hab29RETIRED

Aww crap.

On the hockey db he is listed as 5'11" & 187lb

If they make a move, i would think they would do something earlier in the day, since they are supposed to fly to SJ in the morning. I really hope they clear up some salary on the blue line - wouldn't hurt to move UFA Mara and Hamrlik to teams looking for veterans for the playoffs and get a younger, cheaper puck moving Dman with more upside for the future - top 3 would be nice Wee seem to like stockpiling on the bottom feeders.

well we just got another small player in the system.

So basically Gauthier is a guy who has never made a really big move or been able to pull of a blockbuster in his career. The biggest move made was when the drafted Berard and he refused to play for Ottawa so the moved him for redden (who I believe was the #2 pick that year) and a couple of other players. Basically he seems like a GM who has a track record for making trades for either 3rd/4th liners or 4/5/6 dmen. We also have already found out that he will overpay for fringe 3rd/4th liners. Doent seem a lot be excited a out. A GM who plays it safe and doesn't seem to have the balls to make a bold move. That probably explain why he has always been in the GM job only as long as a team wasn't really competitive.

WTF????

Just read the following quote on habs inside out from Pleks agent: "We talked during the Olympic break and decided to talk again after the NHL trade deadline," Curran said. Is Gauthier nuts??? Talk AFTER the deadline???? I think i'm going to be sick :puke: Either Gauthier is going to be dumber then even i thought, or Pleks is gone by Wednesday - either way, I think we are screwed :puke: OIlers traded Grebeshkov for a 2nd round pick. definitely Grebeshkov>Moore. i'd rather have made that move then the one Gauthier did - followed by moving some of our dead weigh dman.

Agreed. YOu can't legislate against stupidity.

Rumour had the flyers going for either Biron or Ellis, or if they can move salary, Vokum. I think with the news today that the islanders DiPietro is going on LTIR, Biron may no longer be an option. Bottom line is, unless we can get Carter back in a deal that included Halak and our excess forward/dman, we couldn't make that deal for cap reasons. Frankly, the flyers arn't going to be willing to do that anyway, so its a moot point.

what i don't get is some of the so called "experts/analysts" in the media saying the habs should move Laps, Weber, halak/Price, Sk74, Mara and Metro. Really the only two I'd move are Mara and Metro from that list. All of the guys being suggested are cheap. The habs are up an.gainst the cap. They need to do whatever possible to fix the cap situation. I'd try and move the big salaries (Hamrlik/Gomez/Spacek), and move the older replaceable parts like Metro, Moen, Mara, Gill. The only way i'd move a guy like SK74, is if we are moving him for another young guy - who looks like he has more of an upside. With Laps, I'd move him only as part of a package to either dump salary (gomez), or as part of a package where we either get a true top 3 d-man or top 6 (BIG) forward.

I'm not going to lose sleep either. I'm just saying that these guys are the one's generating the revenues - they are the ones who deserve the biggest piece of the pie. It's irrelevant what a doctor or teacher, fireman make. The salaries players make are based on the revenues they are generating for the skill they have. I have no problem with a guy like Ovechekin getting whatever he gets, bcoz at the end of the day he is selling the game. On the other hand, guys like Ott and Avery if anything hurt the game with their antics. They are easily replaceable parts on a team. Well he already overpaid in his first trade for a 3rd/4th liner. I'm more worried that he is going lose Pleks for nothing. The flames locked up Stajen and Bourque, the Bourque deal is what the habs should have been doing 2-3 years ago with a guy like Ak46, pleks, komi. If you sign guys cheap instead of this stupid 1-2 year deals, you won't have to overpay in the longrun. If the deals are for reasonable contracts, it makes the player much more tradable afterwards as well. i have been saying for the past 2-3 years that Gainey needs to sign his young guys long-term. He was clearly behind the curve.

I don't agree with you, because, I don't know why you would wanto to penalize the guys that are actually worth their salaries, in order to try and control 's paid to the bottom feeders. I really don't think that lowering the max available to true superstars like the Ovechkin, Crosby, Malkin or Lidstroms is the answer - those guys who people pay to see. To me it makes no sense that guys like Gomez, Brad Richards, or Drury make only around $2M less then Crosby/Malkin. The stars are what sells the game and get people to pay for the tickets. I'm sure there is a certain element (just as their was a certain element that watched crap like Jerry Springer), that will buy a ticket to see a Laraque, Ott or Avery, but they (I WOULD HOPE!!!) are a minority. The only way the owners could try and rectify the situation, where the game's true meal tickets get their due, is if each team was only allowed to designate 1 guy as a franchise player and pay him the max and then have to keep everyone else signed under a hard cap. That would also support the goal of having greater balance across the league. however, given that after the first 5-6 players there is a significant drop off in talent, there really isn't enough players to have a players to ensure every team has a true superstar. Which of course would mean that you would still have someone sign a gomez or Drury to a stupid deal. You can't legislate against stupidity, othwerwise, they would have figured out a way to protect the rest of the teams against teams like the NYR, who almost EVERY FRIGGIN YEAR sign a guy to a stupid contract to increase their "star power". I also think that such a strategy would prevent teams like Washington and Pittsburgh to be rewarded for sucking basically sucking for 5-10 years and stocking up on top 3 picks each year, since they wouldn't be able to sign more then one guy close to the max. of course given that the NHL star players are clueless and don't really seem to care what the NHLPA does and becuase the NHLPA seens to be run by marginal players and clowns like Brad Ferance, a system like that would never be supported by the players. Not sure if I agree. Mad Mike was GM with the NYI for at least 5-6 years - maybe more How long were we stuck with Reggie??

well NHL GM's will never cease to amaze me. What exactly is the requirement to be a NHL GM???? Joe Neiwendyk should have his head examined. Steve Ott just got a 4 yr deal worth close to $3M/yr. If a 3rd/4th line grinder like Ott is worth $3M, what is it going to cost to sign Pleks???? I realize that unlike laraque, Ott can at least take a regular shift, but really, IMO, you should not be paying more then $1.5M to a guy like that. You would think the idiots in Dallas would have learned something from the Avery signing (which they are still paying 1/2 of that idiots salary - not sure who is the biggest idiots - Avery or the fools that signed him!!). How GM's continue to shoot themselves and screw over every other team in the league with dumb signings never ceases to amaze me. Don't these guys realize that they are operating under a salary cap???? There is NO WAY a team can hope to be a contender if they are going to pay role players that kind of money in a cap world. What is the point of the league going to war with the players if the fools running the teams continue to pay these insane salaries to marginal players. If the league really wants to ensure that the CBA agremeents that have resulted in numerous work stoppages that have hurt the league, actually works; they need to first go to war with managment of the teams, rather then fighting with the players. There should be a requirement, that you have someone with some business accumen and savvy AND knoweledge of the CBA, before you can run a hockey team. Not sure if going with ex-players who probably don't have more then a high school education is the right business model. I think most hockey fans would have made better GM's then Mike Milbury or Brett Hull!!! I can't get over a bonehead team like Dallas, who have had ex-players like Neiwendyk or Hull in Dallas making incredbly stupid busines decisoins. These two guys alone have screwed up the pay scales for 3rd/4th line energy players. The only thing that would surprise me more is if tniwendyk also gave Ott a no movement clause that would futher tie his hands!!! I guess it shouldn't be much of a surprise when Hicks is the owner though. He is probably the stupidest owner in sports. A guy who ended up picking up a big chunk of A-Rods salary, in order to move A-Rod and his contract to the Yankees. Then Okayed the Avery deal - which again ended up in Dallas having to pay half of Avery's salary. You would think an owner would learn . You have idiots in management making stupid payroll decisions and then the league will go to war with the players and probably have another work stoppage. What the hell is the point??? When these morons continue to shoot themselves in the foot??? Signings like this make me shudder what it is going to cost for the habs to resign Pleks, Halak, Price and Pouliot this summer and then Markov next summer. Like I've already said, what is the price for Pleks if Ott is worth $3M????

I'd give up anyone on our roster for him - unforuntately i don't think we have anyone that would get the deal done!!!

I think it is apparent that Pyatt was probably a Gauthier choice. Based on play and the total package brought, i'd prefer Ryan White - he brought a lot more fiestiness. I also have to wonder as the head of pro scouting, how many of Gainey's D-man signings from last summer were more Gauthier then Gainey choices. May impact who they decide to keep around and who they move over the next 72 hours.

Can't speak french - what exactly is said?

I was pissed when Corey brought in an entirely inexperienced staff - Houle, Tremblay, Shutt, Cournveyer - it made NO SENSE!!! Then the Roy trade that followed was just utter stupidity. I could have understood if they traded Roy - but the return - that was like the leafs under Ballard!! When I heard the habs traded Roy to Colorado, i was actually kind of excited, thinking who did we get, Sakic, Forsburg, Ozolinsh??? what was the packge like. When I heard the return, I was speechless. That combined with the lockout/strike that cost half a year, let me to stop watching hockey as a passionate fan for around 3-4 year period. As a habs fan, i couldn't help but to watch the habs now and then and follow them, to see just how bad they had gotten and follow their moves. But it took along time for me to be able to enjoy hockey again. Koivu drew me back in and I had really high hopes when Gainey came back into the fold. The signings last summer (mainly pickiing up a contract like Gomez), and the Martin hiring had me afraid that we are going to another dark period. The Gauthier hiring has me scared stiff - his first move sure didn't help matters :puke:

still a terrible trade. In the 93 playoffs you could see the player Leclair could become. Anytime you see a guy with hands like he had, you don't move him considering how many years he was in the league. I think Cam Neely should have taught people on giving up on a power forward to early. It's funny, when that deal was made, a Philly friend of mine in university came up to me pissed off that the flyers traded Recchi for a bunch of no names and was surprised when I was pissed at losing Leclair AND Desjardins. They were too of the main cogs for the 93 cup run. Can you imagine, if the habs had hung onto Chelios, Desjardins, Leclair??? Would we have seen the bonehead Houle hiring??? To have had that D and a big guy like Leclair when Koivu came up, just makes you wonder what could have been The Chelios trade for the washed up home town kid was the start of the fall of the habs. The Roy trade was the final nail in the coffin that sent the habs down to the Leaf abyss.

Nice try - but I doubt it... I said the same thing many when Lafleur was forced out and when I heard what Houle got for Roy... but once a habs fan, always a habs fan

Anyone see the latest nonsense for DickLands's site?? God if that lousy 3 way deal ever goes down, Gautheir is the second coming of Reggie Houle. In a nutshell, we would be giving up draft picks, Price and a prospect and getting Smid, Cogliano and Dallas 1st next year and 2nd. I can't believe people actually pay him to access his exclusive rumours. If there anyting like the one's on his regular site, people are paying an awful lot for utter nonsense! I don't go there often, other then to read Engel's blog, but everytime I do, I can't get over how dumb most of his trade proposels are!!

Barraso was around 24 or 25 when he went to Pittsburgh. He broke in with the sabres after Bowman drafted him out of high school. He seemed to be "over the hill" after winning the vezina and calder as a rookie and then had a drop in his play. Personally, i really don't consider him to be an elite goalie, but l think he is more like Osgood or Fleury, benefited from playing on a stacked team. however, he did win two cups and along with Fuhr, Hextall, Roy, Hasak, Joseph, was considered one of the elite goalies of the eras he played in. To me he is more of a tier two like Moog, Lemelin, Peters who had a few dominent seasons, but really benefited from the team in front of him. I agree that Huet was over-rated - personally, I was never a fan - I'm still pissed at Carbo for playing him over Halak in that last game against the Leafs a few years back when the habs lost 6-5 and got knocked out of the playoffs. However, given his stats and play for the Habs (considered his breakout, he should have yielded more. Rumour is that he was part of Gainey's package for Hossa (hedberg was supposed to also come to the Habs), however that deal got killed when Pittsburgh picked up Hossa. Gainey who wanted to move Huet, then dumped him to the caps. Bryzzie, like Halak wanted more playing time, Burke was trying to dump his salary as he had cap issues. I would say he WAS a second tier goalie, he MAY become a tier one goalie, much the same way that Kipper did. The reason I've included them, is that like Halak, and around the same age, once they were given a chance they progressed to become #1 goalies and may arguebly become better goalies then the guys they backed up. Kipper has become a tier 1 goalie (hard to say who will be looked back 10 years from now as being the better goalie) and IMO, Bryzzie is on his way. I think when looking at Halak and Price, we have to wonder, is halak going to be like Kipper and be a legitimate #1 or be a flash in the pan like Jim Carrey the Net Detective??? Similarly with Price, will he ever have the focus to become a GREAT DOMINENT goalie, or will he be a guy like a Barrasso, who CAN be a GOOD goalie in the right conditions?? I think we have not seen enough of either goalie yet, to be able to make that determination, which is why I would hang on to both for another year.

watching Pkeks at the games and the chemistry he is showing with Elias. I can see Elias asking him to wait for July and sign with NJ. Is there any player who more embodies the Lou Lamirollo style then Pleks??? Great two way player, PP and PK specialist, great 5 on 5. I am REALLY afraid the habs are either going to give him away in a dumb trade at the deadline or lose him for nothing. They really need to move him. Capwise its going to be tough- but it is doable. SIgn him now, move Hamrlik at the deadline for an expiring contract and then move Gomez during the summer. I know people keep on saying moving Gomez would adversely effect the habs chances of attracting UFA's. Boston and NYR have consistently dumped bad signings and it hasn't hur their chances of signing more UFA's. I have a bad feeling that Gauthier is going to make bonehead moves that will see us lose one of our goalies, SK74 and Pleks at the deadline. IMO opinion all three of these moves would hurt us long-term. Our number one need is to give our youth a chance next year to become an integral part of the core (two goalies, Pouliot, SK74, Subban) and dump our epensive salaries (gomez, Hamrlik and Spacek). The guys that Gauthier should be trying to move are as I've already mentioned, Gomez, Hamrlik, Spacek, along with impending UFA's like Mara, Metro, Dags (not much of a cap hit, but waste of a roster spot that is still tied up with Laraque). Who knows, the Pens may also be interested in getting back Gill. The moves at the deadline NEED to be made with an eye towards next year, but still help us to get into the playoffs. However, we CANNOT afford to make dumb moves just to get into the playoffs this year.

Sign PLEKS!!

Agreed, I get lazy, or often reply on my iphone. The repetion was bcoz my keyboard is fxcd up! The habs traded Huet to a team in their conference for a 2nd round pick. which at the time seemed ridiciolus. Anaheim also traded Ilya Brzzxx (to lazy to look up the spelling) to Phoenix for a song. SJ gave away Kipper (prior to him breaking out). So these deals do happen. If you go back further Buffalo traded Barraso to Pittsburgh. Bottom line is that Teams like Philly and Ottawa have always underestimated the importance of goaltending, despite repeatly losing playoff series due to goaltending. The only team that has done well with average goaltending is Detroit. However, i would argue that last year, it finally caught up with them when Osgood wasn't up to par in the finals.

The only goalie who has consistently been willing to resign for a hometown discount has been Marty Brodeur - and that's because he is smart enough to realize that part of his stats can be attributed to the insulated NJ system he plays behind. Post lockout, both Luongo was traded - becuase it didn't look like he was willing to resign with Florida, and Vokoum was traded from Nashville to Florida. Had idiotic GM's who have consistently lacked goaltending (hello Philly & hello Ottawa), not continously given stupid money to forwards having career years and continued their trend of skimping on goaltending, they could have obtained either - especially given the return for either. Luongo may as well have been traded for a bag of pucks then a washout like Bertuzzi. At least Vokoum went for a 1st and 2nd. I would much rather give up a 1st and 2nd for a PROVEN goalie then risk a High draft pick (read top ten) on an 18 year old goalie who probably won't be valuable until he is 24. Moreover, if that goalie was brought up at 18, he is a free agent at 25, otherwise will be a UFA at either 26 or 27 - which is when he will be peaking. There have been very few goalies that went on to instant success close out of their teens. Cam Ward backstopped the hurricanes to a cup (thanks to a non-call on Koivu almost being blinded ), but even he has been hot and cold since, and probably will be until he becomes more consistent with age. Bottom line is that for whatever reason, NHL Gm's seem unwilling to pay the big bucks or make a trade for a proven goalie (pre and post-lockout), mainly because for whatever reason, they are relunctant to give up cap room or players for a top notch goalie. They skimp out and are willing to spend between 4-4.5M to washouts or journeyman who had career years like Theodore and huet, but are generally unwilling to give more to a proven goalie who is on top of his game. Otherwise you have desperate GM's like Edmonton who are willing to pay for washouts like Khabibulin. However teams like Philly will sign guys to long term stupid deal (Briere), or trade for an aging Dman, but can't seem to realize that the need to be willing to either give up cap room or players for a top end goalie. I don't get the rationale, bcoz if you look at teams that get to the finals or teams that win the cup, its usually on the back of their goalie and it usually is the goalie that wins the conn smythe or is on the top of the list of conn smythe contenders. This year Nabakov will be available if the Sharks don't win the cup. If i'm a team like Philly I'd be dumping salary to pick him up. He will probably be blamed for SJ if they don't have a good show in the playoffs - despite the fact that they are being led by carefree Joe. If Price is still here by the time he is 26, I really don't see him resigning with the Habs. lets face it he already seems soured at the Montreal experience and despite whatever success he has, I think he will be gone at the first oppertunity he gets. So to all of the Dump Halak now crowd, be carefull what you are wishing for - bcoz, I just can't see price wanting to stay in the montreal fishbowl. Montreal like the romans eats its young and you have to be a special breed of player to realize that as bad as the fans/media can be when things are going bad or even so-so, there is no better place to be when you are on top of your game. Unfortanately, I really don't see the habs getting on top under Gauthier and martin.