in the league right now...) and another guy who isn't one of the top prospects in his... It's so easy for lesser players to make a run at a skill guy. We're witnessing the skill players retaliating and taking the brunt of the criticism for these types of shots. Fact is, Moore took out Naslund...Moore is a crap player. This guy tried to take out Perezhogin and he's not even close to as valuable a player as Perezhogin. I don't want to rehash the Bertuzzi event so I won't. It's been beat to death and is a completely different situation. This was an instantaneous reaction to someone trying to take his head off...Perezhogin just has better aim. Both players were in the wrong...and both should be suspended. BTW, the guy was released from the hospital the same night. So his injury isn't nearly as bad as it's being made out to be from people who've only watched the replay. I'm sick of people who have never been in these situations making judgement calls that "there is no excuse for that reaction". If you believe that then you're a dumbarse. EVERYONE would retaliate to someone swinging a stick at your head with an equal amount of ferocity. It's natural instinct. Doesn't make it right either way, but it's stupid to say that Perezhogin should be "banned" or suspended for a year because of this...I could easily make an argument that Stafford should get a longer suspension for his initial infraction that instigated this whole ordeal.

The "he started it defence" is not a justification for his actions...it shows that there was no premeditation to the action. This doesn't mean that what he did was any less wrong, but is something that should be considered when dolling out suspensions. It's why the courts have varying degrees of murder and manslaughter. The fact that it was an immediate retaliation shows that there was no thought put into his actions. While Zhog deserves a significant suspention for his actions he in no way deserves to be banned. I also believe that the other guy should receive a suspension for his instigation of this incident. The intent of Stafford was the same as Zhogs and was made worse by the fact that there was nothing to instigate that attack. The only difference is that he didn't connect...do you punish a players intentions or simply the results?? I believe it has to be a balance of both...Zhog should get a stiff suspension and Stafford a little less so. It would also go a long way into limiting any further "retaliation" tactics by either team in the future.

It'll be easy to cheer against the Flyers after they beat the Leafs...I hate the Leafs as much as anyone but I'm cheering for the Bolts the rest of the way. If the Bolts win it all it means we got beat by the Stanley Cup champs...and I can swallow that easier.

This is the most ridiculous poll I've seen around here...whoever made this is the biggest "homer" I've seen on these boards so far. I'll be the first to admit that before the playoffs I was hoping we would face Tampa. I'll also be the first to admit that I was very wrong...I didn't see them play enough this year to realise how good they are. If you don't think Khabibulin is one of the top goalies in the league you are a moron. He has been for years now. They have 2 very good scoring lines and a talented, mobile group of d-men that can also play a physical game. To top that off they play a great team game. They're also young and have shown consistent improvement. You're just putting on your hate 'cause they beat the Habs in 4 straight. BTW, when Puck listed the names of the supporting casts of Anaheim and Tampa he wasn't necessarily comparing them 1 for 1 but overall. It's easy to see that, overall, Tampa has a FAR superior team to Anaheim's when they made their run. And there is a tonne of parody in the NHL year to year. Look how close the standings were in both conferences. The NHL doesn't have a salary cap and STILL manages to be keep everyone competitive. The teams with money often don't do well...and the small market teams often compete year in, year out. You're posts are incredibly ignorant of actual facts. You talk of how many people voted that Tampa was a fluke...you didn't give a lot of choice to the contrary. Not only that but how many views has this thread has and how many actually voted that way? Bleh...it's just dumb. [Edited on 2004/5/3 by Zowpeb] [Edited on 2004/5/3 by Zowpeb]

If Mathew Barnaby becomes a habs I will personally drive to Montreal and punch Gainey in the mouth. I will then call a press conference to publicly apologize to Gainey which is when I will again punch him in the mouth and proceed to kick the tar out of Barnaby. I might even create a Mathew Barnaby voodoo doll which I will burn in effigy.

I hear you about Kastsitsyn but I was referring to him if he lockout lasted a full year...it would mean he had an extra year in the minors and will hopefully be ready by then. Really, his offense ability is enough to get him to the NHL despite his defensive issues. Higgins made the team this past year right out of camp...and proceeded to have a very good year in the AHL. I don't see any reason why he won't be ready by as early as next year...and extra year in the minors in the event of a lockout would only further that. As for Hossa, I don't think he'll ever really make this team and he'll be dealt... Hossa MAY find time on the 4th line but I don't see it. Higgins and Zhog are too good to be left on the ice for only 8-10 mins a game. They won't develop well with that little time and without PP/PK time in the minors. I think that prospects of their calibre should come up onto the 2nd or 3rd line when they look like they're ready...they can work their way up to the 1st or 2nd line from there. As for the CBA...those guys are often seen together at games. That means very little...I'll be surprised if there isn't a lock-out next year...the only question is how long. I actually believe a 1 year lock-out will push in a system that will help the league maintain itself long term. If they try to make incremental changes like the MLB is doing I think we'll still see a few teams fold in a couple years.

To build a legitimate winner you need to start from the goal out... I like Garon but do you really think it's worth re-starting that building process?? If Garon doesn't pan out then you need to try and trade or sign a goalie that will get you to the Cup. I think Theodore can get us there and while it's possible that Garon could I am much less confident. I'd rather keep both of them and let Garon get in 25 starts next year. If Theodore gets injured we have a great back-up...and if Garon pushes Theodore for his job then MAYBE consider trading one of them mid-season or in the next off-season. It's just not worth the risk right now...I was hoping that Garon would get in 10 more starts this year to show what he's got... I think we have enough depth to trade a couple of prospects for a guy like Smyth or Havlat or even someone better then them...but I really don't think we need to. I'd like to see us keep our high level prospects to a point where we can max out their value(whether that means keeping or trading). Right now they're just prospects though... Higgins, Kastsitsyn, Perezhogin and Hainsey all could be significant contributors or even impact players. Especially Higgins and Kastsitsyn. Trading guys like that now is just going to be getting rid of them at a significantly lower value then they'll be worth.

I think the team is heading in the right direction...we have loads of depth, loads of good young prospects(more then a couple are blue chip prospects too) and we've got a good core at key positions. Hopefully this year is just the first of a long succession of playoff appearances that will culminate in a few more engravings on Lord Stanleys Cup. I think we can finally say with a certainty that this team is no longer "sliding down". We finally seem to have a clear direction(I think AS started it well through the drafts and that Gainey is continuing it organizationally and through smart personnel decisions)

I don't want to see Kovalev signed until the CBA is settled. If we end up with a salary cap then Kovalev could be signed for much less...I don't want to see the organization be stuck paying a big salary that puts them over a salary cap. We have lots of organizational depth too...so not signing him won't hurt the team as much as you might think. I'd love to have him but not at the expense of hurting the organization long term.

I think that you guys are forgetting about the CBA talks...what happens there will have a major impact on who we sign/re-sign and who we don't. I don't think the team will sign anyone until they know for certain what the new agreement will be. A salary cap means Kovalev gets signed for less then if there wasn't...so there is no point in signing him until Gainey knows for sure. I would like to see him back though... If Kovalev is back I'd like to see something like this: Zednik-Koivu-Kovalev --> Why break this up? Could be our 1st true #1 line in a decade... Higgins/UFA - Ribeiro - Ryder --> The team will be saving some real $$$ with Quintal, Juneau, Dackell, Brisebois, Perreault all gone after this year. The real question is where to spend it. A good LWer is an option...but I think Higgins is going to make his mark here. He's good at both ends of the ice and could fit in here nicely...Hossa and Kastsitsyn are both options as well. In fact, if there is no season next year I suspect Kastsitsyn will step in and have a HUGE year in this role. Bulis - Dowd - Ward --> I like Dowd. He works hard, is good in the dressing room, and good at both ends of the ice. I think him and Bulis could form the foundation of a very nice checking line. I'm not sure on Ward...he's got the ability but didn't put it all together this year. He deserves a shot but I hope we have a back-up plan for that spot...and Perezhogin may actually be that guy. I don't understand people putting Dowd on a 4th line...he's clearly better then that. ?? - Begin - ?? --> Begin showed he can be a great high energy type of player to center(or LW) the 3rd line. Some people put Dowd on this line but he's a 3rd line C all the way. I've also seen some people putting some of our top prospects on this line...and that's nuts. The prospects need the playing time for development. I could see Ward drop to the 4th line RW duties...and let Zhog play 3rd line RW. A couple of depth guys could be signed cheaply for the 4th line roles though...we have solid depth with our prospects in the event of injury or we want a look at them with the big club. A couple of cheap, gritty, energy guys for this line who only get in about 50 games a year. A Begin - Plekanic - Ward line might work too... Markov - UFA --> This team needs to give Markov a legit top pairing partner. Markov struggled a bit this year but he still showed some flashes. With a better partner he could pick up his play. Most of that money we're saving with the loss of Perreault, Juneau, Dackell, Breezy, etc...should be spent here. Souray - Komisarek --> I think the playoffs were a great learning experience for Komi and he handled things pretty well. Souray plays here because he deserves the shot after his early play this year. Hopefully he can come back 100% healthy and show it wasn't a fluke...but I suspect it was. ?? - Rivet --> Rivet isn't a top pairing guy. But he is a solid player and in the right role can be very useful. It is possible that Hainsey will be ready next year (or the year after if the strike is prolonged). Someone said Hainsey has 1 more chance but I disagree...it can take D-men longer to develop. He's got the skills and talent...he just needs to figure out positioning and work on his focus and that can come with maturity IMO. If not Hainsey then Bouillon or another signing... I think Higgins, Perezhogin, Kastsitsyn, Plekanic and Hainsey are all VERY close to deserving a shot at the NHL. Higgins, Zhog and Kastsy are all high level prospects too and if/when they're ready they'll deserve top 3 line positions to prove themselves. If the league is on strike for a full season then it'll be really interesting to see our prospects get an extra year of development and come in and push our NHL players who've been sitting for a year. We'd have a real glut of NHL ready players and considering we have a VERY good farm system we might come into the new agreement better then any other team.

The true story is this...after working through rehab he was probably in the best shape of his career, and probably healthier then he'd been in years. Combine that with a couple of good games against the Pittsburgh Penguins and he looked amazing...despite the fact that otherwise his numbers looked much more average. When he plays a physical game and his shot is on he's a solid d-man. Anyone who expects him to consistently score 30+ points is dreaming... [Edited on 2004/4/29 by Zowpeb]

If you put money aside then yes I'd probably do the deal. If I had to choose one player(not including goalies) in the league I'd want to build my team around it would be Pronger. He has it all...and no he isn't injury prone as was mentioned earlier. The problem with a straight up deal like that is obviously money. Considering their salaries I'd rather keep Theodore and use the extra 4 million Pronger would take to sign someone else. I think Theodore CAN make the big saves and steal a series. I also think Garon can step in and fill Theodore's shoes if Theodore is dealt(and I doubt he will be). Pronger's contract, especially considering the new pending CBA, and the fact that top tier goalies are so valuable vs. every other position means that Theodore is worth more IMO. St. Louis would have to qualify Pronger and pay half his salary for each year for me to do the deal. If they didn't want to do that they'd have to include a pretty good prospect with him...and they don't really have any. [Edited on 2004/4/29 by Zowpeb]

Tampa has nothing...St. Louis is going to get pasted by the suprisingly mobile Komisarek, Stillman is going to re-injure himself and the Habs are going to win 4-2. It will be interesting to see how Julien tries to match up lines when the Habs don't have home ice advantage. I think the Habs will win the first game...Tampa will come out rusty. Tampa'll take the 2nd game and the Habs will win both games at home before finishing Tampa on their home ice. Habs win in 5 games. Book it.

So which one is the "goal song" that I keep hearing about?? One of the mods should make this a sticky and have all the habs songs found added in... [Edited on 2004/4/23 by Zowpeb]

I fail to see how Ron McLean can be held accountable for Don Cherry running his mouth and acting like an idiot. The only person responsible for Cherry's actions in himself. The CBC's keeps putting him on because a very large portion of their viewers want to see him. Yes, Cherry is a stupid moron but so are most people and hence his large lemming like following. Saying it's the fault of Ron McLean is completely baseless.

I don't like it since it looks like a something the Florida Panthers would use against us...lol.

I think Tampa is the easiest team to beat of the division winners...and I'd rather play them then Toronto, Ottawa, Philly, Boston or New Jersey. If they didn't play in their division they wouldn't have had nearly as good a record. I bet they had an extra 6-7 wins because they play in a crappy division. They are a solid team, don't get me wrong, but I'm happy we're playing them and not those other teams.

Even tonight...they had the Bruins hat on the CBC goalie mask and they'd zoom in on it during intermissions. Everything they talked about was what the Bruins were doing wrong and how they could improve. Nothing about what the Habs were doing right/wrong...all through it was like that. At the intermissions, during play by play, etc. It was disgusting... Even the colour guy doing play by play couldn't get the Habs names right in regards to who was playing the puck...he kept referring to the wrong players all the time. Seeing as this is his job and he's had all the prep AND 7 games to get it right...just brutal. I'm going to send CBC my thoughts on this...I hope everyone does.

Actually, I think people are overrating Tampa too much of late. Sure, they've done well, but they play in such an easy division that it has to help their record and scoring numbers. Despite the fact they may finish 1st in the conference I think they're the weakest of the division winners. I'd prefer to play(in order): Tampa Boston/Toronto Philly I think we match up best against Tampa but we won't likely end up playing them. Boston has 2 great scoring lines but other then Rolston their 3rd and 4th lines are weak IMO. Their D is much improved since we played them in the playoffs last...Raycroft is their key though. I think we can beat them but it'd be a tight series. Toronto has some great talent and they'd be a tough 1st round opponent, but in the later rounds I can see them slowing. They can be sucked into playing undisciplined hockey and that's the key to beating them IMO. Get them to take dumb penalties and start whining and they'll lose. I think our 1st 2 lines scoring isn't too far off theirs and I like our 3rd and 4th lines against theirs. Overall they're more talented then us probably...but we're younger, more disciplined and can wear them down. Philly is the team that would scare me most. They are so deep it's not even funny. Burke and Esche aren't great but they certainly aren't bad. They're 4th line is the equivalent of some teams 2nd lines...ugh. They've got 3 very good D pairings too. If they don't win it all this year I'll be shocked...well maybe not, since it is Philly..hehe

A couple things... I am also from Toronto and my passionate hate for their team is a direct result of their fans and media. They are complete morons who refuse to "get it" that their organization has no intention of trying to win a cup. You should also expect Leaf fans in town for a Montreal game to be rude. Every time I go to a Leaf/Habs game at the ACC I'm one rude mofo...

Here's what Hockey's Future had to say... http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospect.php?pid=111 Seems to think his future is as a 3rd pairing type guy...good offense, poor positioning and needs to improve physical game. Now HF is sometimes slow in their updates so he might be better now. Positioning can easily be worked on. The physical game will come as he gets more comfortable with the north american game, gets a little older and puts on some muscle. Won't ever be a physical player but just needs to be strong in front of his own net considering his current skill set. I'm thinking Andre Savard is the guy who pushed for this deal... Not bad to get a guy who is likely a future NHL regular(albeit more of a depth guy...) for Blouin.