Sir_Boagalott

I recently read an article about that and you are absolutely right. The Habs have the least amount of players signed for the least amount of money so they definitely will have the most cap space out of any team. Also like you hinted at the league revenue with the recession we are in right now is projected to actually drop next year. The Habs will have the most cap space and the UFA's wont be able to command the huge salaries in which Bob refused to pay out the last 2 years. The Habs should be in great shape because teams wont be able to make offers like Bob will be able to so if there are any bidding wars on players Bob wants he should be able to win them this time. M-A Bergeron is a UFA next year and I bet Bob could sign him for a decent fairly low contract so I'm not sure if Dandy or Cube will be back. Paccioretty and D'Ags could both possibly be 30+ G scorers so even without any of the Habs UFA F's they could be in really good shape. Not to mention that playing more young F prospects will save even more cap space so Bob could probably target the best UFA Dman thats available for 7+ mil and actually get him.

True Lats is 2nd on the Habs in hits but Jason Blake was at the top of the NHL in shots on goal last year. Sure all of Blakes shots are all shot directly at the goalies logo, but its the stats that count right? Saying Lats is 2nd on the Habs in hits like its some great thing is just silly. Over 80% of Lats hits are late, way behind the play, put him out of position and are for the most part highly ineffective. But he's 2nd. Woot Woot!! Lets all celebrate that the Habs have the best wrastlers in the NHL. Hooray!! I think Lats primary problem is that he doesnt know when to use his size and in a lot of cases how to use it. When the other teams Dman makes a break out pass and theres an odd man rush heading at Habs end its probably a bad time to finish your check when you have to go behind the other teams goal line and hit the Dman in the corner. In the game last night Lats had a great chance to finish his check and hit a Dman right before the other teams blue line but the dman passed the puck and instead of finishing his check Lats just turned up and headed towards centre ice. Sundin and Burtuzzi are both big guys and are almost the same size as each other yet the 1 bowls people right over and the other one doesnt. Lats greatest attribute is his size and he rarely uses it effectively or to his advantage like most other big guys do. Lately I have found out that Lats has a hell of a shot, who knew. It took me 3 years to see him let one loose once. The majority of Lats goals I've seen he was within 10' of the net. Lats needs to play with way more heart and use his size to his advantage like he did last night every bloody night and not just a couple of times a year. I dont think that I would say that Lats plays at 80% 1/2 the time.

Your comming to bizare conclusions that I never said or implied. Markov and Komi play how much? 25 mins/game? So therefore it must be impossible to play Markov + Gorges 25 mins and Komi + Hammer 25 mins? Thats a huge disadvantage because Cube and O'burned only get 10mins? Jeebus, wheres my head at. You completely missunderstood my point aboot Gretz. Gretz in LA had the exact same shot as he had in Edm. Its true. All Gretz other skills were the same too. They at no time decreased because he played with pylons. The majority of players Gretz played with all had carreer high stats. Gretz probably could have easily banked in 20 goals off Dean Semenkos head in a season, that doesnt make Semenko a 20 goal guy. This is true with all players at all levels. Are you going try to tell me its harder to score when your at the right side of the net and the G is hugging left post if your linemate can pass the puck right on the tape of your stick? Than with a linemate who can only pass the puck in your general direction? Of course you will score more goals when your linemate can pass you the puck right on the tape of your stick every time. With Dman its a bit different but same principal. You learn better hockey sense playing with linemates who have lots of it. It will rub off on them, they just need to see it to learn it. oh, thats how you do that, or nice move, etc. Plus inexperienced Dman are kinda shaky in the NHL. Playing a young Dman with a vet is great because then they always know what a safe decision is. i.e. pass the puck to the vet, he'll know what to do with it.

Well unless a #1 & #2 D paring are playing 60 mins a game that theory is deeply flawed. Last time I checked hockey was a team sport. 1 line doesnt win championships, just like 1 great D pairing wont either. One could argue that but the argument wouldnt go for long unless they are really stubborn. Gretz played on a all star team in Edm and was a 1st ballot all star every year. When Gretz went to a non all star team that sucked in LA, he was still a superstar and a 1st ballot all star every year. Talented players in hockey always make less talented players better, always. Gretz inferior teamates in LA never dragged him down to an under 20G season. It just doesnt work like that.

Quite a brilliant theory. The Sens are real smart putting their 3 top forwards on 1 line so I would see why people would want Habs 2 top Dman in 1 pairing. Its so smart. Its not like any teams 2-4th liners wont run roughshad over all the other Habs D pairings. Any Dman playing with a realy good Dman will play better. So the top 2 make the top 2 better? Why not put the 1-4 & 2-3 together because then it'd be more like 1-3 and 2 2's, but ya, that'd be dumb.

I have never wanted to see Markov & Komisarek together. No clue why so many people want to put 2 eggs in 1 basket. It would be better to split them up. Theres little point of having 1 really solid pairing when you can have 2 semi solid pairings.

K, might not have been 6 in 6, but he was avg 1G/game for a few games when they 1st brought him up. Then they sent him down and reuined his confidence.

Exactly, look at what happened to Lappierre. He had 6 goals in 6 games and was rewarded by being sent down. Now almost 100 games later Laps has only got 7 more goals. D'Ags should stay up until his production drops. Habs cant keep rewarding their youngsters great NHL play by sending them down. Its a huge step backwards. With so many UFA this summer the Habs need to be taking steps forward. Habs will need high scoring youngsters next year to replace the high scoring UFA's who leave.

Hmm. Bergeron would definitely work, he has a decent shot from the point + he's been traded several times for 3rd picks so if Bob can get him for that it would be worth it.

I'm been thinking this for a while now and am starting to believe it more and more that Carb is doing the Pat Quinn thing. i.e. playing head games and playing every possible line combination. I think theyre trying to see who can play with who else the best but they know what the lines are. Theyre just doing it to see if anything might be even better and who to play with who if any injuries. I also they are doing it because they dont want to 1st. Its better to be down in the standings a bit. Theres not as much pressure and if teams think they are pretenders and not contenders they can be caught off guard when the real Habs show up. A lot of teams are having problems just with the bizare lines. Laraque should be there permanently though. He is finally being used effectively and imediatly that needs to be changed? Who cares if he doesnt fight every game, he can still do something and he's been proving it lately. The people who want to see him fight and are opposing him on this line are silly because if they keep putting him in front of their goalie he will get plenty of chances to fight.

I kinda thought it was as much as a dive as it was a trip. The refs should have taken both or none IMHO. I would have liked to seen the other camera angle on Kovys trip either way. I only saw the angle from the side of the boards it happened on. The other angle would have shown Kovy's stick and what he was doing with it. Price might be good at handling the puck but he is often really bad at deciding when to handle the puck. I have to admit that I often feel nervous when I see Price leave his crease.

Oh for the love of God dont let Pleks play on this PP.

Oh no. Markov.

hahaha, nice, love the French commentators comment. Komi, the most expensive assistant coah is NHL history.

Really? I could have sworn it was Healy, but I guess that explains why he is saying things I've said on here. Healy is way to pro Laff to ever say good things or know anything about Habs prospects. I gusss I should have known. Millen does sound a lot like Healy though, almost identical.

wow, what a save by Price. Glenn Healy, the announcer on CBC.

hehehe, Healey agrees with me. Put BGL around the net, who is going to touch him?

Way to go D'Ags!!

Why oh why did the 2nd guy stop on that break away.

Go D'ags Go!! I hope Laps continues with not racing to the goal line every time. Stop and make something happen instead.

Damnit, I hate it when people say its on CBC because usually everytime if it is on CBC its only on CBC Montreal. Is this game on national CBC? People should specify because the majority of us dont get CBC-M. I cant wait to see the jerseys, no matter which one it is tonight. C'mom Habs!!

I've never heard anybody say anything like that before on TV, unless watching a comedy show with a veiwer descression warning before its aired. I've never seen a sports show air a warning before playing the nights highlights. I know it sounds kinda silly suspending him for saying "sloopy seconds" but he really should be suspended for that. Avery might as well have said "how it's become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with chicks I've cummed all over and in before". Thats an exact translation to what he's saying. Props to Avery for cleaning it up a bit. Avery feeds off of being loathed. Thats what he wants and thats why he said it, to a get a rise out of Pheneuf and the Flames, and have the entire Saddledome Boo him. How many penalties do you think Avery would have drawn in that game from retalitory hits on him? When Avery plays in Montreal the Habs fans should cheer him. Dont give him what he wants, through him off his game by cheering the guy.

Jeebus, good thing this ends soon.

omg, did Land just steal another teamates goal? 1st Higgs now Kovy?

Clearly anybody who didnt see Hedberg holding Laps didnt see the replay I saw. You can see Laps make 2 distinct pulling up motions to free 1 leg than the other from Hedbergs leg lock. Exactly, in the Det game you couldnt see the puck either but that goal was disallowed so wtf is the rule then? Seems to have gone both ways against Habs twice now.