REV-G
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Posts posted by REV-G
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I thought the article was surprising and wrong. It so easy to talk how you would do better but I thought the returns were overall very good and personally I don't see how we could have received much better. Also all of the major insiders that I listened to unanimously agreed that Montreal received outstanding returns on their trades.
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After seeing the first games played by Justin Barron and Jordan Harris last week and expecting that Jeff Petry will not be back I'm wondering if any of these young defensemen make our team next year or if that would be rushing their development and a year, or should they at least start the year in Laval and bring them up later, is what would be best for them?
I'm assuming that Joel Edmundston, David Savard and Alex Romanov will be the veterans next year. And I would expect that Cory Schueneman will also be one of our D men. But out of the following, I'm wondering who takes the final 3 spots.
Caden Guyle, Justin Barron, Jordan Harris, Chris Wideman, Kale Clague, William Lagesson.
Or do they sign a free agent this summer to get them through the next year?
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"Zero pressure to win". Thats the part I don't agree with.
This team is so high profile and important to the city and province that I think if he had not changed the culture and made it fun again for the players and fun for us to watch, he would be facing pressure about not being the right man for the job, simply a pee wee coach.
He perhaps isn't under a pressure to win so much as pressure to change things which he has done. If he hadn't and things had remained as they were, he would be feeling the pressure by now. That's what I think.
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I think it's a mistake to say that Marty StL had no pressure when he started coaching the Montreal Canadiens. Is that ever possible?? All eyes were on him to see what he would do.
For example, if he did not handle the players correctly and give them the freedom to make reads while still being accountable and if he did not help the defensemen "clean things up a bit", so that even Petry commented that now they understand what they should be doing, we would still be in the same mess. It was his choice to play the young guys and give them a chance. What he changed worked and the players, to a man it seems, are playing better and they say they now enjoy coming to the rink and practicing again.
There's lots more but if he had not done those things and made those changes and we were still losing and being dominated, I don't think there's any question he would slowly be getting roasted by the fans and media.
He's done extremely well and that's why the pressure has lifted off the coach. He had pressure. He just coached and handled his players so well that they responded and now they are winning, some, and are fun to watch again.
It's been a short period of time, granted, but in that small window he is my favourite coach by far, of anyone we've had since.......???? Scotty??
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If I were to make a list of a few absolute essentials for a long term run of being a really good team I think you hit it. Besides other things, one has to be that we go and get a top notch young goalie that will be with us for many years.
I know it's much easier said than done but to get a Price, Rask, Fleury etc. is an absolute must. Top 3 for sure.
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So whatever you want to call it, we're in the rebuild mode. Personally I'm glad. I think we needed it and it's exciting to see the young guys we've drafted, traded for and the picks we have this year and next in the draft. Three years from now we all want to see a really good young team, with a lot of skill at every position.
What gives me the most confidence is the management team we have. I like them a lot. But when we look at other teams we can see they have all tried hard to build a winner but they have had very different degrees of success or failures.
One of the teams I never cheer for is the Boston Bruins. No matter what. And it's all about our decades long rivalry and so many great hard fought battles with them. Even going back to that great goal often replayed that Guy Lafleur scored off the wing in a playoff series. But lately what has bugged me is that they seem to be have been very good for a very long time! I know now it seems they're fading a bit with their core getting older, but they've had a fabulous run.
Pittsburg is similar but in my mind they haven't been as good as the Bruins for as long a time.
Then you have Buffalo, who has been bad it seems forever and many other teams who seem to be stuck forever in no mans land, not really doing much year after year.
Then you have Toronto and Edmonton. We don't know what will happen this year but they both have some of the best offensive players in the league but every year they seem to fail miserably in the playoffs. Toronto has spent most of their money on a highly skilled group of forwards but they've lost every year in the first round for what, at least the past five years and haven't won a playoff round for a very long time. Edmonton is kind of in that same category until they prove otherwise.
So what has Boston done so well that Toronto and Edmonton haven't been able to do?
What lessons should we learn as we enter this rebuild so we become like the Canadiens of the 70's and 80's and like the modern day Boston Bruins but do not end up on the same path as the Leafs and Oilers?
What do you think are some of the keys?
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For those of you who follow Junior and NCAA players closer can you tell us where you think these drafted players, who I think are all forwards, may fit in with us?
We've heard a lot about our up and coming defenceman this week, Guhle, Barron, Harris and Struble but I'm interested to see who we currently have that could complement Suzuki and Caufield.
Sean Farrell
Riley Kidney
Emil Heineman
Jan Mysak
Ty Smilanic
Joshua Roy.
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Apparently according to Renaud Lavoie, Carey Price is doing very well right now. He was on the ice for 45 minutes in full gear and took some shots.
Lavoie reported that Price and the team are planning on him playing in April. Both sides want him to play before this season finishes.
Good news.
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Ok, thanks. Any thoughts on what pairing he is projected for?
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Not sure if this is the right place to bring this up or if it's been discussed lately, but does anyone have any info on Jordan Harris? What are the chances of him signing with us and when would he be eligible to sign?
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If I was the GM I would keep him especially in light of what you say would be a likely return.
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Jake Allen: This has probably been discussed in the past but since he's soon returning from injury, if Carey Price stays with us, not guaranteed due to knee issues, and with next year being a rebuilding year do you think we trade Jake Allen or keep him?
There seems to be a number of teams needing a goalie and I think Jake still has a pretty good reputation.
If we did trade him what do you think we could get for him? Would it be worth it or is he our potential #1 next year?
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The draft/smaft comment was a reference to Cliff Fletcher when he was with the Leafs. We all know that draft picks are gold.
Personally I think we have too many good players to be bad for two or three years. With what we have and what's coming, Guhle & Harris etc, and with trades I think we'll be better each year and with Marty St. Louis and the rest of the staff I think we'll improve and never be dead last again. Although being in no-man's land where you miss the playoffs but you're not low enough to get a decent pick isn't great either.
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I'm sure we'll all have different thoughts on this but for me, the improvement that we have seen on our team over the past 7 games is more valuable going forward than continuing to be as bad as were for the rest of the season and getting a shot at the top pick. I know some wanted us to continue to lose so we'd have a better shot at the top pick. Personally I think that would have been more harmful. So I am very glad we brought in Marty St. Louis. Here's why.
1. Hugo can now better determine who to keep and who to trade. They're seeing a more realistic view of what we have. To just name three, Nick Suzuki, Cole
Caufield and Jeff Petry, in a small sample size, have greatly improved.
2. The culture and spirit on the team was being destroyed. Maybe rot was settling in. Not sticking up for each other. Not caring. That is dangerous territory.
That seems to have changed quickly.
3. We are now way more attractive to young drafted players and free agents and all the rest, than we were a month ago. Who would have wanted to come here.
4. It my be easier to attract and sign players we've drafted but not signed yet. eg. Jordan Harris.
5. We will be way ahead come training camp this fall doing what's happening now that having not made the coaching change and lived thru misery for the final
37 games or so and starting from scratch.
6. Shane Wright or whoever the first pick is, is not worth that amount of sacrifice and pain. No disrespect intended.
7. We will likely get more for the players that we do trade than if we had continued to lose at the pace we were.
8. According to the players, Josh Anderson said it outright, they were not enjoying coming to the rink. They were not having fun anymore. I'm sure tempers
were frayed. They couldn't just keep going and not address what was happening.
So I am glad we did not try to tank. I don't think the draft pick would have been worth it. They're playing like a team again and we all can see that maybe with all that's in place now from top to bottom, if we can get some good prospects back and make some good trades, we may be competitive in 2-3 years instead of 5.
They're fun to watch again and from what we read, they're having fun again as well, and producing! Let the rebuild continue!! Draft Smaft!! lol
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Ha. I totally agree. Win some and lose more but with very close scores.
Although I have to admit that the more I hear about Shane Wright being perhaps a middle six prospect, if that's true, I'm not sure it's worth too much effort to get the top pick. If we could somehow trade away some assets in 2022 for more in 2023 I think that would be prudent.
If I've heard correctly 2023 is a very strong draft with an exceptional top pick in Bedard.
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This is not to criticize or come down on Dominique Ducharme. In life everyone has at some point just not fit in the position or place they were in and failed. That happened to DD this year coaching the Canadiens.
I've been in many leadership positions in my life and I've seen other people in life be in positions that they really struggled with. Everyone wants to move up to be the "boss" but some people are much better suited to a secondary or assistant position. They struggle when they're the leader and they thrive when they're in another lower position. I think that may describe DD. He may be a great junior coach or a good NHL assistant coach but based on how he did with Montreal this year I don't think he's an NHL head coach. At least not now.
The turnaround with Marty St. Louis has been remarkable. Cole Caufield has returned to what we all thought he was. A goal scorer. The whole team is structured and fun to watch again. Last night when they beat Toronto it was the first full game I've watched all year and you could see their structure and teamwork. It reminded me of how they played in last years playoffs. And it was fun to watch.
I know it's a short sample size but I think they've found gold in MSL. He's a leader, because the players are following him. He's a teacher because the players are listening to him and doing what he's asking of them. He's motivating because they are engaged and clearly having fun again. He's clearly brought the fun back into the game for them.
I feel very confident that with all the changes made since MB and the others were fired we are definitely heading in the right direction and building something that will be once again classy and very competitive. There may be some pain ahead but watching them beat Toronto last night while still missing all the players that are injured, it has to give us confidence. The fun is back. They are worth watching again!!!
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I like DD but for the team's sake and the coaches, Kent Hughes has to make a change. I believe that for 3 reasons.
1. Their play. The players seem confused and not to be
working within a successful system.
From a distance it seems the players have tuned him
out.
2. The losing atmosphere. It must be terrible for the players, especially the young guys.
3. Sportwritters. Just today, Feb. 9, both Arpon Basu (The Athletic) and Eric Engels (Sportsnet) have pointed out reasons why there has to be a coaching change. These reporters follow the team as their job and as you read their articles they are making it very obvious, we can't wait any longer, too much damage is being done to the players and Montreal's reputation. Whether they bite the bullet and appoint Luke Richardson or bring in an outsider, the time
has come and they must bring some leadership and stability and bring in a new head coach.
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I think a good example of how a coach affects a team is Vancouver.
They kept the same players and when a different coach came in the team responded and made a big change.
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Does anyone think that with all that Price has gone thru this year, especially the personal issue that saw him check into the players assistance program, and the direction the team is going, rebuilt or reset, that he's contemplating retiring?
Just a feeling, but somehow I am wondering if he's had enough. I presume he's made enough money to take care of his family for the rest of his life so I wonder if he's still interested in playing in a situation where there's little chance of winning. Personally I don't think he will want to stay in this situation.
So maybe it's retire or try to move somewhere else. I think because his return is taking so long that I've begun wondering if there's more to it, like he's deciding if he really wants to keep doing all this.
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Since there are going to be a few key dates and periods of time coming up, like the trade deadline, unsigned prospect window (Jordan Harris etc), draft day and free agency, I thought that while we're waiting for some of those dates to arrive, it might be interesting to see what we think should be done by our new GM and Jeff Gorton. What would you do if you were the GM of the Montreal Canadiens right now?
Here's my take on what needs to be done. I think because we do have some good young players we can begin to build with them.
To me this is what I would do if I were the GM.
Hopefully get Shane Wright this year and another first round pick, by trading Ben Chiarot, and draft some very good prospects
Overall I would not want to be good next year so that I am in the running to draft either Connor Bedard or Matvei Michkov.
I would trade some veterans now that I need to move for the team or the players sake and I would accumulate draft picks for the 2023 draft.
I would have to be creative to move some of the existing difficult contracts.
Any trades should bring back good young prospects or draft picks.
I would plan to be at the bottom of the league for the 2022-2023 season and begin to show improvement only starting in the 2023-2024 season.
I would let the players and fans know the plan so everyone understands the next few years will be a rebuilding time for the future.
1. Keep the young core of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Alex Romanov, Jake Evans, Ryan Poehling and begin to develop and bring along Kaiden Kuhle, Jordan
Harris and other young players like them and hopefully add the #1 or 2 pick this year and next.
2. I would keep some veterans like Josh Anderson, T. Toffoli (?) A. Lehknonen, J. Edmundson, Jeff Petry.
3. I would talk with Carey Price to see what he wants to do but I would trade B. Gallagher. I really like him but I think he'd be better off somewhere else.
4. I would prioritize finding (either drafting or trading for) a young highly regarded goaltending prospect to bring along over the next 2-3 years.
I would work very hard on our player development personnel and how we are developing our prospects.
I do not know how to do it or what's needed, just that it needs improving a lot.
I would put great emphasis on improving how and who we draft. We have had way too many 1st round busts. That has to change.
I would greatly improve the whole analytics department and how we use them .
Coaching: Listening to people who are more on the inside I get the impression the players are no longer responding to D. Ducharme.
Plus we've all heard that a GM likes to bring in his own coach, so I think the writing is on the wall. A new head coach will be brought in whose strength
is working with young players, a modern coach. So likely not an Alain Vigneault but a current young assistant somewhere or a QMJHL type of coach.
Regarding the assistants, I like Luke Richardson a lot as long as he is really good at working with young defenceman. The rest will likely change.
So that would be my plan. Obviously there are positions in the entire organization that will need to be evaluated and changes made.
I personally really like the changes they have made so far.
Firing MB and Trevor Timmons. It was time.
Hiring Jeff Gorton, Kent Hughes and Chantal Machabee
I think it's a good start but it's only the very beginning. What would you do?
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My intent was not really to debate the PCR tests, but more to point out that the NHL is testing healthy players and getting a huge number of players testing positive who are saying they have no symptoms. And for me the integrity of the league is being degraded.
However if you do just a little research, beyond what the local news and government officials and the WHO are saying, you will quickly discover, even on google, that scientists around the world are saying PCR tests were not developed to be used on healthy people. That's why the NHL has such a high percentage of players testing positive and has had to shut down while other professional leagues are still operating with just a few sick players.
To me it's obvious, but you have to look beyond the general narrative. The evidence is out there if you look just a little bit for it. Maybe it's just me, but do you not see the difference over what's happening with all this in the NFL, NBA versus the NHL. To me it's pretty clear. That's why the call from players and some management is beginning to grow to stop testing healthy players.
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I counted the players on the Canadiens who as of New Years Day are out because they tested positive for covid-19, and the number was 16 plus one coach. Out of 23 players on a team, 16 of them tested positive. We have players who were in the ECHL this year, wee called up to Laval and now because so many players tested positive are getting their first starts in the NHL. To me that is making the NHL look bush-league. What's going on now seems totally absurd and there may be a reason for it. It seems other leagues have figured it out so shouldn't the NHL be able to figure it out as well?
The NFL and the NBA stopped testing healthy players, those who had no symptoms of being sick with covid-19, because they were getting way too many false positives, players who tested positive but never developed any symptoms and sat out, missed games and quarantined for it turns out, no reason.
The NBA and NFL said they followed the science that said these tests were not developed to be used on healthy people, but to confirm in sick people, those who already had symptoms, whether it was covid-19 or some other type of flu. That makes sense. It's what we've always done. We've never ever tested everyone to see if anyone was sick.
The NHL has continued using these tests on healthy players and the result is more than half the players on some teams have tested positive, with the majority from what I've read, never exhibiting symptoms.
This past week GM Steve Yzerman and a growing number of players are calling for the NHL to follow the example of the NFL and the NBA and other leagues and stop testing healthy players who have never exhibited any symptoms of being sick.
The entire World Juniors tournament was cancelled because 4 players tested positive. I would bet that they did not have symptoms. And instead of just quarantining those who did test positive, like the NHL does, they quarantined the entire team. And thus the whole tournament was canceled and those who did so are being heavily criticized by the players and fans.
I hope the call to stop testing healthy players and people grows to the point where they begin testing those who are sick to confirm what they have and leave the healthy people to continue on with life. It's what we've always done. In the words of Kevin O'Leary, "Let's stop the madness!"
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I have trouble understanding why some won't allow this young man to continue with his life and career. He committed a crime and has paid a big price, deservingly. But he's admitted to what he did and from a few reports of those close to him he has evidently had a proper attitude and done everything asked of him without a "woe is me" attitude. He understands that he's not the victim here.
He was a young man, immature and clearly irresponsible at the time. But we live in a society where a person can earn the right to resume their life if they go through the required punishments, education and courses and is deemed by those overseeing the person as having done what was asked of him which evidently he has done all of those things.
If he was our son how would we feel? I think we would be feeling like can he just have a chance now to prove himself and move forward and not have a life sentence hanging over him. There is a time for someone to receive forgiveness and be able to move forward. Unless he proves otherwise by some behaviour I think people should leave the young man alone and let him show everyone what he has learned and how he has changed. For me this is one of the basic's of life in an educated and enlightened society.
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What are our goaltending options going forward?
in Habs & Hockey Talk
Posted
We've all heard the ongoing discussion/debate over the past month regarding what the future holds for Carey Price. He recently said that his knee is still swelling and that he does not see himself being able to play as often as what a regular starting goalie would play in the NHL next season. He also made the comment that his preparation for the last game of the season he played in was as if it was his final game in his career or as a Montreal Canadien. All of that sounds ominous.
So with his situation and future still very unsettled I have been thinking about what our options are going forward. How could that position unfold for us over the next 4 months. Here are our options as I see them.
1. Carey Price recovers over the summer and the rest and therapy on his knee is successful and he returns for the 2022-23 season as our staring goalie and Jake returns as our backup and Cayden Primeau is back in Laval as their starter. We either trade Montembault or send him to Laval if he clears wavers.
2. Carey Price is unable to continue playing and goes on LTIR or retires. Most likely LTIR so he doesn't forfeit all that money. Jake Allen becomes our starter for his final year and either Montembault or Primeau is his backup.
3. I'm not sure if this option is doable but I want to mention it because this would be my choice. If Carey Price is unable to play we go out and trade (pay the price) for a young, very promising goalie from a team that has an established starter and begin to use Jake Allen for the 2022-23 year to mentor this young goalie with him being the intended starter for the 2023-24 season with him and Jake Allen possibly switching places as the starter and backup for that season. The thinking here is trying to put in place our next Carey Price for years to come. My question is does this type of young goalie exist with a team who would be willing to trade him. I'm thinking back to the Jaroslav Halak situation when we had both him and Carey Price and had to trade one of them.
4. We trade for an established goalie for the next few years if Jake Allen for any reason isn't able to carry the full load next year and as we've been doing continue to draft goalies hoping to catch lightening in a bottle.
Those are my thoughts. What do you think?