CerebusClone

I strongly doubt we'll ever see Korneev sign with the Canadiens however there's probably a good chance we'll see Emelin at training camp next season (both sides seem interested in making that happen), especially if Valentenko doesn't show up. I used to think Phil Paquet was a lock for a contract at the end of his college career, however he seems to habe become injury prone while his indiscipline may have slowed down his progression. This combined to the fact that we're quite deep at the defense position may cost him a contract... hopefully he'll sign, and can prove himself with the Bulldogs. One guy I have high hopes for is Joe Stejskal... but luckily he's far away from signing...

Grabovski was just defensing his territory, he's allowed to stand there in front of the goalie, and Price was hitting him (he was also trying to defend his territory). Personally I wish our players with do more of the same (except for the spear)...

Carbonneau may be 50 games over .500 as a coach… but this is also the record for this group of players over that time span. If this is proof that the coach is fault-less, then shouldn’t it be the same for the players? This is a team, and there are players who need to do their job as well as a coach who needs to get the most out of the resources he’s given. Also a player is forced to hook when he’s out of position and behind the play, and while it can be a lack of effort when we’re talking about one individual repeating the same mistakes over and over, it can very well also be because of an inefficient system, inadequate strategies, players not comfortable with or not understanding their role … and other possible coaching-related issues that have absolutely nothing to do with a lack of effort. I’m not saying all the blame is on Carbonneau’s shoulders… however simply blaming the players for a lack of effort is not only taking the easy way, but doesn’t solve potential problems at the root. As I said I have yet to see a real efficient system emerging over the last 2-3 years, however I’ve seen the talent level rise significantly thanks to the work of Gainey and Timmins, and I’ve seen some strong team chemistry and work ethics put in place thanks to Guy Carbonneau. We’re skating, we’re hitting, we’re working hard… but I don’t think we’re playing smart, efficient, and calculated hockey. Sure we’re winning, but more often than not I think it is because of great individual efforts (sometimes Tanguay has a great game, another night it’s Kovalev… and sometimes no one saves the day). The team didn’t play any worse than it had over the last few games… the difference is that no one saved the team this time… no great rally like against the Islanders, or some lucky breaks like against the Panthers… Carbonneau is a good coach, but sometimes I’m wonder if he’s not more suited for a blue-collar type of team… and whether he can lead a skilled roster to the Championship… as I said before, I see a lot of talent on the ice, but I didn’t see a well oiled-machine last season, and I don’t see any improvements in that regards this season. I understand that it takes a long time to build something like they have in Detroit where even marginal and rejected players become hockey machines, but something should be emerging, and I’m just not sure it is…

Valentenko is a 21yo country boy with tredendously unfair responsibilities on his shoulders to provide for his entire family back in Russia. He wasn't making enough money in Hamilton, saw hardly any possibility to play in the NHL this season, seemed to have been set-up by his father, and he made a "decision" he now has to live with (maybe it was the right move, maybe not). Besides he was now in Guy Carbonneau's doghouse, and probably would not have been called up anyway (Weber and Carle would probably have had that opportunity before him). As for the 4th defenseman, I still think we need to work with O'Byrne, and be patient with him. There's definitely something wrong with him, but he showed us last season that he can be a good defenseman at the NHL level. It may not be a bad idea for the Canadiens to hire an ex NHL defenseman as a consultant to help not only O'Byrne, but also to help stabilize our defensive game which has been lacking for the last couple years. Of course O'Byrne will not likely the current answer for the powerplay - although he's got a great shot, and we should work with him over the next couple years - however I think there are solutions within the organization such as giving Komisarek a shot, or playing Andrei Kostsitsyn at the blue so that he can use his powerful shot (and putting Markov back where he's been so great).

Exactly... and all this comes from the system implemented by the coach and the organization over the years, which is also why by no means am I suggesting that Carbonneau should be fired. This would be ridiculous. However being a high-tempo team with 3 offensive lines is not a system. just a reality. I see the players skate, work hard, block shots, hit every time they can... but I still don't see a coherent whole, a team playing smart and efficient hockey, instead I feel the players are improvising during most situations (besides special teams), and they still can't anticipate each other decisions/position well. You're right, we cannot judge Carbonneau from his comments... still all I hear/see from him is public criticism every time a players isn't producing (e. Sergei Kostsitsyn recently) or when the team isn't playing that well... basically always the same old cliches ans easy excuses...

I don't think it has anything to do with effort, and I reiterate my concerns about Guy Carbonneau's coaching. This is his third year behind the Canadiens' bench, and I have yet to see anything resembling a system or an identity to this team. I've said it all last year, over the summer, and a couple weeks ago, the Canadiens are very talented, they work hard, but they don't play smart efficient hockey. Mostly I see players improvising out there, especially in the offensive zone; luckily we'll win more game than we'll lose during the regular season because of skills and work ethics, but I'm afraid we'll come short again in the playoffs if things don't change. The scariest part is that nmot once have I ever heard Carbonneau mention anything about his strategies and his system, every time a player doesn't produce or the team plays badly, it's always a lack of effort... like during the last playoffs, even though there were obvious technical reasons we lost to the Flyers, all we heard from him was a lack of effort and how the players needed to learn from that experience (which is true, but his said nothing about himself)...

I get what you're saying, but I would think that the numerous moves from Holmgren had a lot to do with this; this includes not only Biron but Timonen, Coburn, Hartnell, Briere, Upshall, Lupul... not to mention the emergence of core young players such as Richards and Carter...

Didn't the other AHLers like Anderson, Flinn, Glumac, Denis, Lehoux... also sign two-way contracts with the Canadiens?

She still didn't know that Africa was a continent... right there is a huge sign that someone should never be in a position to lead a country... let alone the United States of America...

Simple, people had to do everything they could to make sure there was no chance in hell should would become President at this point of time... you can't become arguably become the world's most powerful person and not believe in evolution, believing that global warming is probably not man-made, not knowing the name of the Canadian PM (ok, she was on the spot and maybe she didn't quite understand because of the accent), not knowing what the Vice President of the US does before being asked to fill that role, not knowing much about the world outside the U, and especially, and especially not being aware that Africa is a freakin' continent!!! Maybe she'll be ready in 8 years, and she does have some qualities... but the mere possibility that she could have become President in the near future was just plain scary!!!

Because the French media are not doing the same with Serge and André? You'll open a big can of worms on this board with a statement like that... Latendresse has 7 points in 10 games... therefore he's been nothing short than phenomenal...

I'm sure the NHL and CBC would like this very much... Go Grabovski!!

Although suspending a player is not a free pass for him either, even though Scott Niedermayer was suspended by the Ducks last year he was still under contract, and not free to sign with another team. It would make sense that those contracts would not count against the limit... but then again maybe the league did something to avoid this becoming a loophole for organizations. Either way... it's not really my problem, I'm sure the Canadiens know what they're doing

Actually any goalie currently under contract would be difficult to acquire, especially with the Devils being only 500K under the cap. I personally think that Weekes will do a good-enough job to maintain the Devils in the 5th-7th position range in the conference, and perhaps they could sign a player like Jocelyn Thibault to share the work. Another wild but cheap possibility could perhaps be to pull Hasek out of retirement to split the job with Weekes, but that's highly unlikely as Hasek would take a while to get back in game shape and maybe doesn't want to come back...

They're doing everything they can to push Biron as their number 1 guy, but he's making it difficult for them with inconsistent performances and pretty bad streaks. Every once in a while Antero Niittymaki gets the majority of starts, but he's similar to Biron in the sense that he can look great at times, but just can't seem to keep it up for a long periods of time. Biron wasn't vert strong during the last playoffs either, and he was lucky that the Canadiens inflated his statistics with tons of weak shots from the blue line and from bad angles; he faces high shot totals, but very few of them were quality scoring chances. Still Biron is their best chance right now, and they should be patient with him. After all, this was his first season as number 1 in a long time, and the Flyers' struggling defense is not helping him at all either.

Actually is it considered a breach of contract, and does it still count towards our 50-contract limit? I'm not sure what the rule is for suspended players, after all he's still under contract with the Canadiens, however he's playing in the KHL instead of the NHL... That CBA will require a few amendments after this season...

Actually, the Leafs are playing over .500, are currently 8th in the conference, and are a division rival while Colombus is playing below .500 and are in the Western conference... as per "league rules" it actually makes more sense to start Carey Price against Toronto The game will also be broadcasted on national television throughout the country on HNIC, therefore the Canadiens should put their best possible team on the ice.

Besides, we have a few shy guys in Andrei Markov, Alex Tanguay, and Andrei Kostsitsyn who are showing that you can do quite well in Montreal despite this terrible flaw. However I don't think we should pursue Big Jay as he will likely cost a lot to acquire, and defense is not a position of weakness for the Canadiens, neither on the short nor longer run. Of course if we can get him for a 1st rounder and a Ryan White-type prospect, he would be a good rental for this season (with the possibility that he would change our plans for the future if he does really wel) however I'm thinking the Panthers would ask for more established players (ex. AK46) and/or prospects (ex. Pacioretty).

Should be true, but there's too many possible "stories" in the making to my liking, like Umberger becoming the new official habs-killer (until someone else in the East replaces him), Derrick Brassard outplaying his former teammate from Drumondville, Steve Mason making a name for himself against the team with the best record in the NHL, a big star like Rick Nash dominating the game despite a slow start (that seems to happen often to us), or a kid like Voracek who dominated the QMJHL becoming the next big thing in the eyes of Quebec hockey fans (like Radulov recently).

I still think we need to be patient with O'Byrne, after all he's barely played 40 games in the NHL. O'Byrne gave us some strong hockey by the end of last season, playing like a legitimate top 4 alongside Hamrlik, and he just needs to gain his confidence back. With such as impressive mix of size, toughness, hitting habilties, speed, and agility, we need to give this kid every chance to succeed. My guess is that right now he's afraid to make a mistake; he knows that Carbonneau can have a pretty short leash with some players, and that Brisebois can replace him any time. Thus O'Byrne is probably thinking more about avoiding mistakes and not becoming a healthy scratch than simply playing his game. I think we need to do with O'Byrne what we did with Latendresse 2 years ago, tell him that he's going nowhere, and that he's with the team to stay. He needs to play regularly, but maybe a little less during critical situations when he's having a more difficult game.

I wasn't aware of that either. If it's true, it would actually make sense for Marc Denis to accept a little less in order to be available for callups, otherwise he's be stuck for sure in Hamilton for the entire season (Desjardins would probably have been called before him). After all this is only a temporary solution for him, his objective remains to play in the NHL as soon as possible. Besides, he's still getting almost 2 million from the Lightning... it makes it a little bit easier to make such a "sacrifice".

That's good news for him, he worked hard and deserves it (he was practically the only one without a Habs contract). However he still has a lot of work ahead of him if he wants to play in the NHL, from what I heard (a lot from Don Lever) is that he's doing very well on special units, but is still struggling during 5-on-5 play. The good news is that he's getting a chance to play regularly, we're using him a lot where he's at his best while giving him his regular shift on the forth line.

Actually Higgins has been heavily criticized all of last season because he didn't live up to unrealistic expectations; some people see him as a power-forward and natural goal scorer... he's neither of those things. People are also starting the criticize Sergei Kostsitsyn because he's also in a bit of a slow streak, and he's not playing as well as he did in the first few games as well as last season. As for Plekanec and AK46, there is also some limited criticism, but since they're playing fairly well and getting their chances, people as well as Carbonneau remain patient for now (sometimes you're just a little bit out of luck). I do agree however that Latendresse gets the spotlight a little more than the others, and in a way it's easy to understand considering he's a local player. While some people are quick to judge him, others are also very quick to praise and defend at all costs. This discussion is a good example: while Latendresse has been just ok so far (not great, but not bad either), you have people who want to see him sent to Hamilton while others are praising him for an amazing start. And all this becomes a vicous circle as one side is constantly trying to defend and exagerate their opinions to prove the other side wrong. In addition to this, you also have to consider that Guy Carbonneau has displayed uncharacteristic patience towards Latendresse even since he joined the Canadiens, patience he usually only reserves for veterans, and that other youngsters such as Perezhogin, O'Byrne, Lapierre, Chipchura, Andrei Kostsitsyn, and a few others did not benefit from. I'm sure Carbonneau has his reasons and maybe this isn't really the case, but at times it looked it does like Latendresse was getting a free pass, and without a doubt it bothered some people, especially those who for some reason want him to fail so badly. Personally I don't really care whether Latendresse plays with Koivu or Lang, as long has he plays a smart, efficient game, and contributes to the success of his line. Honestly, I don't think he's been so good to say it's unfair for him to play on the third line, niot bad enough to say it's a necessary change. What's really important is that Carbonneau finds a way to get all three line rolling with more consistency, which has not been the case so far this season. Therefore, it makes sense that Carbonneau would want to make such a change, especially with both the Koivu and Lang lines slowing down recently (and the Kovalev line emerging last game).

George W. Bush remains the main reason John McCain is not the US President today. Even though McCain is quite different from the likes of Bush and Cheney, he just couldn't brush us the terrible reputation his party has earned over the last 8 years. Still by working on the experience factor, and backed up with a strong competent running mate that inspired a radical change from the previous Bush administration, McCain probably could have won the election... unfortunately he picked Palin, who was nowhere near ready, looked terrible when put on the spot during interviews, and scared off a lot of people with the mere possibility should could become President.

If I remember correctly Tyler Arnason was in a similar situation in Chicago, talented kid in a relatively bad physical shape...