ShortHanded

Good in depth analysis and very level headed. Thanks Chris. I always enjoy reading your posts.

PPM?

I think Carbo made the lines up.

the best payback we can have is embarrassing the guy by outplaying him and making him look dumb on the ice. It would be completely idiotic to do anything cheap. I hope none of our players pull a Steve Downie. They'd all be as bad as Williams then, or worse because at least his carving out Koivu's eye was a careless (and very very stupid) accident, not a deliberate cheap shot.

That's fantastic. I hope you guys have an awesome road trip. The pics are great. Any neat stories, tidbits, etc, when you get back about any of the players, coaches, etc. would be appreciated.

yeah I know and they're the ones running things, and obviously they know better than I do, I was really really hoping Chipper would play so I'm getting anxious... ah well, one game does not a season make. I can't wait for the youth movement to really take off though.

go figure, what with you being in Kingston. That's awesome! Do you know Dougie Gilmour too? I've been a big fan of both of their's forever...

do you know muller? is he nice?

The Veteran team argument doesn't really hold up, bc so what? Does pittsburgh bench their kids if they're playing the Canes? Of course, Pittsburgh's kids are more talented than ours, but ours won't get any better without playing, and that's not really the point anyway. If there are Brisebois injury concerns, Gorges would be just as useful. My point is that at the end of the day, you have a choice to play the kids with more upside, or the vets who are mediocre. There's always the choice, and htey chose the vets. I HOPE this is a showcase and nothing more.

I don't understand why Chipper's not playing tonight... Gorges too, but I've just gotten used to that poor kid getting ignored.

I have to agree with you. I really hope that on most nights, its Chipper and Gorges in the line up, and Dandy/Bouillon/Kosto who are sitting. Both Dandy and Kosto are playing forward tonight while Bouillon's playing D, while the kids are in the press box. I hope this doesn't last.

Higgins isn't on your list, and I don't think he's a fill in ...

starting Halak in the AHL this season doesn't necessarily mean he'll be starting there next season. It's easily a decision that can be made later this year. I'm in agreement with Wamsley that trading Halak now would be a mistake. I think we wait and see just how good he'll become.

LOL. Brilliant Peter Puck. Thanks for the humour :clap:

interesting. Which three? (I'm too lazy to look it up)

I also feel bad for Halak, but i think it's okay long term and he probably understands that. at the end of the day, both Price and Halak could benefit from playing time both in the minors and in the majors, so it was a bit of a toss up who would go down from the end of their continued development. By the end of the season, or next season, Price and Halak will both be with the big club (Huet wouldn't sign back here to be Price's back up, so you can say bye to him soon) and that's what really matters. Also, I liked O'byrne, but from a practical perspective, he was the only D we wouldn't lose for nothing by sending him down. He could still learn more in the AHL even though he played great in the preseason, and I REALLY really hope that one or both of Dandy and Bouillon are gone before long and that time goes to Gorges and O'byrne... SOOOOO so happy that Grabs and Chips are staying with the team. Grabs because it shows we're trying to play with more offense as JMMR mentioned, Chips because he really is a Carbo/BG protege and shows SOOOOOOO much character and leadership promise, etc. Agree that Lappy would have been better to keep than Murray, but if he was developing an attitude, then he'll learn to lose that by having to go back and work his way back up and hopefully it'll only make him hungrier. As BG said, all those prospects (including Lappy) are only a phone call away. Murray can and will ride the pine, and he's expendable to be waived the second we think someone's ready to get real minutes in the league, but if Lappy wasn't gonna play at all if stayed with the big team, isn't it better for him to go down and play lots of minutes and be a leader in hamilton and work like crazy every night than stay up with the big team and eat hot dogs in the press box? I think the final shape of the team IS consistent with the plan of moving the depth and the prospects we've been going on and on about into the big system. that's 3 rookies who made the team out of training camp, and another one (Kosty) from last year... all who will hopefully play a significant part and get real playing time and real experience. Then we've got the players who are just starting their third year who we consider "vets" or "young leaders" like Plex and Higgy, and a guy like Streit, who though older, has only been in the NHL for a couple of years and has shown DRASTIC improvement in that time, and Gorges, who's had a really strong preseason and is only just now learning the Habs system, and then we've got Komi, Ryder (who'll probably be gone next year, but still), and Lats and you have to admit that the team's identity really is changing. I like this line up, with it's potential for upside, a lot more than last years'. Just think where we'll be in a couple of more years with these guys having more experience, and Guys like Valentenko, McDonagh, etc. in the lineup...

This post makes PERFECT sense. all of it. You're bang-on, W01

You STILL Think that's gonna happen??? Marleau's not coming here, and (knock on wood) Koivu's not getting traded. Ryder, okay, but not Koivu.

I wish Gorges was in the line up...

So the two A's are Markov and Higgins? Awesome!

This is great, as well as expected. Anyone who's watched the games, is Kovy wearing an A? Just curious. It might be worth it to appease him, not because a happy kovy is necessarily always effective, but because an unhappy kovy is ALWAYS detrimental...

Boo! Chips' isn't playing (((

no problem. no link needed just wanted to know where you heard / saw it I agree and i'd like to see those two lines as the 3rd and 4th.

you think Dandy's more tradeable than Bouillon? He makes more money doesn't he? I think Bouillon tries harder than Dandy.. they're both pretty bad at this point, but the difference is Bouillon's slightly less bad now, while Dandy used to be better years ago... IF we were stuck with one, which I think we will be, I'd rather keep Bouillon. Edit: I also think it might be too early to get rid of Ryder based solely on D'ago's camp, but he might be a great replacement long term. The main knock on D'ago is he's not yet solid defensively, and it's not like Ryder's gonna get much better defensively at this point...

yes, but with their contracts, these handful of players can't just be delt off to some other team; they're our problem. This year will be a big improvement in effort, small improvement in points. Next year, more improvement in points, and the year after I think will be the real year we move into better contention with the "new core" becoming the vets and the poison completely gone... Just my wild predictions.