Seb

44-30-4-4 (96 pts) 2nd Atlantic 5th in East 13th in NHL 222 goals

Not sure of the exact number but I think the president's trophy winner has won the cup eight times. These particular Rangers did it in '94, I think. Sportsnet tweeted it today (last night) sometime.

I think MTL's biggest weakness is the potency of their offense. They can score, but only at an average rate. If they run into a goalie like Lundqvist who gets in the skater's heads, it would put all the pressure on the defence and Price, and even then they might have difficulty overcoming a lack of scoring. Anyway, we'll see. I'm just excited, and every other team in the east should be worried about facing the best goaltender in the league.

No reason for the Habs to be afraid of anyone. They're the top team in the conference and they act like it. They don't care who they get: they're going to handle their business knowing they're a good team that can skate with anyone in the league. That's what I'm excited for. Swagger.

well this thread took a turn.

classique!

Of the eight years on PKe's contract, I think you could reasonably expect at least fair market value in at least five years, likely more. He's gonna score what, 240 goals in those eight years? That's production at a fixed cost. It all depends on the purchase price.

i gave this thread a five star rating only because i couldn't give it more.

For the Habs, no. But at what point does a team like Edmonton, who have struggled mightily in recent years, seriously look at picking him up. Yes, 5.75 for 5 more years isn't pretty, but frankly that's an average contract for a middle tier player on July 1st. Middle tier players already won't go to Edmonton willingly, and to a team of youngsters and underperformers, there's got to be some additional value added that a grumpy, mean, over-the-hill player like Richards might bring aside from goals and assists. Yes, he's over the hill, but he has some serious experience for a 29 year old and just the residual stench of a cup-contending team would improve the tire fire going on in Edmonton. He isn't who he used to be but he has won and that has value to a team like Edmonton.

I thought he said the opposite on twitter today? Might have read it wrong, I was slacking at work and may have rushed through it.

NOTHING TO PANIC OVER !?!?!???!!!!!!! ARE YOU SERUOUS!! !! !!!!?? OMFGSADJDL:KHFJHDLKJFHDLFKJ !!!@@%&^#*!!

Yes it is.

There may be just a tiny bit of doom and gloom in here based on the Nashville loss and a few injuries. The team is deep, give them a chance to see what they can do. If Price continues playing out of his mind, there's no reason this team can't continue to accumulate points.

Perfect. Staubitz AND Parros. The bash bros. The refs will cower in fear and never call weak penalties on us again!!!!

There actually isn't a debate in this thread right now. It's a discussion. Happens to be about language.

Could you imagine an already favoured player, say one of the Gallies, shows up to spring training next year and asks the French reporters to address him in French, then answers all French questions in French? They would be as close to a homegrown folk hero as the Canadiens have had in recent years. The French media would go bananas, and the player would buy himself a ridiculous amount of goodwill which could help down the line with contracts and captaincies, etc. Plus the player would learn a new language (that's a plus) and could get himself the hottest tutor, too (that's a big plus!)

I agree with this.

The 8 year contract limit encourages a bridge deal because it allows you to buy more prime UFA years at the back of the contract. Those two years at the back end at the long-term contract price + the two year bridge deal years are what you get with a bridge deal at the cost of more money on the long-term deal. But really, it boils down to risk. The more time you have (i.e. with a bridge deal) to properly assess what you have in a player, the more likely you are to know what you have in a player. Bridge deal says "let's see what you can do and we'll pay you for what you do." No bridge says "seems like you could be pretty good so let's pay you more than you're worth now and in exchange we get long term security in case you become worth more than we're paying you." Recall that we still haven't hit the back end of all the long term deals players signed in the last half of the last CBA. There are going to be some painful years in a lot of cities when players aren't worth the space they're taking against the cap. Then there's Tyler Myers. A cautionary tale to say the least. I say bridge them all unless you're absolutely sure about a player. Galchenyuk might fit that criteria, but then again, you sign him to 8 years when he's 21, and when he's 29 he needs a new contract. Better bridge him while you have leverage (when he's 21) than to pay him every penny that he wants when he's 29 and fully in control. When he's 21, you're buying years when he's 29. Think about it.

I think the DD line has and will always go the way Pacioretty goes. Pacioretty is streaky, so expect some hills and troughs for the whole line. Unfortunately, the Habs are stuck with DD so he'll continue to get ice time. When the DD/Pacioretty combo is on though, it's usually a fun few games because they score in bunches. Luckily, the Habs don't necessarily need them because they already have two strong lines, including one (Plekanec's) that is utilised against the top line of the opposition. I don't think there are any realistic scenarios where you can take DD out and put player X in and see a big difference, even if player X was a 6 footer (omg!) DD is one-dimensional. There isn't much else to it, we should just accept it.

The Chicoutimi 'Oracle' Cucumber

47-22-4-9 for 107 Pts. 2nd in the Atlantic behind Boston. 6th in La Liga 257 goals scored.

This is the one that's least likely to happen. Book it.

And his first name is Radko. Radko.

GameCenter Live doesn't stream pre-season games for anyone. But every single NHL game played in the regular season and playoffs will be streamed live and on demand all year. There are restrictions based on your location though i.e. you won't be able to watch the Habs anywhere in Canada live or for 48 hours after the game because that would be infringing on RDS's rights (and possible TSN's if you're in eastern ontario.) But if you live, say, in Australia (what up!) where no one owns the broadcasting rights for your team, you can watch any game live or on demand at any time.