The Chicoutimi Cucumber

Seller for sure. This year is cursed. Just accept it and move forward. I confess to being worried that PG will instead make a move to 'shore up' the club in Gio's absence, but hopefully he's not that moronic. Cammy's comments - not so much his ripping his team as his blaming Cunneyworth for a lack of ice time - suggest that he should be moved. He quit on JM, now he's bitching about JM's replacement? Come on. I've been a Cammallerri fan, but he seems to want out, no point in keeping toxic waste around. And unlike the habitual crowd of pessimists I definitely think he will have value at the deadline. Package him and see what shakes out.

Always liked Zhogs and was puzzled by Carbo's apparent determination to turn him into a checker when he seemed to have considerable skills. It appears that PG might be consciously and assertively trying to lure back assets previously lost to Russia - ? If so, this presumably shows his frustration at the way we've bled draft picks to the Russian leagues, and does him credit.

I agree with the two posts above, but then again, many fans (including Habs29) have been quite categorical all season that Campoli is not much good, so I'm not sure where they now get off demanding a second-rounder for this 'marginal' defenceman. In terms of the big picture, we manufactured a 4th round pick out of thin air, having surrendered nothing to get Capoli; so that's reasonable asset management. EDIT: whoops, it's a fake?? OK, then, never mind

Wisest thing said in this thread. If we want to get rid of Gomer's contract, we should be champing at the bit to put him in a situation where he can succeed and raise his value. If he looks like the Gomez of old over 30-40 games, some cap-floor team will quite possibly be willing to take him off our hands in the off-season. The argument to sit him makes no sense in either on-ice terms or in terms of asset management.

Fair enough. But the 'spin' I hear from both Gauthier and Molson doesn't seem to emphasize this as it should. Molson SHOULD have emphasized that Cunneyworth is deeply committed to attaining a functional command of the language by next season. But he said nothing about it, instead sounding like he was throwing the guy under a bus. Gauthier originally just said 'languages can be learned' but, as far as I know, did not explain the strategy for doing that. Rather than issuing his shameful apology a few weeks later, he should have apologized only for not clarifying the extent of Cunneyworth's commitment to learning French and the importance the team places upon it. Hell, he should have challenged the team's critics on this point: the guy understands the imperative of learning French; concrete, effective steps are being taken; after this season he will be functionally bilingual; what more is required? Then ask the fans to show the coach their famous (cough) generosity and patience as Cunneyworth develops his skills. As usual, the Habs let the fan/media narrative spin completely out of control.This time to the detriment of the whole team.

We can make the playoffs, it's just not probable. Like everyone says, if we rattle off 6-7 wins - the sort of winning streak that happens all the time in the 'new' NHL - the picture will look very different. It goes without saying that what will happen is this: -Habs get hot, enter playoff picture by trade deadline -Habs accordingly stand pat at the deadline -a game or two after the deadline, one or more of Price, Subban, Plekanec, Pacioretty, and/or several other key guys will go down with major injuries -decimated, we then hit a tailspin and finish a few points out of a lottery pick Why will this happen? Because we are the post-Roy Montreal Canadiens. Ya heard it here first.

Why is learning French so out of the question? Say Cunneyworth does an awesome job and is clearly the man we want. OK. You go to him and say, 'look, the job is yours, on the proviso that you take intensive French lessons in the off-season (paid for by the team of course) and make a commitment to speaking a meaningful amount of French in dealing with the media, no matter how embarassed you may feel.' Is he gonna say no? Then hey presto, problem solved. The idiots aren't demanding that the coach speak like Molière. Gainey's French was pretty make-do and, apart from a few snarky remarks, everyone accepted it. I myself have never understood the Koivus of the world, who would rather say nothing in French than risk using the language clumsily. My own approach to French has always been to barrel in unapologetically - if I make mistakes, so what? I think if Cunneyworth had emphasized his commitment to learning French and outlined a plan for doing so, the fan/meida outrage would have been moderated considerably.

Let's say that AK46's demands are onerous. He wants $4.5 mil, something like that. Or let's say that he is basically committed to sampling the UFA market. In other words, you can't resign him. At that point, and if we are in the playoff mix, do you trade him for a lower 1st-round pick, or do you keep him then lose him at season's end?

No, but he's right about Cole/Gomez/Gio. Just imagining the speed on that line makes me dizzy!

Shanny's video on this one was awesome. The amazing thing about the Bruins is that they still feel like the victims. Julien gave a presser whining about the concussions to Bergeron and Savard - lamentable, I agree, but how those incidents justify Chara's attempted murder, or the can-opener on Raymond that nearly paralyzed him, or the assault on Miller, or the job on Salo, or any of the other outrages committed by a Bruins team that considers itself above the rules, I don't know. And Chiarelli had the nerve to come out and attack Shanahan for his verdict. Unfortunately that delusional sense of victimhood helps to fuel their success. It's gonna take a team like the Canucks to KILL them on the power-play to put a stop to their bulls*t.

No, I agree; I was just saying I don't want to lose Kosty for nothing regardless of the playoff situation, IF he can muster a decent return.

Agreed. I think most of us support the idea of the Habs NOT being big buyers at the deadline, just as most of us don't want to see the Habs go into total sell-off mode, firebombing the team and starting from zero. The only wild card is Kostitsyn; if you can't re-sign him then, provided you get good value back, he should be dealt; other than that, do as Commandant advises. Of course, you listen to offers and explore options regardless - but any team other than heavy-duty contenders should be doing that all the time anyway.

+1. Like I always say, there are TWO Scott Gomezes - the guy from last year, and the guy from every year before that. The haters sometimes like to obscure the difference, just as they like to pretend that he is supposed to be a goal scorer, then use his tiny goals-scored totals as proof of his worthlessness. But the Gomez prior to 2010-11 is a bloody good playmaker and rushing forward, a real asset, even if his salary is ridiculous.

Well, they're a 'lot' better if he plays the way he did for four or five games before he got hurt. I think that's fair to say. But that's another big 'if.'

Look, the separatists are desperate. Their two parties (BQ and PQ) are both in total disarray, outpolled by a tired and possibly corrupt government and a bizarre new party led by an uncharismatic, recycled Péquiste whose only contribution is a promise to shelve the whole issue for 10 years. That they have been reduced to trying to mobilize the population against the hiring of Randy Cunneyworth in order to revive their cause is a measure of how pathetic their situation has become. To quote Pierre Trudeau: "This bunch of snivellers should simply have been sent packing and told to stop to stop having tantrums like spoiled adolescents."

Oh yeah, superstar players like Orr, Gretzky, Morenz, Richard, and Gomez make everyone else better

Well, Pleks has earned the benefit of the doubt. His struggles probably have more to do with either loss of confidence, fatigue from overuse, or injury, than from laziness or bad attitude, which are characteristics of which he has never shown the slightest sign. The other possibility is a 'chemistry' problem (i.e., he is at loggerheads with one or more teammates).

Oh, I agree that he has stunk out the joint this season. But I also think that it's silly to throw away a player based on one bad season, let alone 35 games. It reminds me of when Habs fans were happy to ride Recchi out of town (which Houle proceeded to do) because he had foolishly tried to play through pnuemonia and consequently had a horrific half-season in 1998-99. You have to look at the bigger picture. Cammy has proven that he can produce at an elite level in the NHL. If you look at his career stats, you see that when he has been healthy, as he was in 06-07 and 08-09, he is easily a 30-goal scorer and a PPG player. He does struggle with injuries, though his first year with us had him again on a pace for 30+ goals. He is also deadly playoff performer. I think Cammalleri's time with us has been marred by his obvious dislike of Jacques Martin's system. It's telling that the gung-ho positive energy he projected in his first season here evaporated after the pro-Martin camp led by Gill and Gorges had clearly carried the day. He has also been hurt by injuries, as noted above, and also by the loss of Markov, whose power-play skills were a major reason he came here in the first place. He himself says his game thrives on a good puck-distributor on the PP (although now that Kaberle is here that excuse has run out). True, his defensive game is questionable and his physical play non-existent. But that is fairly typical of goal-scorers. If you're looking for a complementary player of the 'sniper' variety, Cammy remains an elite player of his type. If you can't get more than a lower first-rounder for him then you're probably better off keeping him around. He is certainly as good or better than a 20th-overall pick is likely to be.

I agree re: Kostitysn, but a 20th overall pick is pathetic value for Cammalleri.

Emelin is really growing into the role. The way he sent Malone flying, that's rare. Despite my early-season scepticism this guy could indeed emerge as a major defensive force and one feared SOB on the blueline. I missed the apparently horrible first period. The game I saw was one in which we basically dominated for 40 minutes. Having Gio back and Eller playing with such verve really helps, as does the return of MaxPac to something resembling an NHL hockey player. If we keep playing this way, we just might rattle off the big winning streak that the optimists have been desperately hoping for. Meanwhile: can someone please tell me what the big deal is about Guy Boucher? This guy's getting zero from a loaded offensive team that can't play D. If they miss the playoffs, I fire him and bring in - you guessed it - Jacques Martin. And I'm not sure I'd be in any race to hire him were I Gauthier.

Habs29 is right about the contract. It would be dumb to move huge assets to get a guy who could be gone in one year. Now, sometimes teams acquire a guy and immediately lock him up, presumably having had discussions with his agent prior to finalizing the trade. That's another matter. Getzlaf is close but not quite a 'franchise player.' We're not talking Crosby or Ovechkin here. He is, however, easily a point-per-game guy and if we put him with, say, MaxPac or Cammy he's gonna keep putting up those kind of points. But that's one reason why he's a tricky trading foil - to get him you might have to move the very players who you need in order to get the most out of him. That, or Subban plus. Habsy's right, too. We can get value back for guys like Cammalleri. However, Cammy's value will vary by team. If the Ducks are looking to rebuild, then he's not what they want. Conversely, a San Jose would probably be very interested in this proven playoff performer who will surely flourish playing with their top C and with Boyle on the PP. LA might also be interested. Basically, teams with designs on the Cup, not rebuilders.

The problem is that if you move Plex we STILL end up with only one legitimate top-6 centreman. Sure, Getzlaf is an upgrade. But the idea is not to have a #1A and then a bunch of #3s. If you want to really make this a team to be feared, you need a #1A in front of Pleks. Imagine the impact of rolling Pleks out as a 2nd liner and you see what I mean. Teams would reel from the Getzlaf-Plekanec duo. To acquire a Getzlaf, think high picks, MaxPac, Cammy, Eller, plus secondary elements like Weber - in some combination.

Remember when MaxPac had to apologize for a tweet about the length of Marchand's nose? This Barch thing could go either way. 1 game covers the base without being over the top about it.

Nash...great player, horrible cap hit. $8 mil!!